The Chemics Cook up a Win on the Road

Monday night, I visited Hartland High School (my Alma mater) for a non-conference clash between the Midland Chemics and Hartland Eagles. Midland came into the contest looking to bounce back after a tough lost to D2 defending State Champs Tecumseh, while Hartland looked to keep things rolling after a 3-0 first week. Both teams challenged the other and brought out the best from their top prospects. It looked like anyone's game after a 21-21 tie to end the first half. In the second half, Midland sharpened their defense, created transition points off of turnovers, and won the interior battle to take a 53-47 win back home. Here are the prospects who impressed me most during the game.    Ellee elevated in the second half of Monday's win at Hartland--she was unstoppable in the paint. Ellee anchored herself with strong seals, caught entry passes with soft hands, and finished effectively off two feet. She dropped in a smooth baby hook over a defender in front of the rim and a strong offensive rebound put-back through a foul. Ellee created separation with a sweet spin move inside to score a layup off two feet and worked hard to grab rebounds on both ends. She energized the team with an emphatic block and led Midland with 17 points.     Madelyn is a freshman from Hartland who caught my attention and had me thinking "who's that?" She worked hard inside to grab rebounds, made a smart backdoor cut to beat her defender and earned a trip to the charity stripe. Madelyn drove hard to the basket to cause another foul and converted both shots at the line. She used a textbook high-rip move, switched hands, and drove by to score with a smooth left-handed finish. Madelyn took a steal the other way, pushing the ball out with both hands in transition and moved to open space on the perimeter. She has the potential to be a very productive player and a versatile prospect for the Eagles.     Kaiya ignited the Chemics with her scrappy defensive pressure, perimeter shooting, determined rebounding, and pinpoint passes. She created steals and delivered dimes to teammates in transition. Kaiya penetrated gaps, caused the help to rotate, and made the extra pass for assists. She drained a smooth straightaway three in transition and another deep triple from the wing. Kaiya's anticipation led to multiple steals and she raced up the court for a breakaway layup. Kaiya pursued the ball hard off the rim, used every ounce of her strength to gain the advantage, and had several offensive rebounds. She finished put-backs with her right and left hand off two feet. Kaiya turned in an impressive two-way performance and poured in 14 important points for Midland on the road.     Ella came sprinting out of the gates for Midland. She attacked with a hard drive and scored a tough stretch layup using a fancy euro-step. Ella showed her accuracy from beyond the arc, draining a moonshot three-pointer from the wing and another smooth triple from the corner. Ella penetrated the defense again off the dribble and got some hang time on another layup. She worked hard to secure rebounds and poured in 12 points for the Chemics in a victory.     Brinley put on a dazzling display with her shifty crossover combinations, scrappy defense, graceful finishes, and confident three-point shooting. She drove down the lane with a burst, faked a pass, and used a swift spin move to score the floater. Brinley kept excellent defensive positioning to force missed shots, caused deflections with her active hands, pressured the ball and stripped it away clean, and showed great anticipation to pick off passes. Brinley used a filthy step-back crossover dribble to bury a deep wing three and another triple up top. She keeps her feet set and maintains good balance to shoot accurately on the catch or off the bounce. Brinley attacked hard downhill used a fake-pass to shift the defender's balance and finished with excellent body control. She has a tight handle of the ball and used an effective double-low crossover dribble to create driving lanes. Brinley converted free throws at the line and tied for the team high with 16 points.     Kendall is a gamer--she steps up in big moments and makes plays that help Hartland compete against anybody. Kendall handled the ball with poise, changed directions, and scanned the court constantly to find open teammates. She gave the Eagles a massive energy boost by penetrating the defense and sinking a tough floater at the buzzer to end the first quarter. Kendall came out guns blazing and made the opponent pay for giving her open space on the perimeter. She buried three wing triples in the second quarter, including one from way downtown, which helped Hartland take a 21-21 tie into the half. Kendall sank another three, penetrated and kicked the ball out to an open teammate for the assist, and used her anticipation to create steals on the defensive end. Kendall tied for the team lead with 16 points in a great team effort.

Monday night, I visited Hartland High School (my Alma mater) for a non-conference clash between the Midland Chemics and Hartland Eagles. Midland came into the contest looking to bounce back after a tough lost to D2 defending State Champs Tecumseh, while Hartland looked to keep things rolling after a 3-0 first week. Both teams challenged the other and brought out the best from their top prospects. It looked like anyone's game after a 21-21 tie to end the first half. In the second half, Midland sharpened their defense, created transition points off of turnovers, and won the interior battle to take a 53-47 win back home. Here are the prospects who impressed me most during the game.