Opening Night Belongs to the Beavers

Monday's game of the day, #7 Beaverton (D3) at #5 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (D4), kept me on the edge of my seat. This opening night clash between two top-ten teams felt like a rivalry game. Sacred Heart defeated Beaverton 45-43 in a thrilling first game last season, but this time, opening night would belong to the Beavers. Beaverton led 26-25 at the half, took a narrow 41-39 into the fourth quarter, and surged to a 67-57 victory behind a 26-point fourth quarter. Both teams shot the ball efficiently from inside the arc and at the free-throw line. Beaverton edged Sacred Heart in free throws, 3-pointers, rebounds, and turnovers, which ultimately made the difference on the scoreboard. Beaverton's big three, Hubble, Roberts, and Danielek, combined for 45 points, 19 rebounds, and 15 assists. Terwilliger and Jones combined to score 48 points for Sacred Heart. After watching the game online, these are the prospects who impressed me the most.    Trinity came through in important moments for Beaverton, helping them earn a tough opening night win. Threes were hard to come by, but she buried a confident triple in the corner and started the fourth quarter with another smooth triple from the wing. Trinity split the gap with her dribble and drained a pull-up jumper in the lane. She extended her arms wide and moved quickly laterally to contest shots, forcing a miss with a great help-side rotation. Trinity worked hard to score an offensive rebound put-back and shot efficiently from the field (2-2 3PT, 5-6 2PT). She ended the night with a productive 12 points and 4 rebounds.     Myah gave Beaverton a competitive edge with her relentless effort and turned in a complete game with a near triple-double. She poured in 17 points with nine assists, eight rebounds, and three steals. Myah penetrated gaps off the dribble, kicked the ball out to open shooters, and threw excellent entry passes into the post. She pursued offensive rebounds with vigor. Myah secured consecutive offensive rebounds on a possession, then scored the tough put-back to energize the team late. She converted key free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach.     Savannah is a forward from Sacred Heart who really impressed me on Monday. She's strong, physical, gets position inside, fights for second chance rebounds, and finishes around the basket. Savannah finished second on the team in scoring with 16 points and showed her outside range by draining a corner three late. She crashed the boards hard to secure many offensive rebounds and finished with both hands off two feet. Savannah used effective step-throughs and drove hard to the basket to earn trips to the free throw line. She stayed with a miss, outworked her defender for the rebound, and scored the put-back in traffic. Savannah is an aggressive rebounder and productive interior scorer for the Irish with height that makes her a promising prospect.     Taryn's first varsity game couldn't have gone much better. She contributed in every statistical category and helped the Beavers earn a statement win. Taryn led the team with 27 points, while adding seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. She pinned defenders with strong seals and finished effectively around the basket. Taryn pivoted to create space to score with a soft baby hook, drained a smooth elbow jumper, and powered through contact for a strong and-one layup with her left off two feet. Taryn walled up to force missed shots, picked off passes, and launched outlet passes up the court to create transition scoring. In crunch time, Taryn came up big. She hustled to save a loose ball going out, creating a key turnover, converted two free throws, and scored a powerful left-handed layup off a spin move. Taryn tacked on the free throw to complete the three-point play. She finished the game 9 of 13 from the charity stripe.     Rylan didn't look like a freshman during Beaverton's opening night win. Her aggressive defense, maximum effort, determined rebounding, and confidence at the free-throw line made a noticeable impact. Rylan battled for an inside position to grab rebounds and pushed the ball in another gear up the court. She escaped pressure using shifty crossover dribbles and accelerated downhill to cause fouls. Rylan knocked down three of four shots from the line with a confident follow-through and drained a three. She dove on the floor to fight for 50/50 balls and added an exclamation point to the victory by ripping the ball away clean for a steal to end the game. Rylan contributed six points, eight rebounds, and two assists for the Beavers.     Karis was flat-out dominant in game one for Sacred Heart, leading all scorers with 32 points (21 in the 2nd half). Her spirited effort kept the Irish within striking distance throughout the game. Karis converted tough floaters and contested jumpers throughout the game. Her body control, soft touch, and footwork were impressive. Karis secured a defensive board, pushed it the length of the court. used a double-crossover move, elevated off two feet, hung in mid-air, and scored the contested layup with her left off the glass. She dropped in a pull-up floater over a 6-footer near the elbow and buried a fadeaway jumper off a pivot. Karis swiped the ball away, switched hands in transition, and converted the contested layup with outstanding body control. Karis blocked a baseline drive, relentlessly chased down rebounds, and drove hard to the rack for a strong and-one layup with her left--plus the free throw. Her comprehensive impact on both stood out. Karis showed exactly why she's a great addition to the GVSU 2026 recruiting class.

Monday's game of the day, #7 Beaverton (D3) at #5 Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (D4), kept me on the edge of my seat. This opening night clash between two top-ten teams felt like a rivalry game. Sacred Heart defeated Beaverton 45-43 in a thrilling first game last season, but this time, opening night would belong to the Beavers. Beaverton led 26-25 at the half, took a narrow 41-39 into the fourth quarter, and surged to a 67-57 victory behind a 26-point fourth quarter. Both teams shot the ball efficiently from inside the arc and at the free-throw line. Beaverton edged Sacred Heart in free throws, 3-pointers, rebounds, and turnovers, which ultimately made the difference on the scoreboard. Beaverton's big three, Hubble, Roberts, and Danielek, combined for 45 points, 19 rebounds, and 15 assists. Terwilliger and Jones combined to score 48 points for Sacred Heart. After watching the game online, these are the prospects who impressed me the most.