Promising 2030 Prospects at Clarkston JHS

The word on the street is that Coach Goodnough has a talented group of 8th graders coming through the pipeline. Naturally, I made my way over to Clarkston Junior High School for the Blue vs. Gold game on Thursday to find out. After seeing the girls play, I can wholeheartedly confirm that the Wolves have a promising group of talent in their 2030 class.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/10/PXL_20251023_210947591.MP_-crop-3226x2118-1761311672.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1350291" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Team Gold Pre-Game with Coach Goodnough, Clarkston J.H.S., Oct. 23rd, 2025.</figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/10/PXL_20251023_213525174.MP_-crop-3024x1986-1761312474.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1350293" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1237346' first='Sophie' last='Robbins'], 2030, Clarkston Gold vs. Clarkston Blue, Oct. 23rd, 2025.</figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/10/PXL_20251023_213116247.MP_-crop-3555x2335-1761313235.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1350295" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Opening Tip, Blue vs. Gold, Clarkston J.H.S., Oct. 23rd, 2025.</figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/10/PXL_20251023_214611992.MP_-crop-3226x2118-1761315171.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1350315" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Blue team huddle with Head Coach Robb York, Clarkston J.H.S., Oct. 23rd, 2025.</figcaption></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/10/PXL_20251023_214616050.MP_-crop-3226x2118-1761315798.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1350320" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Gold team huddle with Head Coach Aaron Goodnough, Clarkston J.H.S., Oct. 23rd, 2025. </figcaption></figure>   Six 2030 prospects separated themselves on the court for Clarkston Blue and Gold during the game. Here are the girls who earned recognition as Top Performers:    Alayna stood out because of her court vision, passing precision, high motor, skilled ball-handling, and fancy footwork around the basket. One of her highlight plays was when she cut off a drive on defense with her quick feet, swiped the ball away for a steal, pushed it the length of the court with pace, and switched the ball to her left to sink a tough, contested floater. Alayna used dynamic low-crossover dribbles to penetrate gaps and delivered a sweet lob pass on the money for an assist after a spin move. Alayna deflected a shot after a hard closeout and dished great passes to teammates with her eyes up in transition. She poured in four points, while adding multiple rebounds, steals, and assists. Alayna will be an exciting addition to the high school program at Clarkston.     Reagan grabbed my attention immediately during warmups. Her 6-foot frame and mobility are difficult to miss. Reagan dominated the glass and turned in a double-double performance for Clarkston Blue with a team-high 14 points to go with several rebounds. She protected the rim and had multiple blocks. Reagan caused deflections with her active hands and anticipated passes in the help side to grab steals. Reagan hit the deck to scrap for loose balls and demonstrated toughness by returning to the game after injury. She swished her free throws with a high release and finished efficiently around the basket. Reagan scored a strong offensive rebound putback through a foul and presented a target for entry passes using effective seals in the paint. Reagan cut backdoor from the perimeter and got to the rim in two steps with long strides for a layup. She's not afraid to shoot from outside and looks like a future high-level forward prospect for the Wolves.     Sophie will be making her way to the Headliners Invitational this weekend, and I was excited to see her play for Clarkston Gold on Thursday. She caught the ball with excellent balance and created turnovers with her active hands on defense. One of Sophie's best plays was when she anticipated a pass to grab a steal, drove hard to the rim, and finished with a strong layup through contact. Sophie swished her free throw at the line to complete the three-point play. She buried a pull-up jumper in transition, deflected multiple inbounds passes, handled the ball confidently with both hands, and dished out passes on a rope to open teammates for assists. She poured in six points for Clarkston Gold in the win and will be very productive at the high school level.     Lexi led the charge for Clarkston Gold during their win and scored a game-high 19 points. She exploded through gaps off the dribble to score many layups and shot the ball with confidence from beyond the arc. She harassed ball-handlers on the perimeter to create many steals, cut off drives with her quick feet, and deflected passes with her active hands. Lexi was a relentless rebounder on both ends and chased down a breakaway from behind to deflect the ball away. She drained two triples from the wing with balance and added a strong offensive rebound putback through contact--then tacked on the free throw. Lexi used a shot fake to freeze her defender, then accelerated down the middle to score a tough and-one layup. One of her highlight plays came late when she caught a pass on the perimeter, split the defenders with a burst, side-stepped using a high-rip move, and finished with her left hand. Lexi added a backdoor cut layup and stuffed the stat sheet in every category. She's a guard who will be a serious playmaker for the Wolves at the high school level.     Jaylynn has the court vision and shifty ball-handling skills that will make her a solid point guard at the high school level. She handled the ball confidently for Clarkston Blue, using both hands while scanning the court with her eyes to find open teammates. Jaylynn used a wide pocket dribble to create space and a quick crossover move to penetrate the defense. I noted that Jaylynn had the ball on a string, changing directions with low crossovers. She anticipated passes to snag steals on the defensive end, made unselfish extra passes to create open looks for others, and showed her outside range by burying a smooth three-pointer up top to end the game.     Izzy chased the ball all over the court for Clarkston Gold and was a huge reason why they earned the win. Something I noticed (and greatly appreciated) about Izzy was how she sprinted out of bounds many times to grab the ball for the refs, whether she was closest to it or not. Izzy secured several rebounds on both ends, anticipated passes on defense to create steals, and finished well around the basket. She used a speedy double-crossover move to drive by defenders and forced a jump ball with her quick hands. Izzy sealed a defender in the low post, caught the ball with soft hands, used a strong dribble, and scored the layup. She ran through passes and converted free throws with a confident follow-through. One of Izzy's highlights was when she exploded down the lane on a hard drive, then finished through contact for the and-one layup. She completed the three-point play at the foul line and physically imposed her will throughout the game. Izzy will be an outstanding addition to Clarkston's high school program.

The word on the street is that Coach Goodnough has a talented group of 8th graders coming through the pipeline. Naturally, I made my way over to Clarkston Junior High School for the Blue vs. Gold game on Thursday to find out. After seeing the girls play, I can wholeheartedly confirm that the Wolves have a promising group of talent in their 2030 class.