The Clash: WV Thunder Perry vs United NJ 16U Recap

The start of this game was very exciting as both teams were able to put pressure on the other causing turnovers or, when they failed to do so, gave up fairly easy and open buckets early. So the action was started quickly without an adjustment period or allowing the feeling out process. Thank you to both coaches for that! Several players from both teams throughout the game showed their skill and ability to play the game on a very high level. In the end, TJ Perry's WV Thunder team was too deep and too talented for United NJ to have a chance to win. As the game went on, the lead increased and Perry's team won the game and finished the tournament undefeated with a 5-0 record. These player stood out with big time performances in this game.    What first caught my attention was on the defensive end of the floor with Maddy's strength and physicality. She is tall kid with a long wingspan, but the muscles in her arms were popping out through her shirt so it was obvious she knows where the weight room is. She used that power to move offensive players off the block and did an excellent job boxing out and attacking missed shots in the air securing several rebounds for her team. She had a nice block coming over from the help side on defense as well. Offensively, Watko showed her ability to drain shots from downtown. She did an excellent job on a give and go play where came off a screen at the top of the key, took one dribble, and knocked down a nice looking shot from three point range. She was active slashing to the basket and getting out and sprinting on the break making herself an option to score the majority of the game. Watko has good vision and did a nice job finding open teammates as well.     I kind of got the idea after watching this team play twice that Wallace is the spark plug and leader of the group. She is very vocal on the court and it feels like you are watching a coach on the floor. Her game is loud and so is she shouting out instructions and celebrating her teammates making big plays. Maddy has elite ball handling and flashed smooth combinations with crossovers and dribbling the ball behind her back and between her legs. She threw bullet after bullet to wide open teammates from as far as 3/4 quarter court length on the money, on time and in stride, setting them up to score with ease. She, herself, is a capable scorer finishing through contact in a tight window while sprinting on the break as well as pushing the ball coast to coast before pulling up for an 8-10 foot jumper in the paint. Wallace holds multiple offers and with continued, consistently good play that list will grow.     Chami made difficult plays look very easy on the offensive end finishing through contact and over and around defenders in the paint. She plays with a lot of poise and patience and did a nice job picking the right spots and times to attack the defense. United NJ had no solution defensively to keeping MiMi out of the paint where she did damage the entire game for TJ Perry's WV Thunder team. She didn't waste a lot of time with flashy moves, just made one or two to draw the defender closer or to get them to back off, before attacking the basket with smooth fluidity. Her finishes at the rim were on the move and in traffic, but Williams converted them with ease. She had multiple finishes with And One opportunities and could have scored more if she were not such an unselfish player. She is a very talented kid that I look forward to seeing play again soon.     Ash showed a lot of versatility on the offensive end complimenting her very impressive size. She showed a lot of skill, very good athleticism, and excellent mobility. She scored on one play after sprinting from end to end with a nice runner on the fast break. On a baseline out of bounds play she used her power to back the smaller defender down toward the basket before rising up and converting a half hook/floater over her shoulder. She also demonstrated a high basketball IQ with nice back door cut and finish at the rim when she was being overplayed by her defender on the perimeter. A lot to like about Kendra's game and she is another player I look forward to seeing again this travel ball season.     Heerema played very well for United NJ against a very talented and big WV Thunder Perry team. She was active on both ends, playing solid on ball man to man defense while staying in constant motion making herself available as a target on offense. When she got the ball, Heerema showed nice form and touch on her shots from three point range. When she wasn't knocking down shots from the perimeter Audrey stayed involved in the action in the paint scrapping for lose balls and opportunistic rebounds. She showed the ability to slash the basket and find creases in the defense as well as finding and hitting open teammates after drawing the help defender. I thought she had a very solid overall performance against very good competition.     Watson had the confidence and calm on the ball that only someone who has trained and prepared for the occasion would and her performance backed that up. Watson is very crafty with the ball using shot fakes, pass fakes, jab steps, and double jab steps to get the defender off balance on their initial approach and then her timing and quick burst allowed her to drive by very good defenders multiple times throughout the game. She shot the ball very well from behind the three point line, scored from the midrange, and in transition. When I went to find more out about her, there was very little leaving me to believe I stumbled upon another hidden gem. If her team is playing and I am at the event, then I will make sure I find time to sit down and watch Watson play again.

The start of this game was very exciting as both teams were able to put pressure on the other causing turnovers or, when they failed to do so, gave up fairly easy and open buckets early. So the action was started quickly without an adjustment period or allowing the feeling out process. Thank you to both coaches for that! Several players from both teams throughout the game showed their skill and ability to play the game on a very high level. In the end, TJ Perry's WV Thunder team was too deep and too talented for United NJ to have a chance to win. As the game went on, the lead increased and Perry's team won the game and finished the tournament undefeated with a 5-0 record. These player stood out with big time performances in this game.