9 Non-Senior 6A Standouts from Wichita Quarterfinal Games

The first day state tournament quarterfinal play consisted of all-class boys and girls games at seven locations. Tuesday's games at Wichita State University's Koch Arena included three 6A teams. A substantial amount of talent was on display. In this post I take a look at nine standouts from the freshman through junior ranks.    Becker, along with senior sister Regan, played every minute of the Huskies upset win over Wichita Heights. The forward matched up well with Heights wings, using her length and activeness on both ends to contribute 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and 2 assists against just 1 turnover. Her perimeter shooting, going 2/4 from three-point land, played a important role in extending the Falcon defense and inhibiting keying on her University of Central Missouri bound sister.     Caryl was a force the entire game. "Diesel" is very strong and she used that advantage to score well around the hoop, clear rebounds and draw a great amount of attention on the offensive glass. Going perfect from the field other than a pair of missed three point attempts, she fought through contact to get to the line. Caryl made all 5 attempts on the way to 15 points.     Carter and her teammates were severely tested against the strong Topeka back court and eeked out a slim 3 point win. A big stat she ended the night with was a big '0.' No turnovers. She used her solid frame effectively and showed she can make the challenged three. Carter wrapped up the night with 13 points on 5/12 shooting and 2/4 from the line.     An interesting change in the game was, after Blue Aces bigs got in early foul trouble that continued through the first half, Davis drawing the defensive card to match up with Olathe South center [player_tooltip player_id='672683' first='Eve' last='Long'] when she was moved more outside to help her open up her game and slow down the "hack-a-Shaq" game that was allowed to happen. Her length and quickness were a good fit and she made Long have to put together a few moves to create a sliver of space to get by. One of 8 East players to score Davis ended with 13 points on 3/8 shooting and 6/9 free throws. And while she generated 4 turnovers she also gathered 6 boards and 2 steals.     The slender, fast and quick Fox was a big factor against the tough Topeka back court. She showed speed to go with quickness and slipperiness in the half court to put up a dozen points on 5/7 shooting. And while she committed 4 turnovers she also gathered a steal, a blocked shot and 2 assists. Her length enabled her disrupt passing lanes and challenge shots.     Kates was a new sighting for me. On a team with several talented guards she backed up senior [player_tooltip player_id='621243' first='Quinacy' last='Galbert'] at the point, picking up 6 points on 2/4 shooting and 2/2 from the line. In her 17 minutes of play she generated 8 steals, more than half of the team's total, to go with 2 assists versus 3 turnovers. She showed rebounding chops too, bringing down 6. Overall I was impressed with her quality handles versus strong back court pressure.     Long generally endured being on the receiving end of physical play from the group of Wichita East bigs she faced inside. And while she went off for 30 points and 8 boards (4 offensive) on better than 50 percent shooting and 7/9 from the line it was her ability to consistently sprint down the floor for transition buckets and knocking down perimeter shots that were great to see.     Topeka came within a hair of upsetting second seed Derby and Rayton's play was a big part of why. While she shot under 33% from the floor, mostly due to having a tendency to drive into tough spots in the half court, on the way to a team high 17 points she was an offensive force. Despite 7 turnovers she also picked up 4 steals and 2 assists. Her hand speed and quickness defending on the perimeter was very disruptive. Her chemistry with senior point guard Keira Marshall was very noticeable. Speed, quicks, hand speed and a scorer's mindset made her a tough match.     What Waller is not on the floor is demonstrative. Her mature game speaks for itself. Long, fast and physical she showed a diversified game that will continue to make her problem match-up in the years ahead. Skills are one thing, having her game with her length was another. On 50% shooting, including 2/3 from three-point land with great range, she poured in a team high 17 points in the Falcon's loss to Blue Valley Northwest. She played all but 11 seconds of the game and only churned out 1 turnover versus picking up 3 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot.

The first day state tournament quarterfinal play consisted of all-class boys and girls games at seven locations. Tuesday's games at Wichita State University's Koch Arena included three 6A teams. A substantial amount of talent was on display. In this post I take a look at nine standouts from the freshman through junior ranks.