TABC 2026: Midway Lady Panthers vs Weatherford Kangaroos

The Weatherford Kangaroos edged out the Midway Lady Panthers 38-32 in a close game that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Coach Winbush's frequent substitutions became the main focal point of the matchup for me. It appeared she was using these games at TABC to test different player combinations and build chemistry ahead of the regular season. Although the Lady Panthers lost a few key seniors from last year's team, the roster remains deep, talented, and fully capable of competing in their division.    The first things I noticed about E'Myiah are her leadership and how vocal she is on the court. A huge part of basketball is talking, and E'Myiah had no problem instructing her teammates on where and when to be. Secondly, she is an absolute beast on defense! Her hustle was non-stop as she secured 50/50 balls, came up with steals, and blocked shots. She NEVER took a play off. Offensively, she facilitated more than she scored, but having seen her play with her AAU team, I can confirm she is the total package. Lastly—and I wish I saw more of this from players nowadays—E'Myiah looks like she is genuinely having fun out there. At the end of the day, youth sports should be fun.   Bottom Line: I can see E'Myiah playing at the collegiate level.  However, she will need to transition to the 2- or 3-position in high school, AAU basketball, or both to prepare for the rigors of college basketball.     I like the fact that Addison “Addie” is comfortable shooting the rock from anywhere on the court. It doesn't matter if it's mid-range or from deep—if she has open space, she's going to pull up and let it fly. Defensively, she is solid. Moving forward, she will have to step up and take on a bigger scoring load now that the seniors have graduated.   Bottom Line: Addie is a flat-out solid basketball player. But it's worth noting she's a multi-sport athlete; I remember talking to her grandmother last year, and she is also a phenomenal softball player.       I can feel Sha'Riyah's energy from the court to the stands. Sitting on the sidelines, I could feel how hard she plays, and her passion for the game is evident. Defensively, her on-ball defense is completely on point. She competed hard for 50/50 balls and got several steals. Offensively, she delivered several nice passes to her teammates for buckets, and she showed she can drive and get to the rack whenever her team needs a score.       Anaylah is the heartbeat of her team and the reason they pulled out a close win against the Lady Panthers. She literally put the team on her back as she dove for 50/50 balls, came up with steals, ran the offense, locked in on on-ball defense, and delivered great passes to her teammates for easy scores. Honestly, she even rebounded on both ends of the court to keep her team in the game. I sat there thinking, what else is she going to do? Because she performed just that well on the court.   Bottom Line: I can see Anaylah playing at the collegiate level. She has the heart, grit, vision, basketball IQ, and leadership skills to run a college program effectively as a point guard.       Every coach wants a [player_tooltip player_id='1875655' first='Maddie' last='Baruch'] on their team. She was not afraid of anyone and didn't mind banging down low or driving right at a post player. Although she is an undersized guard playing in the paint, she definitely made her presence known. She fearlessly drove to the basket and converted several And-1 opportunities. To top it off, her real strength was her absolute dominance on both offensive and defensive boards. On the offensive glass, she turned those boards into several quick put-backs. On defense, she would grab the rebound and either make an outlet pass to a guard or bring the ball up herself to initiate the offense.   Bottom Line: I love Maddie's hustle and aggression. Given the right collegiate-level program that values a gritty, high-energy guard who plays bigger than her size, she deserves a shot to compete at the next level.

The Weatherford Kangaroos edged out the Midway Lady Panthers 38-32 in a close game that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Coach Winbush's frequent substitutions became the main focal point of the matchup for me. It appeared she was using these games at TABC to test different player combinations and build chemistry ahead of the regular season. Although the Lady Panthers lost a few key seniors from last year's team, the roster remains deep, talented, and fully capable of competing in their division.