GA State Tournament: Day 1 17U Standout Guards

Whatever it takes to win is what London has proven she is able to provide throughout her career. Against BounceNation, Smith had dazzling finishes at the rim and got hot with her three-point shot, nailing step-back threes from the corners as she dropped in three long balls in total. The do-everything star got others involved with her shifty penetration and was relentless on defense. London poured in 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Her resume proves she is one of the elite guards in Georgia's 2027 class.     [player_tooltip player_id='1242017' first='Davis' last=''] was at her absolute best against BounceNation. The speedy guard was her usual game-changing self defensively, racking up steals with cat-like quickness throughout, but it was her outside shooting which really broke the game open. Deyva drilled five threes in a 71-46 blowout, finishing with a robust 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 6 steals. Her electric play set the tone early on with 16 first half points. Offers should start trickling in this June as Longwood jumped in back in March.     The pig-tailed Pelham playmaker caught my eye throughout the tournament. Barfield led the charge in a 41-21 win over Major Elite as the southpaw buried four threes en route to 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Barfield is a steady leader who handles the point guard position and is smoothly able to balance when to score with when to facilitate. She's a threat to pull-up off the dribble from distance and sporadically during the weekend showcased subtle wiggle downhill to get to her floater. Ally is on the smaller side, but her high academics in the classroom show up on the floor as she is a savvy decision maker that competes every possession. Montreat has already offered and with her play at the State Tournament, she is now on D-III radars as well.     Green plays very hard. She may not stand out in a crowd physically like much of [program_tooltip program_id='713934' first='JSI' last='Elite'], but Maddison has a feel for the game with a motor that allows her to excel. Green is a very good athlete. Listed at 5-foot-6, Maddison has the bounce to attack the glass and win rebounds in traffic. She uses those same springs to elevate when finishing against size inside. Her fast-twitch reactions put her in advantageous spots. Against Major Elite, Green went for 13 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.     It was a good day of work for Layla as she led Academy Elite to a 39-17 win over Team Elite Hubbard National. Brinson got into a groove early on as she managed to consistently get to her spots in the mid-range where she found buckets with her jumper. Layla knocked down four pull-ups along with a catch-and-shoot mid-range. Standing around 5-foot-3, Brinson utilizes a high release on her shot. Layla likes to play out of pick-and-rolls. In the win, she finished with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. The 2028 guard should start popping up on radars soon.     With another weekend in the books, Blaklee continues to make more and more believers out of everyone. The battle-tested state champion guard isn't just Northwest Georgia good; she's one of the top point guards in all of Georgia. Ledford has another gear she can kick into that most guards don't have. Her physicality quickly grabs your attention with strong shoulders which help her negate any size disadvantages at 5-foot-5. Ledford is an expert penetrator who loves to kick out to open shooters. Her outside shot has developed into a consistent weapon, a very good three-point shooter who torched the [program_tooltip program_id='713618' first='Macon' last='Mystics'] for eight threes over two games. On Saturday, Ledford scored Redline's first 13 points of the game and netted four triples in the opening frame. She finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Defensively, Ledford hounds ball handlers with quick hands and the willingness to press up. D-I & D-II schools should be tracking the 2028 over her final two seasons.     Holbrook was instrumental in Redline's 52-51 win over the [program_tooltip program_id='713618' first='Macon' last='Mystics'] as she came off the bench to provide 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals with a pair of threes. Gracen's production was impeccable as she battled against the Mystics' tough guards and length on the wings. When Holbrook is healthy, she's an impactful presence that has the willingness to do the dirty work to win games whether it be on defense or on offense.     Aggressive on defense and steady on offense, Zhoie caused Redline fits as she was able to get to the rim to pair with two made threes. Stanley is a smaller guard at 5-foot-5, but she has the strength to be able to play through bumps when getting downhill. Zhoie has a scorer's touch in traffic along with an improving outside shot. Stanley hit up Redline for 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. She is one of the tougher guards in Macon and a sleeper to help ACE make a deep run this upcoming season.