Top Young Forwards at the Girls Nixa Invitational Tournament

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Girls Hoops Missouri takes a look at some of the talented young forwards from the Classes of 2027, 2028 and 2029 that we watched at the Arvest Bank Girls Nixa Invitational Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='913073' first='Saniah' last='Jones'] (Lee's Summit West): The 5'11" 2028 forward scored 22 points against Stafford in the Titans second game on Friday. She is a formidable young player who can excel with both power and finesse in her game. She is physically strong and she cannot be moved off of her spot in the post. She finishes with a strong drop step or with good footwork inside. She can handle the ball and shoot it from the perimeter. She also runs the court well to either get a transition bucket or get early post position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1039525' first='Trista' last='Van Horn'] (Strafford): A 6'1" 2028 forward who is one of the best young frontcourt players in the 2028 class. She uses her height and physical strength very well to establish good post position. She is a capable scorer and she can also pass the ball out of the post to an open shooter. She also stepped out and knocked down a 3-pointer. She is a double-double threat each time she steps on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1303502' first='Tiyelle' last='Frye'] (Battle): A 6'2" 2028 forward who is one of the most improved players that I watched in the state this season. She has length and athleticism and she is a very skilled player from the low post to the perimeter. Her turn and face is very good as she can hit the 15 to 17 footer to take her defender off the dribble. She does a nice job high pointing the ball off the catch inside and she finishes well without bringing the ball down. She can also handle and pass the ball well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1233021' first='Cara' last='Cutbirth'] (Republic): A 5'7" 2027 forward who plays a lot taller than her actual size. She is a good athlete who plays with plenty of toughness and tenacity around the basket. She is strong on the drive and she has a good step-through in traffic to get a bucket in the lane. She is also a good screener to get her teammates open. She also has a quick jump in the lane to get to excel on the offensive boards. She scored 21 points in the Tigers' victory over Troy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='777610' first='Ellie' last='Moore'] (Troy): A 6'0" 2027 forward who can be a matchup problem with her height and versatility. She is an excellent secondary ball handler who is capable of facilitating offense or attacking from the perimeter. She also has the toughness and post skills to be effective in the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->