3rd Place Game at SAU: 7 Standouts

The third-place game featured Cascades East runner-up Michigan Center (13-2) and Cascades West runner-up Hanover-Horton (12-3). After earning a narrow 58-52 victory against H.H. in their previous matchup on February 4th, Michigan Center led from start to finish, securing a 60-42 victory. Here are the prospects from both teams who had the biggest impact.    Ella immediately stands out with her length, athleticism, high motor, and versatility. She drained two triples for the Cardinals, cut backdoor to score a layup, and threw a perfect lob entry pass to a cutter for an assist. Ella denied passes to cutters, worked hard to keep good defensive positioning, and secured rebounds. Ella poured in 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in the win.     McKynley was an effective distributor for Michigan Center in their win at Spring Arbor. She drove and kicked the ball out to open teammates on the perimeter, leading to several assists. McKynley buried a smooth corner three and made smart backdoor reads. She poured in seven points, dished out seven assists, and grabbed five rebounds for the Cardinals.     Lyla is a gritty guard who facilitates, slashes to the rim, and makes her mark with all-out effort on the defensive end. She changed directions using both hands to escape ball-pressure, drove hard through the gap with a burst to cause a foul, and buried both free throws with a confident stroke Lyla worked extremely hard to defend the perimeter, reached in quickly to deflect the ball, crashed the glass to secure an offensive rebound, and threw a great kick-out pass to a teammate for an assist on a three-pointer. She's a prospect from Hanover-Horton to have on your radar.     Maggie turned in an impressive effort for Hanover-Horton at Spring Arbor. She chased down rebounds and grabbed two offensive boards on the same possession. Maggie drove hard to the rim, finished off two feet, caused fouls, and drained six free throws at the line. She knocked down a smooth pull-up jumper, dished out assists, and scored a smooth catch and finish after stealing a defender in the paint. Maggie led Hanover-Horton with 12 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.     Kara buried a mid-range jumper to close out the first quarter and scored a clean catch and finish layup after rolling hard to the basket to end the second. She used textbook wall-up technique to block a shot attempt and worked hard to secure rebounds in the paint. Kara ripped the ball across her face, drove by her defender, and earned a trip to the line; she converted both free throws. Kara poured in eight points, grabbed five rebounds, and blocked two shots for Michigan Center in the win.     Aly did a great job of penetrating with her dribble, then dishing accurate passes to open teammates once the help defenders arrived. She shoveled an assist down low, drained a smooth three-pointer in the slot, and used a great reverse pivot to get the scoring angle for a layup. Aly caught a pass on the perimeter, stared down the rim to fake-out her defender, then drove by to earn a trip to the free throw line. She crashed the glass to grab an offensive rebound and made a good backdoor cut. Aly poured in six points for Hanover-Horton and dished out three assists.     Mayrese earned a Cascades Conference MVP selection this season, and she certainly showed why at Spring Arbor on Saturday night. Mayrese caught a pass in the slot, pivoted, kept her balance, and drained a smooth three-pointer, then launched a moonshot from the wing that found the bottom of the net. Mayrese hounded the ball on the perimeter, leading to a five-second call. She jumped into the passing lane to snag a steal and took it all the way for two points. Mayrese drained another triple off a BLOB, hit a jumper up top, crashed the glass, made a great entry pass for an assist inside, and dropped in a drive-by floater with her left. Mayrese led the Cardinals to victory with 17 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and four steals.

The third-place game featured Cascades East runner-up Michigan Center (13-2) and Cascades West runner-up Hanover-Horton (12-3). After earning a narrow 58-52 victory against H.H. in their previous matchup on February 4th, Michigan Center led from start to finish, securing a 60-42 victory. Here are the prospects from both teams who had the biggest impact.