Best Defenders from Class of 1A State Tournament

With the end of the school season officially here in TN, many players in the final games played at the state tournament showed out, especially defensively. Here are five of the best defenders from the 1A TSSAA State Tournament that took place in Murfreesboro.    Junior for Wayne County, [player_tooltip player_id='1039137' first='Ava' last='Ashley'], was a standout defensive performer in both of the two games she played at the state tournament.   Through both of these contests, she had a combined 11 blocks and steals--eight steals and three blocks. All of her blocks came in the first round against Gordonsville High School. Ashley, at 6'1", can change her direction better than most people her height. This makes her a great rim protector with her quick rotations and a steal threat with the combination of her size and speed.   Ashley, as she has all season at the state tournament, was also a dominant paint scorer and rebounder. She had 15 rebounds and 37 points combined through both the state games.     Sophomore at Richland High School, [player_tooltip player_id='1445612' first='Kate' last='Kirk'], is definitely a player to note as a potential breakout player down the road. She displayed great potential defensively at Murfreesboro.   Through the first two games of Richland's run to a state title, Kirk had four steals. She got two in each game. Kirk, listed as a PF, is more than capable of playing as an SF or SG. Her ability to make quick cuts makes her versatile in guarding posts and some perimeter players.   Kirk also provides solid rebounding. Through the three games Richland played, she had 13 rebounds.     Skylar Arnold had one of the better single-game performances out of any post player in all of the state tournaments.   Arnold, in the first round against Van Buren High School, was a dynamo offensively. She had a double-double, scoring 11 points and also snatching 18 rebounds--six of them were offensive.   Arnold in the game also helped put a pin in Van Buren's offensive game plan, getting a game-high five blocks while also getting three steals. Arnold can do damage like this on defense with her good hand-eye coordination. The following trait helps her time up, steals, and blocks.     In her final high school games, Laila Buggs performed well for Middleton High School.   Throughout the tournament, Buggs was a constant stealing threat. With her speed, she was able to stay in front of defenders often and force them to make mistakes. In three games, Buggs was able to generate five steals. Four of these came in the semifinals against Wayne County.   Buggs wrapped up an impressive career at Murfreesboro with her Middleton team placing as state runners-up.     Eighth grader [player_tooltip player_id='1811984' first='Lanie' last='Foster'] has the chance to be one of the better players in the Class of 1A for a long time.   Foster, despite playing against people a few years older than her in the tournament, held her own and stood out defensively. In Gordonsville's lone game at the state tournament, Foster had four steals.   The way Foster sees the game is already above the level of many high school players. This, combined with her quickness on the court allows her to be a great wing defender. She can also already create her own shot on offense effectively. This trait, continuing to develop, could make her an elite player rather fast in her young high school career.

With the end of the school season officially here in TN, many players in the final games played at the state tournament showed out, especially defensively. Here are five of the best defenders from the 1A TSSAA State Tournament that took place in Murfreesboro.