PGH IL Top 250: Don’s Top Post Scorers
This past Saturday was Prep Girls Hoops’ inaugural Top 250 Expo in Illinois, which featured over 160 of the best girls basketball players in the state. The event was a filled with amazing talent from top to bottom. With the…
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Continue ReadingThis past Saturday was Prep Girls Hoops’ inaugural Top 250 Expo in Illinois, which featured over 160 of the best girls basketball players in the state. The event was a filled with amazing talent from top to bottom. With the change in the game to feature the 3-point shot the post game has gone out of fashion. In this article I cover the girls that did well scoring in the paint. These players aren’t all traditional post players, but some are. Here are the players that impressed me the most on Saturday:
- Grace Sullivan is a 6’3 2022 post from Carmel Catholic. Grace is excellent at getting good position deep in the paint. She showed the skills that she put on display as a freshman at Carmel Catholic. She finishes well in the lane with very good touch. Grace has an ability to read the defense and pass out of the post to open teammates. With her size and ability she is a tough player to stop in the lane.
- Tessa Towers is a 6’4 2022 post from Batavia. Tessa is a big, very strong girl. She has excellent shooting form and touch around the rim. When she gets the ball deep in the paint she is a good bet to score. Tessa is more agile than you might expect as proven on Saturday. One thing I really like is that Tessa has a high release point on her shot which makes it very difficult to block. As she works to increase her vertical and athletic ability Tessa has a very high ceiling.
- Bailey Zalewski is a 6’0 2022 post from Jones College Prep. Bailey really handled contact well on Saturday. Being in the post is no place to be soft and she isn’t. She showed good form and touch on outside shots when she was not in the post. Bailey has a good understanding of how to use her body to seal and establish good position in the paint.
- Stephanie Dasbach is 6’1 2021 post from Willowbrook. Stephanie did an excellent job playing the high/low game and working off her teammates on Saturday. Many players don’t work well with a strong player like Angela Dugalic, but Stephanie did. She got great position deep in the post many times and got the pass inside. Stephanie can finish with either hand and is quick and decisive once she reads the defense. She is a willing passer also and set up Dugalic many times for an easy score.
- Kate Dennis is a 6’1 2021 wing from Guiford. Kate is an excellent scorer with all the tools. I really like the way she establishes her position in the post against smaller players. Kate is patient and will assess what the defense is going to give her before making a decisive move. She can use either hand and has a plethora of finishing moves.
- Annika Gustafson is a 6’0 2022 post from Warren Township. Annika is a big strong girl that shows the ability to turn into a good player at Warren Township. She has a nice shot that she can make out to the 3-point line. In the game I saw her most she was really tough in the post. Annika has a very good jump hook that just cannot be defended.
- Elise Heneghan is a 6’0 2022 forward from Fenwick. Elise had a very good spin move going on Saturday. She can go off either shoulder and be effective. She has a variety of ways to finish from the spin move. She can hit the turnaround, use the jump hook, and will get to the hole off the dribble. Elise can stretch the defense by stepping out and hitting the 15 -17 foot jumper too.
- Ayanna Jackson is a 6’0 2023 forward from DeLaSalle Institute. Ayanna is effective both inside and outside on the offensive end of the floor. She can get into the lane very well where she can finish through contact. I really liked her ability to get position in the lane and turn over either shoulder to create space and finish. Ayanna also showed her range by also drilling a couple of threes.
- Katie Beyer is a 6’1 2021 forward from McHenry. Katie can get into the lane off the dribble and also by finding the soft spot in the defense. She is not a back to the basket player but excels in the paint. Katie is very active both on offense and defense which allows to her get easy buckets through steals and offensive boards. She had a breakout season at McHenry as a sophomore and looks poised to build on it as a junior.