SEMO-STL Showdown: Jackson vs. Principia Top Five Stars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Girls Hoops Missouri was at Principia School in St. Louis for a big nonconference showdown between Jackson and the host Panthers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Principia entered the game with a 20-1 record and a No. 1 ranking in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 3 poll. Jackson came to St. Louis with a 17-0 record and ranked No. 6 in Class 6. Both teams have high aspirations of making deep postseason runs in their respective classes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a hard-fought physical contest played with state tournament intensity. In the end, Principia came away with a 49-43 victory to hand the Indians their first loss of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at the Top Five Stars from the Principia-Jackson contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NO. 1 STAR: [player_tooltip player_id='791650' first='Dasia' last='Scott'] (Principia)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6'2" 2027 forward scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Panthers. She also had 10 rebounds, five steals and three blocks. After being limited to two points in the first half by Jackson's swarming double and triple-team defense, she broke loose with 13 points after halftime. She had a big stretch in the beginning of the fourth quarter when she had seven rebounds, three rebounds and a blocked shot as the Panthers stretched a two-point lead to eight. She scored some tough buckets in the paint with her footwork in heavy traffic. She also passed the ball well out of double teams to open teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>******</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NO. 2 STAR: [player_tooltip player_id='905177' first='Kate' last='Deck'] (Jackson)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5'8" 2028 guard scored a team-high 14 points for the Indians. She did a great job of creating buckets off the dribble against some excellent Principia defenders. She was able to get into the lane and score on pull up jumpers and runners. She was very good at working off high ball screens to get her loose for her dribble-drive moves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>******</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NO. 3 STAR: [player_tooltip player_id='897772' first='Loganne' last='Love'] (Principia)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5'6" 2028 point guard scored seven points while playing an excellent floor game. Her biggest contribution came on the boards where she grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. She is a tremendous rebounding point guard and she outdid herself on this night. She also handed out four assists and had two steals. She also handled the offense well and played her usual strong defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>******</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NO. 4 STAR: [player_tooltip player_id='999534' first='Nadia' last='Bateman'] (Principia)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5'6" 2028 guard scored 11 points and made some big plays down the stretch in the Panthers' victory. She made one of the biggest shots of the game late in the fourth quarter when she drained a 3-pointer which help halt a late Jackson surge. She has excellent quickness and her on-ball defensive pressure was very good. She also grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NO. 5 STAR: [player_tooltip player_id='1279145' first='Brynn' last='Bandermann'] (Jackson): The 2029 point guard came off the bench to score eight points, all of which came in the fourth quarter. When the Indians were down by eight points in the fourth quarter and in need of some offense, she came though multiple big baskets, including a 3-pointer from the corner and a nice transition bucket. She showed plenty of poise as she stepped up in a big way to help her team in a big game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>******</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freshman Watch</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at a few Class of 2029 prospects who made an impact in the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1261083' first='Adelyn' last='Abernathy'] (Jackson): The 5'11" forward scored seven points off the bench. The young lefty drives it well and she also hit a 3-pointer from the corner.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1279115' first='Aniyah' last='Poniewaz'] (Principia): The 5'3" point guard scored a couple of buckets with her fearless drives in the lane. When she enters the game, she makes things happen with her high level of energy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->