Magnificent Maverick Drops 27 in Home Win

Tuesday night, I headed down M-59 East to Milford High School for a matchup between the Milford Mavericks (1-1, D1) and the Fowlerville Gladiators (1-1). Milford came in looking to bounce back from a loss, while Fowlerville hoped to win a second straight game. Milford opened the first quarter 16-4, and despite multiple surges from Fowlerville, the Mavericks never trailed. Milford took the victory 43-33, and these are the prospects who impressed me most throughout the game.    Madison is a strong and physical guard who can mix it up in the paint and handle the ball confidently on the perimeter. Her quick feet and aggressive defensive pressure disrupted opposing ball-handlers, creating many steals. She denied a cutter with perfect technique to deflect the entry pass. Madison crashed the glass with determination and created second-chance scoring opportunities for the Mavericks. She penetrated off the dribble and dished out accurate passes for assists.     Mariah chipped in eight points for Fowlerville, and her effort kept the Gladiators within striking distance. She jumped into the passing lane for a steal, pushed it with pace in transition, and earned a trip to the foul line. Mariah made a great seal in the paint, backed down her defender, and used a great spin move to score a strong and-one finish. She tacked on the free throw. Mariah drilled a pull-up triple from the wing and dished out an assist after swiping another steal. She's a long and scrappy guard with the potential to contribute at the next level.     Ashlyn dropped 27 points in the win on Tuesday; her dynamic display of offensive talent was exciting to watch. One of her "wow" moments came when she used a sudden behind-the-back crossover combination to put her defender on the floor, then slammed into high gear for a drive-by layup. Ashlyn swished a soft floater off a crossover dribble at the buzzer to end the third quarter and buried three triples. She made a smart read to refuse a screen, attacked hard downhill, switched hands smoothly to her left, and finished the layup through a foul. Ashlyn caused turnovers with her constant pressure and will be a special prospect to watch in the LVC this season.     Marissa is a promising power forward in the Fowlerville program. Her high effort, toughness, and scoring gave the Gladiators a spark. Marissa drove hard to the basket and finished at the rim. She showed good anticipation on defense, maintained an athletic stance, and had great help-side awareness. Marissa used both hands inside, worked hard to grab rebounds, and knocked down consecutive free throws at the line. She led the team with 10 points.     Payton showed her potential at the Freshman Showcase. She had a solid performance for Fowlerville on Tuesday. Payton handled the ball confidently with both hands under pressure. She scanned the floor and distributed accurate passes. Payton shoots with balance and accuracy on the perimeter. She buried a smooth wing three and will be a key contributor in the Gladiators backcourt.     Taylor is a scrappy, athletic, and versatile two-way player for Milford. She was determined to contribute in every category. Taylor reversed the court with her strong skip passes and crashed the boards hard to secure offensive rebounds, scoring multiple put-backs. Taylor drained a smooth corner jumper and finished a layup off two. Her quick feet and fast closeout speed led to deflections and steals. Taylor poured in eight points in a great all-around effort.

Tuesday night, I headed down M-59 East to Milford High School for a matchup between the Milford Mavericks (1-1, D1) and the Fowlerville Gladiators (1-1). Milford came in looking to bounce back from a loss, while Fowlerville hoped to win a second straight game. Milford opened the first quarter 16-4, and despite multiple surges from Fowlerville, the Mavericks never trailed. Milford took the victory 43-33, and these are the prospects who impressed me most throughout the game.