The PIL Tips Off with a Strong Start for Varsity Players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week marked the season opener for women's basketball, and there were some impressive performances in the Portland Interscholastic League. Benson had a very strong start, facing off against McDaniel, Ida B. Wells, and rounding out the week in a showcase showdown versus Jefferson. All teams came out competitive and excited to start league play. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benson defeated all three opponents this week and had a three-way race for top performers and highest scores. [player_tooltip player_id='1013457' first='Jayla' last='Lackey'] had an impressive 63 points combined over gameplay this week. Followed by Samara Massey with 52 points and [player_tooltip player_id='1143337' first='Kelyn' last='Johnson'] adding another 50 points in just three games. <br><br>Jefferson looked strong in the showcase showdown at Franklin Saturday night. [player_tooltip player_id='837901' first='Makenzee' last='Lawrence'] led the Demos with 23 points. Ida B. Wells showed great depth with their team. They have some sharpshooters from the perimeter and a driving force behind Annalee Coher and [player_tooltip player_id='1321201' first='Hannah' last='Hewa']. McDaniel High School looked to be in a rebuilding year and had a strong breakout performance by Freshman guard Jayda Kir. Now let's meet our top performers for the week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1013457"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696400629ebea"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1013457' first='Jayla' last='Lackey'] is having a very impressive start to her Sophomore season with the Astros. Starting off the week against McDaniel, she had 15 points. Then facing off against Ida B. Wells, she scored 24 points. Finishing the week at the showcase showdown vs Jefferson, she lead the team with an impressive 24 points, 15 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks. <br>Lackey is a driving force behind the Astros and continues to stay consistent as a leader on the team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["837901"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696400629ecac"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='837901' first='Makenzee' last='Lawrence'] is having a fantastic start to her junior year for the Demos. She put up impressive numbers at the showcase showdown versus Benson on Saturday night. She lead the demos with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Daughter to head coach Andre Lawrence, she knows what it takes to have strong leadership skills and presence on the court. <br>She was terrific on the boards and in the paint. She also had some knockdown three pointers down the stretch. She's great at reading the defense, drawing them to her and then getting to the free throw line. With her twin sister Mylee by her side, there's no doubt Jefferson will do well this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1321201"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696425c60b0e2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1321201' first='Hannah' last='Hewa'] is having a great start to her freshman season for the Guardians at Ida B. Wells. She plays with such intensity and hustle. She gets after it on both ends of the court. With a long wingspan and good height, she's able to grab rebounds and have a strong presence on the floor. <br>This week during their game against Benson, she was putting her foot on the gas anytime she stepped foot on the court. She has a great shot from behind the arc and is really great at driving to the hoop. She has a quick first step and knows how to get to the free throw line well. She's not afraid of contact and as a freshman and already knows how to be a leader vocally.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":1644534,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jayda Kir","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12121","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"McDaniel ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696425c60b219"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jayda Kir is a freshman combo guard for McDaniel High School. She's having a strong start to her first season with the lions on varsity. She's a very fast player and has tenacious defense. She's not afraid to be on the ball and locking up her opponents. <br>In this weeks play, size was no matter to this quick guard. She confidently drove to the rim against taller defenders and drew fouls against her opponents. She's a great free throw shooter. Jayda indeed has the courage and heart of a lion. She's tough and it will be exciting to watch her skills grow on the court this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->