LIVE! At The Nook – Standout Performances

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you sit down to watch a game and see Dawn Staley, Cori Close &amp; Lindsay Gottlieb watching, you know there is talent in the building. Everywhere you turned at Spooky Nook you saw young ladies playing their hearts out hoping to impress college coaches. The bright lights and big moments did not phase these girls when I watched them play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='866432' first='Emily' last='McDonald'] - Team Northeast 17U Power 24</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Easily the most impressive player I watched at length this weekend. She could do no wrong against United NJ Power 24, especially in the early in the 1st quarter where she hit back to back 3s. She didn't stop there and continually got buckets in the lane and at the 3-point line and was in double figures in the blink of an eye. She has a quick release and her length makes her fearless shooting over the high hand. A 6'0" guard with this shot is a weapon and she was firing on all cylinders and shooting it with range. It wasn't just offense for Emily. She uses her length to get in passing lanes for deflections and steals and she is an active defender on the ball. It's no surprise she's a complete player given that she plays for one of the top high schools in the country in Long Island Lutheran.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='825463' first='Rhyan' last='Watt'] - Gym Ratz Street Ballers 16U HGSL</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unfortunately, you had to go to the back gym to see Rhyan play but it was more than worth it. To start with she is built to excel in the Street Ballers pressure style and up-tempo play. She was a lockdown full court defender against Lady Raiders and it created plenty of steals and transition opportunities for her and her teammates. Offensively, she was in constant movement off the ball, getting layup after layup moving to the basket. She takes great angles to the hoop and finished in traffic with both hands. It's no wonder that in her sophomore season she was the leading scorer on a West Orange team that went to the Group 4 State Championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1035001' first='Grace' last='Marie Anderson'] - United NJ 16U Power 24</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the injury to PG [player_tooltip player_id='677735' first='Harper' last='Cohn'], Grace has stepped into the PG role for United NJ and she is improving every game. She plays the game in control and is very strong with the ball in her hands and is a very good decision maker. Against MCW Starz Power 24, she showed great court vision in the halfcourt and in transition. She gets to the rim with ease and is a creative finisher in the paint against taller defenders. Defensively, it was impressive to watch her stay in front of the ball defensively and be active with her hands without fouling which allowed her to disrupt the opposing offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='835225' first='Cameron' last='Roche'] - United NJ 16U Power 24</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cameron can score. She was Westwood's 3rd leading scorer this season after playing just 16 of 28 games due to injury. She also led the team in 3-pointers. After thinking of her as primarily a spot-up shooter, I am thinking differently after watching her against MCW Starz Power 24. She can definitely still shoot it with range, but she showed the ability to make great passes in transitiona and in the half court game she showed some impressive drive and finishes. If she keeps scoring at the rim and at the arc she is going to be a dangerous weapon this summer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='559818' first='Samantha' last='Grella'] - [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots'] 17U HGSL</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots'] 17U HGSL against Exodus Europe was one of the more entertaining games I watched all weekend. It was back and forth and Sam Grella was one of the main reasons [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots'] excelled in the 1st half. Apparently, the scouting report on Grella did not make it across the pond because, in the 1st half, they kept letting her go left and she made them pay. She scored in the post, in the mid-range game and at the 3-point line, going left and attacking. She worked hard on the glass and was active getting after missed shots. She is in position to be the lead dog for IHA in her senior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='559042' first='London' last='Caldwell'] - [program_tooltip program_id='714664' first='Team' last='Sharp'] 17U Select 40</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a loss to MCW Starz Select 40, London did everything she could to keep them in the game. She is a blur with the ball in her hands. She used hesitation and change of direction brilliantly to get to the rim and she finished in impressive fashion. Once, she gets defenders on their heels, she can also punish opponents in the pull-up game. She is a much improved 3-point shooter and was the 3rd leading scorer for the Non-Public B State Champs. With Montclair Immaculate closing it's doors, whichever school gets London is getting a complete player because defensively she can cause havoc when guarding opposing PGs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='559077' first='Sidney' last='Smith'] - IEXCEL 17U</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sidney is impressive. A bit undersized, that does not stop her from doing whatever she wants with the ball. After beating NJ Rise 17U and [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots'] 17U in impressive fashion they fell short against Exodus Eurpoe, but Sidney had her whole bag on display. She scored from deep with the step back, she got the rim and finished. She has a strong frame and is not afraid of contact. When she could not get her shot off, she got defenders up in the air and either drove by or stepped through and made a good pass. After averaging 33+ppg in her junior season at Roselle Park, she is taking her offensive arsenal on the AAU circuit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='600897' first='Gabriella' last='Mittelman'] - United NJ 17U Power 24</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before going down with injury against West Michigan Drive Power 24, Gabriella was having a big Saturday. She got on the board early in a win over MCW Starz Power 24 with a spot up 3 followed by a strong drive to the rim for the finish and 1. She shared the ball as well hitting teammates for easy looks and added another 3 in the 2nd half. Already over 1,000 points for a Demarest team that went to the Bergen County and North 1 Group 3 sectional finals, we hope this injury doesn't prevent her from continuing to show out on the AAU tour this summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='564268' first='Toni' last='Pernetti'] - United NJ 17U Power 24</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The win over MCW Starz Power 24 showed Toni's game at it's best. In the 1st half, she hit a deep wing 3, scored in the post off a back door cut and had a beautiful steal and layup in the United NJ run and jump. She continued scoring in the 2nd half with a corner 3 and at the free throw line after a nice flash to the block. She shared it as well hitting a teammate for a backdoor finish on the baseline. Defensively, she did what she normally does by playing lockdown on the ball defense inside and out and getting multiple steals and deflections in the defensive rotation. Her versatility is what makes her so valuable at any level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='559133' first='Erin' last='Reid'] - United NJ 17U Power 24</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Erin got hot late in the 1st half of a win over MCW Starz Power 24. She hit two 3-pointers, including one just before the halftime buzzer. She hit another 3-pointer in the 2nd half and had a strong drive and finish. Erin plays at a fast pace all the time. When she's in control she makes good things happen. She loves to attack the offensive glass from the perimeter and when she gets defensive boards she looks to get out in transition. She also likes to get into passing lanes and turn steals into layups. She will be back as Rumson-Fair Haven's leading scorer and rebounder in her senior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->