Live At Lakepoint: Primetime Playmakers

There were some really close games, including several that went into one or more overtime periods, and some games even ended in sudden death with the first team to score winning the game. In the closing minutes of regulation in those games and into the over time periods some of these players were the difference in their teams winning and losing. Some were outstanding throughout the entirety of the games during normal time as well as making clutch plays down the stretch for their teams.    Cooper plays the game with a lot of confidence and swagger to go along with the vast array of skills on the offensive end of the court. Her fundamentals are fantastic and that base allows Cox to try moves handling the ball and making passes that other players may think about it, but don't have the nerve and ability to pull off. Example one was a dart bounce pass that Cox threw on the break, off the dribble, with one hand to a sprinting teammate in stride for an easy lay up. There looked like there was no chance that ball was getting through the multiple defenders in between Cooper and her teammate, but it somehow managed to. The tricky and slick ball handling is subtle. She has the ball on a string on the bounce and will bust out combinations of moves that leave the defenders standing there as she passes them by. She shot the ball extremely well from three going 3-5 unofficially, including a tough corner three late in the game when her team needed it the most. The baseline was packed with college coaches and her play certainly should have gained her more interest and offers from high level division one programs.     Lola did an excellent job maintaining control in a very chaotic and close game between WV Thunder UAA 16U (NC) and Brandon Clay's Southeast All Stars 16U team. In a high-paced, high-scoring affair that saw her team come back down by 12 points with less than two minutes left in the game to tie and eventually win in dramatic fashion. Lola ran the offense, got her playmakers the ball in position to score, and did not turn the ball over or get selfish and take unnecessary, forced shots. She got the calls from the bench, got her team into the set, and executed the play to perfect most of the time. Her connection with Cox and English is special and they connected high number of times throughout the game for scores. She was cool under pressure and under the gun. I have seen her play about five times now, all in big time games against very good opponents, and her demeanor rarely changes. She doesn't get too high or too, I bet her heart rate doesn't even change. She is a very cool customer under pressure but is also extremely skilled and plays the game with a very high IQ. Lola did not need to score this game, but that is something she can do with no problem at all. She is an excellent shooter from the perimeter and has elite ball handling that allows her to get down hill and around defenders guarding her pulling up for a midrange jumper or finishing at the rim. She is the kind of player every coach wants on their team.     Lossiah is a player I have to come really appreciate and respect because of the unselfishness and toughness that she plays the game with, whether with this team or with her great Cherokee High School team from North Carolina. Lilly digs in on the defensive end of the floor and does not mind getting physical with players on the ball or coming of screens and cutting. She rebounds the ball very well for her size and does an excellent job turning offense into defense by pushing the ball out in transition after it is secured. She scored twice in the open court, once by doing just that, and another time with a steal and uncontested lay up coming in the second half of regulation when the game was tight. Lilly also stepped up and buried a huge three for her team in the midst of an incredible comeback. She is a winner (3 or 4 straight state championships) who is always willing to put the team first and plays the right way. She is also a very skilled player who will help a college program on the next level in a couple years. I expect her role to increase this year for Cherokee as well with the departure of her talented point guard Swimmer who is headed to the University of Hawaii for track and cross country.     In an extremely close, back and forth affair with Legacy Girls P32, Spurgeon made play after play with few sets or plays being called for her. She just went out and got it done. She was extremely active and showed great athleticism impacting the game on plays all over the court. She was able to get her hands on the basketball by creating steals, grabbing offensive rebounds, and out hustling everyone else on the court for loose balls. When she did have the basketball in her hands, Spurgeon showed some very crafty skill work on 2-3 very difficult finishes she converted around the rim- one with each hand. Spurgeon has very good size and as is a strong player who isn't afraid to get physical in the paint with bigger players. Her work rate was very high, as was her skill level and her competitiveness. Azariah is definitely a player I look forward to seeing again.     First of all it was nice to see someone having fun and playing loose with all the pressure that comes along with a live period event for these players. Maddi was calm and confident and played with a lot of swagger for good reason. She did an excellent job using deception to create space for herself with the ball on several occasions. One in particular, Maddi brought the ball do the left wing as per usual for a dribble drive offense and instead of the usual handoff, when she froze, rather than giving the ball up on a handoff, she continued to the baseline and easily slipping around the defender for a very nice left handed finish at the rim. On another play She got a few feet across half court before going into a dribble sequence that included an inside-out move before raising up and letting a shot go from five feet behind the three point line. Seconds later the ball barely moved the net as it went through the basket perfectly. Maddi has excellent size and the offensive skills to be a division one player in the next couple of years.     In the game against Central Florida Elite, Mercado put on a masterclass in getting the ball up the court, with the pass and not the dribble, very quickly. She hit teammates far ahead (30-60 feet)of her with pinpoint accuracy on precision passing in stride no less than five times that game. She also was able to break down the opposing team's pressure with the dribble on a couple of occasions and go 80 feet before scoring layups with both hands. Mercado also had multiple offensive rebounds and put backs for scores FBC NextUp. There is no doubt that Scarlett is one of the best passers in the southeast. Her showing the ability to score the ball in a variety of ways the travel ball season has been a very pleasant addition to her game. She was surrounded by high level college talent in high school last year at Athens Christian, but with those players graduating and moving on to Providence College to play at the next level the scoring load will fall on Mercado. She has proven so far this Spring and Summer that she is more than capable of filling that role. She also played excellent on ball defense and was not afraid to get on the floor for loose balls. She maybe a Philippine international player, but her Aussie toughness was on display this game as well.

There were some really close games, including several that went into one or more overtime periods, and some games even ended in sudden death with the first team to score winning the game. In the closing minutes of regulation in those games and into the over time periods some of these players were the difference in their teams winning and losing. Some were outstanding throughout the entirety of the games during normal time as well as making clutch plays down the stretch for their teams.