D1 8A and 6AAA Region Tournament Standouts

Watching games across north Georgia this week there were multiple players I saw who stood out. Driving back and forth between the two tournaments, from Demorest to Norcross back to Demorest, these were the players whose efforts on the court this week came to mind when thinking about this article. They say experience matters in the postseason, in this case that must be true as all of the players in this article just so happened to be juniors.    For two games Cameron impressed for PCA with her ability to score the basketball from different areas on the court. Cameron used her quickness to blow by defenders guarding her too tight and knocked down shots from the perimeter when given enough space. Cameron is a blur with the ball in transition where she does a good job turning the steals she creates on defense into easy lay ups on the other end. Cameron plays with a calm confidence and let's her play do the talking for her. Her partnership with [player_tooltip player_id='1188081' first='Sazy' last='Cantrell'] will be one of the best in Georgia next season.     Kendall hit several big shots to help propel Athens Academy to a win and trip to the region tournament championship game against a scrappy Providence squad. Lawson pulled up a few feet inside half court to beat the buzzer on one play and used her ball handing to create space and knock down a three while being fouled on another play. Lawson makes the defense work as she is in constant motion on the court trying to free herself and get the basketball. When she catches it, Lawson is very adept at getting all the way to the basket and scoring and is also a consistent, steady shooter from three point range.     Millie did an excellent job running the paint for ACAD receiving direction from her head coach on the bench and getting her team into the sets he called. Pugmire showed a lot of basketball intelligence getting the ball to Lawson without turning the ball over and in rhythm so she could score. When left open, Pugmire punished PCA from deep and the midrange showing nice form shooting the ball. Pugmire also made several nice post-entry passes and found open teammates at the elbow and with skip passes across the court. She did a nice job pushing the pace while staying under control.     Chloe got into foul trouble early in the game after making a nice three from the wing and rebounding the ball well from the guard position. She has very good size with a large wingspan which helped her on the boards and also applying pressure on the ball. She also did a nice job extending her arms and getting wide in the passing lane. Bell's calm presence and productivity was missed when she was not on the court as Providence was able to close the scoring gap. She, along with Lawson and Pugmire, will make a formidable for trio for teams they face in the state tournament.     EK was recently named the Defensive Player of the Year in 6AAA and rightfully so drawing the opponents best player as her assignment every night for White County. The game I saw against Chesatee was a good example why as she played tough, physical defense against their guards making it difficult to run anything or get a good shot off. Offensively, Shedd was able to get in the paint and score twice on good, confident drives to the basket. One play in particular, Ella Kate split two defenders in very tight space with a Euro Step and then gathering herself and finishing off the glass. Another good drive ended with Shedd converting a floater just inside the free throw line after getting by her defender again.     Vandiver is a kid that preseason not a lot of folks would have chosen to be selected on the t All Region team, however her play this season as a freshman in a very tough league resulted in just that. The lefty is an elite shooter from three point range with a quick trigger, so she doesn't need a lot of time or space to get the ball out of her hands. Her consistency scoring the ball over the course of the year against a region full of experienced and talented players is the reason Coach Shedd and folks in White County are very excited about Vandiver's potential.

Watching games across north Georgia this week there were multiple players I saw who stood out. Driving back and forth between the two tournaments, from Demorest to Norcross back to Demorest, these were the players whose efforts on the court this week came to mind when thinking about this article. They say experience matters in the postseason, in this case that must be true as all of the players in this article just so happened to be juniors.