Arizona Elite Fall Classic: Oregon Elite 17U Gold Game 1

Oregon Elite 17U Navy and Arizona Elite 17U Gold duked it out Saturday as the two of the top teams for the respective clubs went down to the wire. Reardon found Hueckman in the corner for a three for Oregon Elite’s first score as Dawkins and O’Hollaren both scored off short jumpers. Wilson scored off the next two possessions - off a rebound and a dazzling [player_tooltip player_id="158555" first="Keelie" last="O’Hollaren"] drive and dish. Ericson found the rebound and flicked it across the court to O’Hollaren as Oregon Elite trailed 13 - 16. At the half, it was 16 - 23 in favor of Arizona Elite as the scoring was very diverse as far as Oregon Elite’s efforts. In the second half, things began to become interesting as O’Hollaren started things off with a triple but Arizona Elite began a significant lead. Out of the time-out, Ericson threw it up in a crowd near the rim, where Allie Hueckman jumped up over everyone and fetched it and was fouled - converting both free throws. Prechel found Dawkins for a baby jumper and on the next play was the pure definition of team play as Dawkins somehow grabbed the rebound while on the floor, threw it up to a diving Gracie Arnold as the ball made it over to [player_tooltip player_id="158512" first="Anna" last="Dazey"] for a perfectly timed three from the corner. A Dawkins three from Dazey chipped at the lead as Oregon Elite trailed 31 to 38. O’Hollaren dribble skipped baseline to Hueckman for a corner triple and Oregon Elite executed their infamous inbounds play, this time Dawkins as the recipient. O’Hollaren began her late game heroics as she got the board and stopped on a dime to hit a mid-range shot. Reese Ericson scored on a nice lay-up drive to tie the affair at 43. Ericson found Hueckman for a triple to put Oregon Elite up 46 - 45 with less than a minute to go. With Arizona Elite scrambling to get a score, [player_tooltip player_id="158555" first="Keelie" last="O’Hollaren"] nearly single handedly won them the game with a clean block at the rim as Oregon Elite retained possession with less than thirty seconds to go. In what was a miscommunication, Oregon Elite turned over the ball off an inbounds and Arizona Elite was fouled at the rim as they sunk both free throws. Trailing 47 - 46 with a second late, it was a little too late for any good attempt - however, this Oregon Elite squad battled valiantly as one point in the game they were trailing 19 - 34. Stats: Gracie Arnold: 3 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="158507" first="Kilyn" last="Dawkins"]: 9 points, 3 rebounds [player_tooltip player_id="158512" first="Anna" last="Dazey"]: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals Reese Ericson: 2 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal Allie Hueckman: 11 points, 3 rebounds [player_tooltip player_id="158555" first="Keelie" last="O’Hollaren"]: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block [player_tooltip player_id="158530" first="Elka" last="Prechel"]: 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks Jayden Ray: 2 rebounds, 1 assist Addie Reardon: 5 points, 2 assists [player_tooltip player_id="158524" first="Lindsey" last="Wilson"]: 5 points, 3 rebounds Breakdown: [player_tooltip player_id="158555" first="Keelie" last="O’Hollaren"] The Savior Keelie played well beyond her years, as she is the youngest on the team but has the most in her offensive toolkit. She can stop on a dime and hit the jumper as well as glide to the rim and find a teammate in scoring position. It is her physical tools that help her offensively, but it is her decision making that separates her. She plays so seamlessly with this Oregon Elite group, as this was perhaps her best game of the summer showcasing such traits. Her clean block at the rim also illustrated her big time game as she can and will do anything for her team at any given moment. Gracie Arnold and [player_tooltip player_id="158507" first="Kilyn" last="Dawkins"] Gracie Arnold was a solid force in the paint late game, as she stifled her opponents in the middle providing for some huge defensive stops when her team needed it the most. She is disciplined in this regard and rebounds well amongst a crowd. She was a part of their comeback as she was an absolute army by herself in terms of rim protection. [player_tooltip player_id="158507" first="Kilyn" last="Dawkins"] was a creative scorer as she provided a stretch four role for Oregon Elite, scoring in a multitude of ways outside of the paint. She hit a timely three and showed that she has a nice soft touch to fifteen feet out. Dazey and Ericson: Seeing Double There are a lot of similarities between [player_tooltip player_id="158512" first="Anna" last="Dazey"] and Reese Ericson, as the point guards up the tempo whenever they are in the game and are seamless in rotation whenever they hit the floor. The second they are in the game, these two are making plays all over the floor as they also are able to hit big shots for their teams in an instant. Dazey has shown that she is able to hit it from downtown with good consistency and Ericson has the ability to slip into the paint for nice finishes. Both guards do an exceptional job at making sure the team is on the same accord and have various layers to their games.