Message Heard Loud and Clear at the Holiday Classic

Jackson Lumen Christi entered the season as my D3 favorite, while Tecumseh started the season ranked #2. After watching the chemistry, talent, execution, and confidence of both teams at the LBI Best of Michigan Holiday Classic today, I feel confident putting both teams in the #1 spot until proven otherwise. Tecumseh graduated very important seniors from last years roster, but their freshman and returners proved their readiness against a highly regarded D1 opponent. Both teams won in commanding fashion and these are the prospects who impressed me the most during the games.    Amaria is a long and athletic forward who showed upside with Tecumseh at the Holiday Classic. She set strong screens on the perimeter and scored a layup off two feet after a hard backdoor cut. Amaria adds rebounding depth and another scoring option in the paint. She has length and mobility that make her effective defensively, while also challenging traditional bigs on the offensive end.     Delaney is a phenomenal 2029 prospect and she made a strong statement about her value as a college prospect with Tecumseh today at the Holiday Classic. Her fast lateral footwork and perimeter pressure kept shifty ball-handlers in a box. She scanned the court with keen vision and threw a great lob pass in transition over the top to a sprinting teammate for an assist. Delaney buried a smooth triple from the corner, converted free throws at the line, and created separation using a speedy crossover spin combination to score a drive-by layup. Delaney's determination, compact build, and hustle made her an effective rebounder. She poured in 10 points with six rebounds in a big win for the defending champs.     Chloe's rebounding and defensive impact helped Tecumseh earn a win against an elite opponent today at the Holiday Classic. She picked off passes, closed driving lanes, and contested shots with excellent body control. Chloe's determination on the offensive glass led to second chance scoring opportunities and she used a quick crossover to split the gap for a layup. She's a lockdown defender who can neutralize the opponent's top scorers. Chloe led the team with seven assists, grabbed five boards, and added four steals.     Kenna changes directions, accelerates, and covers ground off the dribble in ways that are outside of the norm. I noted that Kenna covers ground at a ridiculous pace. Her speedy crossover combos and quick feet made it look like she was dancing with the ball. Kenna buried a mid-range step-back pull-up jumper after serious of crossovers and drained a rainbow three pointer off a step-back move. Her defining play as an elite athlete was on a full-speed drive where she side-stepped a defender with a long-jump, elevated off one foot, and hung in mid-air for the finish. Kenna poured in 21 points with six steals, five assists, and four rebounds in the emphatic Lumen Christi win.     Erin is a weapon for Lumen Christi on the perimeter and she was deadly at the Holiday Classic today. Erin finds open space, catches to shoot off balanced feet, and follows through with sound mechanics. She drilled a game high four triples for the Titans, made crisp passes, and kept her hands active to disrupt passing lanes on the defensive end. Erin poured in 15 points and added three steals in the win.     Makayla has nerves of steel in big games. She turned in a magnificent performance for Tecumseh in the spotlight once again during a statement victory at the Holiday Classic. Makayla is a pure shooter who makes teams pay when they put her on the free throw line and leave her open on the perimeter. That's exactly what she did today. Makayla earned trips to the free throw line and converted seven of eight, while ripping the nets with a game high five three-pointers. Her anticipation and active hands produced steals on defense. Makayla led all scorers with 24 points.     Lucy contributed in every area of the game today for Lumen Christi at the Holiday Classic and that's exactly what great players do. She attacked down the baseline, caused the help defender to commit, then fired a skip pass to the perimeter for an assist. Lucy drained three triples with confidence and cut off drives with her quick footwork on defense. She pushed the tempo using both hands in transition and finished layups under control. Lucy chased down rebounds and her effective dribble penetration created many open shots for teammates. She poured in 17 points with six rebounds, five assists, and five steals in the win.     Addi has strength and physicality that opposing forwards can't match up with inside. She had multiple finishes around the basket after using strong power dribbles and drop-steps. Addi doesn't shy away from contact and uses her shoulder very effectively with a strong base to get the right scoring angle. She moved her feet well with textbook wall-up technique to force misses and communicated with teammates on defense. Addi put up eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds during a solid win for Tecumseh.

Jackson Lumen Christi entered the season as my D3 favorite, while Tecumseh started the season ranked #2. After watching the chemistry, talent, execution, and confidence of both teams at the LBI Best of Michigan Holiday Classic today, I feel confident putting both teams in the #1 spot until proven otherwise. Tecumseh graduated very important seniors from last years roster, but their freshman and returners proved their readiness against a highly regarded D1 opponent. Both teams won in commanding fashion and these are the prospects who impressed me the most during the games.