Battle In The Sunflower: 14U KS BlueJays

At the Battle in the Sunflower last weekend in Andover, KS, the 14U KS BlueJays went undefeated in the division and won 1st place by defeating the potent Tri State Cyclone squad in the game of the tournament, winning the contest 66-65. After holding off a 15-point comeback by Tri State in a game that needed some clutch free throws at the end to stave off their opponents in this nail-biter, the BlueJays showed mental toughness and great team chemistry in the end that sort of encapsulated how well they played on both days of the tournament. So, as the 14U champs of this event, I wanted to highlight each player and their contributions to this team: 10 Players, 10 Key roles, and a winning mindset for the entire staff!    Supreme handles for this division! Best in the tournament with ball-handling, but when you combine her ability to shoot from all three levels on the court, she becomes someone you may have to double-team on occasion to get the ball out of her hands.     Strong 2-way guard who competes hard and defends well on-ball and as a help defender, clogging the lanes up. Offensively, she does a good job of attacking angles off the dribble and relentlessly gets to the paint. As a result, most of her shots are great shots, and she shoots a high percentage along with being one of the team's leading scorers in this tournament.     A sniper from long range once she gets her feet set. Aspen is a really good end-to-end runner, so in transition she excels the most and has better ball-handling abilities than expected, so her pump fakes can do damage by her also getting to the rim. With her lateral ability, she's usually in the right positions on defense as well.     Solid scorer in the paint and off the glass. Can cover big or play guard and showed during the tournament that she can bring the ball up and start an offense as well. She does a good job of letting the game come to her and doesn't force shots or over-dribble. She can be called upon to do more, but she fits the team well by allowing others to excel at their roles.     Calm, cool & collected. Plays with poise, good leadership, and has a solid FT shooting routine with a clutch gene in her.     Strong energy player! Priya has a way of accomplishing whatever the team needs at a given moment or situation. Looks like a multisport athlete who is not afraid of any moment.     Tough player and grinder who is one of the team leaders in scoring as well as rebounding. She can cover a multitude of positions on the floor on both ends while maintaining max effort at all times. The most versatile player in 14U @ Battle In The Sunflower! If you are short at any position, she could do a superb job of filling it.     5'9 Utility Player/Big who communicates very well with coaches and teammates. She gives max effort on the court as well as encourages the team as a leader.     As a long wing with size, she has shooting capability with shooting mechanics that look seamless; she was able to stretch the defense out to the perimeter a bit to allow the guards to penetrate the lanes better.     Was solid as a help defender in the paint and a strong glass cleaner on the boards on both ends.

At the Battle in the Sunflower last weekend in Andover, KS, the 14U KS BlueJays went undefeated in the division and won 1st place by defeating the potent Tri State Cyclone squad in the game of the tournament, winning the contest 66-65. After holding off a 15-point comeback by Tri State in a game that needed some clutch free throws at the end to stave off their opponents in this nail-biter, the BlueJays showed mental toughness and great team chemistry in the end that sort of encapsulated how well they played on both days of the tournament. So, as the 14U champs of this event, I wanted to highlight each player and their contributions to this team: 10 Players, 10 Key roles, and a winning mindset for the entire staff!