Raatz Fence/O’Shea’s Classic: Senior Standouts

The 12th Annual Raatz Fence/O’Shea’s Basketball Classic took place this past Friday and Saturday at Mercy Academy. Some of the top teams in the state of Kentucky faced off against some of the top teams out-of-state as well. I attended all of the Saturday games, where the Kentucky teams ended up winning 4 of the 10 games. In this final article for the Raatz Fence/O'Shea's Classic, I will be discussing the Seniors that stood out the most. <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Senior Standouts</strong></p> <strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/lexi-taylor/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/lexi-taylor/">Lexi Taylor</a></a> (Bullitt East)</strong> The Georgetown College signee played great in their win over Lakeway Christian Academy (TN). She finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds. She was crashing the glass with force and getting to the free throw line 7 times where she hit 6 of them. She was 1/3 from behind the arc, but she didn't need to shoot those because she was having her way in the inside. Her plan to attack was working as the rest of her field goals came inside the paint. Excellent performance from Lexi and the Bullitt East Chargers. <strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/erin-toller/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/erin-toller/">Erin Toller</a></a> (Sacred Heart)</strong> The University of Kentucky signee with another solid performance from the #1 team in the state of Kentucky. Toller finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds as the Valkyries defeated Montini Catholic (IL), 50-41. She got to the line 8 times and drilled 7 of them. She drove to the basket a lot more in this one because her 3-point shot wasn't going down like usual. She went 2/6 from behind the arc. She reminds me of a smaller Makayla Epps. She's able to shoot the ball and also drive to the basket really well. Excited to see her put on the blue &amp; white next year. <strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/whitney-hay/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/whitney-hay/">Whitney Hay</a></a> (Elizabethtown)</strong> E-town faced one of the top teams in the nation, Hamilton Heights (TN). Despite the loss, E-town played them a lot closer than people expected. A main reason that happened was the excellent shooting from the Belmont signee, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/whitney-hay/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/whitney-hay/">Whitney Hay</a></a>. She finished with 22 points and shot 5/9 from 3-point range. Her shot is pure and her confidence is even better. She wasn't shy from the big moment in facing one of the powerhouses in all of girls high school basketball. Belmont is getting a sharpshooter in Hay, but also an overall great player on both ends of the floor. <strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/shelby-calhoun/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/shelby-calhoun/">Shelby Calhoun</a></a> (CAL)</strong> The Virginia Tech signee displayed a little bit of everything in CAL's loss to Incarnate Word (MO). She finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. She had some incredible no-look passes to her teammates for baskets. Her finishing ability is elite with her beautiful floater game. She loves to attack more than anything but she can also shoot the ball really well too. This is only my second time seeing Calhoun play but she separates herself from others as a player deserving of a D-I scholarship. She will do great things at Virginia Tech over the next four years. <strong>Ta'Ziah Jenks (Mercy)</strong> The West Virginia signee showed a lot of heart in this one. She tried everything in her power to get her team in a fighting chance to win the game. Mercy fell short as they were defeated by Fremd (IL), 58-46. Ta'Ziah finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds. She needs to work on her finishing down-low as she missed a lot of easy layups. Make those layups and you give your team a chance to win. She also had 4 assists which is nice to see your inside player passing the ball to open teammates. Players with size that have vision and willing to get teammates involved are special players. I hope to see Jenks do big things at WVU. <strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/maddie-scherr/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/maddie-scherr/">Maddie Scherr</a></a> (Ryle)</strong> The most anticipated KY player to watch coming into this Classic was Oregon signee and McDonald's All-American, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/maddie-scherr/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/maddie-scherr/">Maddie Scherr</a></a>. Arlington (TN), one of the top teams in Tennessee, did an excellent job in guarding Scherr. Scherr finished with 10 points and 4 rebounds. She went 2/8 from the field and 6/6 from the free throw line. Arlington (TN) denied any good looks Scherr could get. She has great size and speed. She needs to use that to her advantage because she can easily finish strong or get to the free throw line. Ryle needs to do everything in their power in getting the Oregon signee more open looks, if they want a shot at repeating as State Champions.