3A Quarterfinals - 1st Team All Hustle

Every winning team needs an athlete who is willing to do the dirty work, someone who will chase down loose balls and body their opponents when fighting for rebounds. These players may not see huge numbers in their stat lines, but they’re still playing a vital role for their teams, and if there is one thing that translates to any level of play, it’s hustle. In last night’s quarterfinal matchups, I was hoping to spotlight some athletes who may be overlooked or underappreciated for what they give to their teams. Some of these names will be familiar - it seems that hustle and success often go together - and some of the names will be new. Here are the eight athletes who impressed me the most. Makenzie Gage | 5’10" SG/SF | Arlington, 2021 Makenzie Gage is my top pick for "Best Hustle." In Arlington’s win over Shorecrest, Gage drew three charges, fought relentlessly for rebounds, and was consistently ahead of the defense on fastbreaks. Gage has the kind of hustle that shows up in bruises the next day. Arlington is stacked with talented athletes who are willing to work hard, but Gage is the cream of the crop in that regard. Makenzie was also able to be an impact player on defense, using her speed to her advantage, and drawing an over-the-back call becuase of her solid box-outs. Faith Taula | 5’7" PF | Bethel, 2023 I wrote about Faith earlier this season, and she once again stood out for her contributions in Bethel’s losing matchup with Garfield. Taula is not tall, but she is strong and tough. She battled against [player_tooltip player_id="20150" first="Dalayah" last="Daniels"] all night, giving up about half a foot of height, but she was scrappy and helped to limit Dalayah’s impact. On top of that, her battling went a long way in putting Garfield’s stud into foul trouble early into the second half. In one instance, she split her lip picking up one of those fouls. Taula is a great rebounder because of her textbook box-outs, and even though she doesn’t have elite athleticism, she is making winning plays. Jen Estes | 5’8" G | Lake Washington, 2020 Anyone who has watched Lake Washington could attest to the hustle that Jen Estes brings to the court. She is only 5’8", but she plays tough and uses her athleticism to make an impact on both ends of the court. As a senior, Estes also showed the mental toughness when her team needed it. She knocked down both free-throws in a late 1-and-1 situation, and she fooled everyone with a fake handoff and an easy bucket to extend her team’s lead with 1:10 remaining in the game. As good as she has been on the court, she’s even better on the pitch. Estes will play soccer at Princeton next year. Marie Hauck | 6’2" F | Seattle Prep, 2020 Despite the knee brace, Prep’s forward put in some great minutes for her Panthers team in their close loss to Eastside Catholic. Marie Hauck had a few blocks and more than her fair share of rebounds, but she also did the little things like battling on the block on both ends of the court and collecting loose balls despite her limited mobility. Prep did a good job dealing with Eastside press, and Hauck played an important role as a tall target in the middle of the court, showing poise with the ball in her hands. She also snuck behind the press at one point and finished with an and-1 beneath the hoop. Zaza Walton | 5’10" G/F | Eastside Catholic, 2022 Is it fair to call it hustle if Zaza never breaks a sweat? Walton is arguably the best player on a stacked Eastside Catholic squad, and she is an athlete who will consistently fill up a stat sheet, but in last night’s game against Seattle Prep, she once again stood out for her hustle and her ability to be in the right place at the right time. Walton is an absolute force on the offensive boards, and she isn’t collecting rebounds because of her height. She boxes out and uses her quick reaction time to out-battle her opponents. Defensively, Zaza also puts in the hustle and energy to get her team steals. She disrupts passing lanes, deflects inbound passes, and plays great on-ball defense. Kayara Sayers | 6’1" G/F | Mt. Spokane Sayers was visibly intense throughout her team’s loss to Lake Washington. At 6’1", she found herself battling on the block and fighting for rebounds, setting screens and challenging opponents at the rim. In one good example of her hustle, Sayers grabbed a steal in the backcourt, got to the hoop, and finished through contact before completing the 3-point play. <h5>[player_tooltip player_id="27937" first="Leila" last="Hosn"] | 5’5" G | Shorecrest, 2022</h5> Shorecrest’s sophomore guard was impressive early in the game because of her overall speed and quickness to the ball. Despite being undersized, Hosn was able to collect long rebounds on both ends of the court. Her activity on defense led to steals and deflections, and she found herself on the floor throughout the game fighting for tie-ups or drawing contact on offense. When Shorecrest’s leading scorer, Amanda Lee fouled out in the 4th quarter, Hosn stepped up and kept her team afloat without their senior leader. Hosn had a chance at a game-winning floater from a tough angle, but she couldn’t get it to fall. Still, she has continued to illustrate her quality, and she has more ahead of her. [player_tooltip player_id="85913" first="Kira" last="Wood"] 6’0" | SG/W | Garfield, 2020 In my opinion, [player_tooltip player_id="85913" first="Kira" last="Wood"] is an athlete who deserves more attention than she’s getting. She goes about her work quietly on the offensive end, limiting her shooting to only the best looks, but her consistent effort on both ends of the court went a long way in Garfield’s upset win over Bethel. Wood dropped in a couple of threes, but I was more impressed with her quickness on the defensive end of the court - she sprinted back on defense and slowed down her opponents in fast-break situations. Wood was another player who hit the deck for loose balls, and in one specific moment, she sprinted for a loose ball, jumped, and found a teammate to save her team from a backcourt violation.