War Lodge Invitational Day 2 Standouts

<strong>2021 6-3 C [player_tooltip player_id="148889" first="Kate" last="Johnson"] – Cherokee</strong> Rare foul trouble limited the Furman-signee in the first half while battling [player_tooltip player_id="118142" first="Lazaria" last="Spearman"], but when she returned in the second half, [player_tooltip player_id="148889" first="Kate" last="Johnson"] helped the Warriors bust a 12-point halftime lead into a 66-42 victory. Johnson scored 14 of her team-high 18 points in the second half to go along with her 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks. Johnson used her size and touch inside to hurt Dacula. Johnson understands angles when posting up and gives entry passers great paths to get her the ball. While battling Spearman, she used her footwork to craft open looks.  Defensively, she walls up as good as any post in the state, blocking shots without fouling as she stands straight up. <strong>2024 5-11 W [player_tooltip player_id="218694" first="Toni" last="Warren"] – Cherokee</strong> Starting on the No. 4 ranked team in the state as a freshman, [player_tooltip player_id="218694" first="Toni" last="Warren"] has loads of potential. She showed a variety of different things on Saturday as she finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Warren is still growing into her body but you can tell she knows how to play the game at a high level. She’s a solid slasher that also can pull-up from the mid-range. Her three-point range makes her a mismatch as she can help space the floor. Warren uses her length to rebound and defend multiple positions. She made some nice passes throughout the game. <strong>2022 5-8 CG [player_tooltip player_id="186273" first="Presli" last="Clark"] – Cherokee</strong> A pesky on-ball defender, [player_tooltip player_id="186273" first="Presli" last="Clark"] drove the nail in the coffin in the fourth quarter as her defense led to offense. Clark collected 5 steals to go with her 15 points. Clark did a bulk of her scoring on drives. She knocked down a pretty floater in the fourth quarter and displayed her three-point accuracy in the first. Clark is a good athlete that moves her feet and has no issue when being asked to press up on ball handlers. Her pressure up top is integral to Cherokee’s stout half court defense. <strong>2022 5-10 F Skylar Edwards – Cherokee</strong> Though her box score won’t set the world on fire, make no mistake that Skylar Edwards’ first half contributions were huge as Cherokee extended their lead with [player_tooltip player_id="148889" first="Kate" last="Johnson"] on the bench. Edwards entered as Cherokee had to play small ball with no [player_tooltip player_id="210338" first="Keimarya" last="Rivera"] in attendance. Standing close to 5-foot-10 and having to battle with [player_tooltip player_id="118142" first="Lazaria" last="Spearman"], Edwards gave Coach Matt Cates fantastic minutes off the bench. She tallied 5 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Her impact went deeper than the stat sheet. She played smart defense and helped clear rebounds to give her team an opportunity to score. It was an impressive day for Edwards who consistently found herself at the right place at the right time. <strong>2022 6-3 F [player_tooltip player_id="118142" first="Lazaria" last="Spearman"] – Dacula</strong> Elite size, length and athleticism, [player_tooltip player_id="118142" first="Lazaria" last="Spearman"] is the epitome of a walking double-double. She finished with 20 points, 17 rebounds, 1 steal and 5 blocks. Spearman shoulders the load for Dacula and has to do so much for the Falcons. Not only does she rebound, score and defend, she has to help handle the ball and facilitate. Spearman spent a lot of time of the wing, trying to attack off the dribble. She hit some shots from the mid-range and of course gobbled up any misses up close. <strong>2021 5-9 SG Ally Zazzara – Etowah</strong> A future soccer goalkeeper at Tennessee, the Lady Vols might want to consider Ally Zazzara if they need a floor spacer in a pinch. Zazzara exploded after a two-point first quarter finishing with 31 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. She buried 5 threes as the Eagles held off Grovetown 71-64. Zazzara doesn’t wow you with her length or athleticism but she has an elite scoring touch, able to drop in buckets from all three levels.  She’s got the strength to help handle the ball against pressure but she’s at her best when she’s able to set up shop beyond the three-point line. If Zazzara gets any space, she will burn the defense. She holds the school-record in scoring and threes in a single game, going for 42 points and 8 threes. Zazzara can also put the ball on the floor and hit from the mid-range and in. She is going to be a difficult cover come the state playoffs as the Eagles look poised to capture their first winning season since 2015-16. <strong>2023 5-6 G [player_tooltip player_id="196120" first="Jada" last="Peterson"] – Etowah<img class="wp-image-206809 size-thumbnail alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/12_Jada-Peterson_2-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> The second part of Etowah’s dynamic 1-2 punch in the backcourt is sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="196120" first="Jada" last="Peterson"]. Known as an athletic and aggressive guard that likes to get downhill, Peterson put on a show with her outside shooting in the first half, drilling 3 threes in the second quarter. She cooled off considerably in the second half, but Peterson finished with 19 points. She’s a blur in the open court and does a good job using her body to finish at the rim. If she can bottle up how she shot in the second quarter, Peterson will be a nightmare to defend over her final three seasons. <strong>2021 5-10 W Jada Porter – Grovetown</strong> Jada Porter did everything she could to keep Grovetown in the game. The long and wiry perimeter player is active on both sides of the ball. She earned deflections and steals as the Warriors pressed the Eagles. On offense, she exploded hitting 6 threes and pouring in 28 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Porter has nice size on the perimeter and her three-point shooting along with her slashing skills makes her an interesting prospect. Add in her ability to defend multiple positions and colleges will want to track her progress. <strong><img class="wp-image-206795 size-thumbnail alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/3_Aniyah-Jones_2-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />2021 5-9 G [player_tooltip player_id="208457" first="Aniyah" last="Jones"] – Grovetown</strong> Another long and athletic guard, Jones showcased her all-around floor game in the loss to Etowah. She had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. She did a nice job of getting the ball to the hot hand. When Jones called her own number, she got into the lane and finished in traffic. Aniyah has some tools that should translate to the next level. She had good intangibles.