High stakes, high performers — Central Lyon vs. MOC-Floyd Valley

The Central Lyon vs. MOC-Floyd Valley was a show-stopper so good, it needed overtime to decide the winner. Central Lyon pulled out the hard-earned victory on the road, 64-60, and the showdown featured a number of players that exceeded expectations and rose to the occasion. Across both lineups, athletes leveled up in the neck-and-neck matchup to outperform season averages or just make clutch plays when their teams needed it. Keep reading to see who made the cut!    [player_tooltip player_id='1258995' first='Taylor' last='Rypkema']'s length and touch at the rim was instrumental in Central Lyon's big comeback, and later, their victory. She was the best sealer on the floor last night — I loved her determination to get position on defenders and provide clear passing lanes for guards. Once Rypkema had the ball, she knew what to do with it. She finished 5/7 on 2-point field goal attempts and finished the game with 14 points. She converted a handful of finishes off of strong rolls to the basket and threw in crafty jab step + back cut to leave her defender in the dust for two. Normally shooting 65% from the free-throw line, Rypkema stepped up and came in clutch by sinking all four of her attempts from the stripe.     Kate Kleinhesselink is an athlete that continued to improve as the game went on, and peaked when the Dutch needed a boost in the second half. Though a few of her first looks at the rim didn't drop, I thought they were smart moves and good decisions. Kleinhesselink persisted, however, and leveled-up as the stakes got higher. She did the little things that kept MOC-Floyd Valley flowing like handling pressure smoothly in the back court and causing turnovers on the defensive end. She did a good job to stay connected to cutters and forced a turnover or two by getting her hand in passing lanes. Her offense came alive with a stop and pop three in transition as well as a big three from a post kick-out. Off the bounce, Kate showed patience while using screens — I liked her back dribble to create separation and give her screener time to roll to the rim.     [player_tooltip player_id='1091301' first='Brielle' last='Hoegh'] was a second-half monster on Friday night on both sides of the floor. She started the second half with a strong face cut + finish and never looked back, building MOC-FV's momentum with both her jumper and her finesse with her back to the basket. Included in her finishes was a big three in the fourth quarter, a putback off an offensive rebound, and a patient up and under in overtime. Drawing a lot of attention in the second half, Hoegh was smart with the ball — she knew when to attack the basket and when to find open teammates out of the double-team. The 6'3” forward also had a huge effect on defense. Her presence deterred many Central Lyon drivers and her defense with high hands was a difference-maker for the Dutch. The mobile forward showed more athleticism by sprinting the floor to outpace Central Lyon defenders.     Lily Vander Pol was a highlight for MOC-Floyd Valley through her hustle and toughness. The hard-nosed forward did most of her work on defense, which helped the Dutch carry a decent lead into halftime. No matter where on the floor Vander Pol was defending, she made things happen. She showed discipline and timing with a strong block at the rim and a poke-around steal on the perimeter. She also displayed a strong ability to beat drivers to the spot — her body positioning turned many Central Lyon players away and prevented opportunities at the rim. Lily showed leadership on offense through her aggressiveness on the boards and her decision-making with the ball. She splashed a nice turnaround off the dribble when the shot clock was waning, and on a later possession drew two defenders in the post and kicked the ball to an open teammate for three.

The Central Lyon vs. MOC-Floyd Valley was a show-stopper so good, it needed overtime to decide the winner. Central Lyon pulled out the hard-earned victory on the road, 64-60, and the showdown featured a number of players that exceeded expectations and rose to the occasion. Across both lineups, athletes leveled up in the neck-and-neck matchup to outperform season averages or just make clutch plays when their teams needed it. Keep reading to see who made the cut!