Premier Playmakers — Central Lyon vs. MOC-Floyd Valley

I have been lucky enough to catch some excellent games this week, and the Central Lyon vs. MOC-Floyd Valley might have topped the list. This Siouxland Conference rivalry showdown started off a bit slow but finished with a bang, with Central Lyon winning on the road in overtime in front of a packed house 64-60. These teams are stacked with talent — strong finishers inside, dangerous shooters outside, and stout defenders abound. So stacked, that I'm writing two articles about this matchup. For Part 1 of my evaluation I'm going to be focusing on my favorite playmakers from Friday night. When either team needed a bucket, these players were the ones to create opportunities for themselves or their teammates.   Happy reading, and stay tuned for Part 2!    I can confidently say that [player_tooltip player_id='1215769' first='Danika' last='Hoogendoorn'] was the best passer on the floor Friday night. She threaded the ball to teammates at tight angles with precision and consistently set them up for open shots. Early in the game she was focused on finding teammates, but in crunch time Hoogendoorn leveled up and called her own number. She dominated the fourth quarter and overtime — pulling up from deep off the dribble, hitting kickout jumpers, hitting all her free-throws, you name it — Danika did it all. My favorite play from Hoogendoorn was a shot fake, drive middle, spin move and finish against MOC-FV's tallest defender. Her fingerprints were all over the game and her ability to create plays and defend was a key factor in the Lions' big comeback win.     Sophomore Ayda Vander Zee's confidence behind the arc was massive for Central Lyon. Shooting almost 40% from beyond the arc this year, she showed she's a threat from deep and can score in a number of different ways. On Friday night Vander Zee splashed a three with a side step dribble, off of a cross-court pass, spotting up in transition, and my favorite, in overtime when two defenders didn't switch hard enough on the perimeter. Her confidence in big moments was instrumental and her ability to put the ball on the floor meant defenders had to stay honest — two of Ayda's drives led to a hesitation + re-attack for a finish, and a slick pass to a cutting post player for two. Keep your eye on Vander Zee as a player to watch in Western Iowa for the next few seasons.     If I could sum up Shyanne Struckman's game Friday night, it would be clutch. Down two with the game on the line, Struckman stepped up and drained the go-ahead three with 15 seconds left in OT to give Central Lyon the lead. While the game-winner was the cherry on top, Struckman made impressive plays throughout the game as well. Her passing was superb — she found teammates on curl cuts, placed passes into sealing post players' hands, and dishd to rollers off of screening actions. Off the dribble, Struckman's euro-step in transition got the crowd on its feet. She also found herself at the free-throw line off of sharp curl cuts and aggressive takes in transition. In short, Struckman's playmaking ability was critical and I just loved that she made an impact in such a variety of ways.     Makenna Baker is yet another player that displayed her ability to affect the game from different areas on the floor. She looked comfortable from three-point land, will look for the middy if the lane is congested, and has a quick first step to get past defenders. Though she's right-handed Baker used a jab or rip-through to flash past defenders on the left side for a handful of easy layups. She also hit a big three in transition late in the second half and an even bigger three in overtime on a spray out from the post. Overall, I liked Baker's decision-making and efficiency converting big buckets for MOC-Floyd Valley.     I was really impressed with Ady Jeltema's athleticism and creativity on Friday night — the 5'11" wing was the most explosive player on the floor and displayed impressive playmaking ability with the ball. She left defenders behind with sharp double moves, including a hesitation + crossover and a between + hesitation + crossover for finishes at the rim. When help side defense was in the paint, Jeltema had the touch to finish floaters over the top of looming shot-blockers. Ady did a good job to create for her teammates by setting hard screens too — making contact is a lost art these days. When her team needed it most in regulation, Jeltema went 3/3 from the line with 16 seconds left to push the game to OT.

I have been lucky enough to catch some excellent games this week, and the Central Lyon vs. MOC-Floyd Valley might have topped the list. This Siouxland Conference rivalry showdown started off a bit slow but finished with a bang, with Central Lyon winning on the road in overtime in front of a packed house 64-60. These teams are stacked with talent — strong finishers inside, dangerous shooters outside, and stout defenders abound. So stacked, that I'm writing two articles about this matchup. For Part 1 of my evaluation I'm going to be focusing on my favorite playmakers from Friday night. When either team needed a bucket, these players were the ones to create opportunities for themselves or their teammates.