Class A Region 4 - State Qualifier Prediction

SHILOH CHRISTIAN   Shiloh has a great combination of speed and size. They could be outstanding defensively due to the length. The Skyhawks have had moments where they look like they can beat anybody. If they play well in the Region tournament, they could make some noise at the state level.    Layla is a talented freshman guard who is an excellent defender. She is great in ball-screen defense, using her speed to quickly get through screens. Her head is always on a swivel defensively which allows her to be great at closing the gap on drives. She is tough in transition using great vision to pass to teammates for easy buckets.     Macie is a great guard for Shiloh. She is a fast player that makes her team hard to press. She can pass through the press or use her speed to dribble through it. She has good footwork, utilizing pivots and changes of directions to allow her team to advance the ball. She is a good on-ball defender and can knock down the three.     Sophia has potential to be a great high school player and looks better each time I watch her play. She is super long and athletic. She towers over most other girls on the floor but doesn't give up any speed or athleticism. She is tough driving to the basket and can finish in traffic. She has active hands defensively and does a good job of getting in passing lanes. She has good vision in transition and makes correct reads.     Katie is a key reserve and a very valuable player, particularly on the defensive end. She is super long and does a great job as a secondary defender cutting off baseline drives. All she needs to do is show her long arms and opponents are scared to drive any further into the lane. She runs the floor hard and isn't afraid to take the ball aggressively to the basket.     Elizabeth is another forward who is athletic and long. She is a well-coached player and doesn't make many mistakes. She understands positioning defensively and is always in a good stance. She runs the floor hard and understands when to cut and when to stay. She attacks the offensive boards with a toughness every coach can appreciate.    HAZEN   Hazen is a quality team that has players that can put them on a nice postseason run. They have a nice mix of veterans and youth talent. Their two best players are only sophomores, so Hazen has an opportunity to be good for a handful of years.    Macey is a great athlete and moves extremely well. She can knock down the midrange jump shot. She makes good decisions in 2-on-1 transition opportunities, knowing when to take it for a finish and when to dump it off to a teammate for a layup. She has great jumping ability and can leap higher than most of her opponents for finishes.     Lauren is a passionate competitor and shows a lot of emotion on the floor. You can tell she wants to win. She is tough defensively and does a great job of moving her feet to keep her opponent in front of her. She is an aggressive athlete in everything she does. She is tough driving to the basket.     Ava is a really good role player for the Bison. She does a lot of things well and sets a great example for her teammates. She is great in help side defense. She knows where to be and how to stop drives. She can knock down open shots when needed and is a hard competitor. She has great strength in her base and is hard to get around. Ava does a lot of unnoticed things that helps her team win games.     Emily is a good post player for Hazen and competes hard defensively. She battles for high side in the post and adjusts her movements depending upon where the ball is passed on the perimeter. She is a good athlete and attacks the offensive glass. She has the athletic ability to do a hard hedge defensively and stop any sort of penetration from the ball-handler.     Macee is an athletic forward who shines defensively. She uses her long arms to distort passing lanes. She has good footwork around the rim and can cover a lot of distance with her drop step. I like how she cuts to the basket in their motion offense and spaces the floor afterwards. She is a good screener both off the ball and on the ball.    Dickinson Trinity is the third team that could come out of Region 4. They have a very talented All-State Player alongside a offensively skilled post player. If they play well, they will find themselves coming out of Region 4.

SHILOH CHRISTIAN