Spark Plug Picks

Clear Creek Amana stormed into Iowa City West High on Tuesday and, for the majority of the time, looked comfortable and confident as they strode to a 68-57 win. Despite the Clippers maintaining a double-digit lead throughout the game there were players from both squads that stuck out to me — players that brought the hustle to help to start a run, maintain a lead, or just give their team a lift. Here are my energy-givers from the matchup.    Neumiller was the calm, veteran presence for a balanced ICW team. While her specialty is shooting from deep (where she went 3/5 on the night), I think her poise in big moments helped her team gain momentum when they needed it most. Any time West seemed to lull you would find Neumiller to fill in the gaps with a solid play. Abby's shooting ability combined with her size, demeanor on the floor, and defensive consistency makes for an energy-bringer on both sides of the floor. I was also impressed with Neumiller's ability to play through foul trouble and finish the game to the final buzzer.     [player_tooltip player_id='885073' first='Lydia' last='Keller'] inserted herself into the game early and continued to bring fireworks throughout this matchup. This freshman definitely doesn't play like one — she's fundamentally sound and is not afraid of the big moment. Keller's early three pointers in the first quarter Tuesday night helped CCA establish their early lead, and her defense helped them keep it. I really liked her body positioning on the defensive end — she didn't reach, beat her opposition to the spot, and forced pickups on the drive. Her smooth shooting, intuitive reads off of screens and textbook defense kept her Clipper squad fired up.     I just loved the energy and enthusiasm that Brooklyn Lee brought to the game on Tuesday. The senior shooting guard got the CCA crowd on its feed with timely shooting, going 4/5 from deep on the night. Lee is a confident presence off the bench for CCA and did not let the heat of the moment phase her — instead, she rose up to the moment. She has a smooth jumper, is not afraid to let it fly against a high hand, and head hunted on screens to get her teammates open looks. Despite her size, Lee also brought physicality on both sides of the floor. I have my eyes on Lee to be a consistent energy player for a promising CCA squad this season.     Lauryn Hyneck is yet another player who came off the bench and excelled at their job on Tuesday. She was aggressive at the right time defensively with active hands and brought an immediate spark with an assist, steal, and and-1 upon checking into the game. Hyneck also did a good job to pick her spots offensively. She is confident driving baseline with either hand and looks poised at the foul stripe too. I really enjoyed watching Hyneck's fight and no-quit attitude no matter the score — she's a player any coach would want on their side.     [player_tooltip player_id='1323000' first='Kennedy' last='Stratton'] is the epitome of a true point guard. She gets the ball up the floor with pace and keeps her team organized, and backs up her intensity on the offensive end with non-stop on-ball defense. Stratton brought the energy in a number of ways for her Clipper squad, including drawing a big charge in the first half and hitting a huge three in crunch time when West was surging late in the fourth. Stratton has a serious motor, knows when to slow the pace and run the offense, and gives opposing point guards fits with her quick feet and active hands. I loved Stratton's effort this week.

Clear Creek Amana stormed into Iowa City West High on Tuesday and, for the majority of the time, looked comfortable and confident as they strode to a 68-57 win. Despite the Clippers maintaining a double-digit lead throughout the game there were players from both squads that stuck out to me — players that brought the hustle to help to start a run, maintain a lead, or just give their team a lift. Here are my energy-givers from the matchup.