Sterling Christmas Shootout: Backcourt Prospects
On day two of the 2019 Sterling Christmas Shootout, four teams were in action: the Peninsula Seahawks, Sumner Spartans, Auburn Mountainview Lions, and hosts, Kennedy Catholic Lancers. The Spartans and Lions would both take care of their opponents to earn…
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Continue ReadingOn day two of the 2019 Sterling Christmas Shootout, four teams were in action: the Peninsula Seahawks, Sumner Spartans, Auburn Mountainview Lions, and hosts, Kennedy Catholic Lancers. The Spartans and Lions would both take care of their opponents to earn a spot in the championship game. There was a lot of talent at the guard position including juniors Hayley Flores Hayley Flores 5'6" | PG Auburn Mountainview | 2021 State WA of Auburn Mountainview and Karina McMillan of Sumner, both ranked in the top 55 of the 2021 class. There were also impressive showings from unranked athletes looking to make an impact for their teams. Here’s a look at some of the talented backcourt players featured in the tournament.
Hayley Flores Hayley Flores 5'6" | PG Auburn Mountainview | 2021 State WA | 5’6″ G | AMHS 2021
Flores was undoubtedly the best shooter at the tournament. She hit four 3-pointers in the first half and added two more in the second half after to shoot better than 50% from deep. Hayley’s jumper is simple, repeatable, and she shoots with a lot of confidence. If you give her space, she’ll make you pay for it. Flores added a couple of rebounds, an assist, and a steal to her performance, and she probably could have filled up the stat sheet even more if she played more minutes, but with a twenty-point lead at the half, she didn’t play as much as she would in a typical game. Hayley is ranked 38th in the 2021 class. *Featured Image
Karina McMillan |5’7″ G | SHS 2021
Photo credit Hudl.comKarina McMillan, our 55th ranked player in the 2021 class, had a solid showing for her Spartans in the teams 74 to 55 win against the Seahawks of Peninsula. McMillan scored 10 points and was very confident with the ball in her hands as both a scorer and a distributor. She is a great passer and made use of a strong ball fake that helped to open up space for her teammates. The 5’7″ guard also played well on the defensive end coming up with steals.
Kaylee Cooper | 5’2″ G | SHS 2022
McMillan’s teammate Kaylee Cooper impressed with her speed and hustle. The 5’2″ sophomore had the ball in her hands a lot, and she used her speed to put pressure on the defense. She got to the rim with strong drives and added a three-pointer to finish with 7 points, but she also grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 5 assists in her team’s win. Cooper was the fastest girl on the court and used her athleticism to add two steals on defense.
Linsey Lovrovich Linsey Lovrovich 5'9" | SG Peninsula | 2021 State WA | 5’9″ G | PHS 2021
Although the Seahawks of Peninsula lost their matchup against Sumner, I was really impressed with junior Linsey Lovrovich Linsey Lovrovich 5'9" | SG Peninsula | 2021 State WA . Lovrovich still has some work to do on her jumper, but she showed off some really impressive athleticism, getting to the rim and finishing in a variety of different ways. She would finish with 12 of her teams 55 points as well as 4 assists. At 5’9″ Lovrovich was able to challenge taller players because of her versatility as well as her court awareness. If she had the ball in her hands in transition and saw a lane, then she was very effective at converting at the rim or drawing fouls. She’s an underrated talent in the 2021 class.
*Featured Image credit Game Time Events