A Look at Standout Forwards in NWMO Weekend Tournament Action

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Girls Hoops Missouri had a chance to watch a pair of championship games from the Northwest part of the state on the stream last weekend. We watched the Lawson Tournament and Albany Tournament championship games. Richmond defeated Lawson in the championship game at Lawson while host Stanberry defeated Albany for the title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at some of the standout forwards that we watched during the weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leah Baldwin (Lawson): An undersized 5'7 2026 forward who plays much taller than her actual height. She is physically tough and she takes the ball right at defenders. She spent a lot of time at the free throw line for her efforts. She also drives it very well from the high post. She scored 13 points in the championship game against Richmond.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Katelyn Shisler (Stanberry): A 2029 forward who scored 15 points in the championship game victory over Albany. She has good footwork and fundamentals in the low post. She keeps the ball high and finishes with a nice touch. She can also stretch the floor from 3-point range.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jayden Hilyard (Albany): A 5'10 2027 forward who is the top scorer on a very young squad. She's has good patience in the post as she can score on a variety of moves. She also uses the pump fake well inside. She also got multiple offensive rebounds for putbacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Candice Claypole (Richmond): A 5'7 2026 forward who scored nine points in the championship game against Lawson. She did a good job on the offensive boards and she hit a jumper from the free throw line. She was also a good secondary ball handler against pressure defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Courtney Merrigan (Stanberry): A 2026 forward who scored 10 points and played a solid floor game in the championship game. She's a tough lefty who shoots it well from 10 to 12 feet. She is also an excellent passer from the high post.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ellie Dias (Stanberry): A 2027 forward who came off the bench to score 12 points in the championship game against Albany. She gave the team a good spark with her athleticism and high energy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->