Stock-Risers: 2021 Point Guards

<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="130375" first="Sidney" last="Wagner"] of Tippecanoe Valley High School.</em></span> Last Wednesday we released our Winter rankings update for the Class of 2021. Since it comes just after the midpoint of the 2020-2021 high school season, I felt like it was a great opportunity to highlight five young ladies who have either played well following our September update, or who have gotten off to nice starts to their Senior seasons. Below are five guards, all still uncommitted to the best of our knowledge, who are quickly gaining the respect of their teammates and opponents as the season turns toward the home stretch. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130311" first="Courtney" last="Blakely"], 2021, 5-7 PG, Hammond Bishop Noll Institute</strong></span> I’m not really sure what more can be said about Courtney that she hasn’t already shown us throughout her career. Still, though, she is a name on the rise in recruiting circles because of her strong play over the last month. Until December 28, 2020, her single-game scoring high was 36 points, set last year as a Junior and matched again on November 7, 2020. Since December 28, 2020, Courtney has again scored 36 points in a game, 37 in a game, 49 in a game, 50 in a game, and 55 in a game. Over the last nine games, Courtney has equaled what ladies who average 14 points per game do in an entire season. She is a skillful, athletic playmaker, and she is still uncommitted at this time. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="245964" first="Cailynn" last="Dilosa"], 2021, 5-2 PG, Merrillville H.S.</strong></span> I first saw Cailynn back in late-August at a tournament in Northern Indiana, and I was very impressed with her ability and upside as a college prospect. She is an incredibly quick/fast and explosive little water-bug type of prospect. She flies around the floor, plays with a tremendous motor, and she can change a game in a hurry. Offensively, she is more of a creator/distributor, but when she does score, it’s typically attacking the basket. Defensively, she can lock down the other team’s best perimeter player, and she can defend them 84-feet from the basket. If colleges can look past her diminutive frame and see her value as a disruptor, both offensively and defensively, she can help someone. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130386" first="Kenadie" last="Fernung"], 2021, 5-5 CG, Tri-Central H.S.</strong></span> Kenadie has been Tri-Central’s leader the last three seasons, and she is looking to cap off her Senior year with a nice run through the Class 1A state tournament, something they haven’t done since her Freshman year. She has a wiry strong frame, good length, and she’s a solid athlete in most directions. She has point guard skill and instincts, and she can certainly run offense when needed. But this year she has taken on an even bigger scoring role, plus she’s shooting career highs from 3-point range (23-61, 38%) and from the free throw line (80%). I think small colleges will appreciate her versatility, her understanding of the game, plus her craftiness and feistiness. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="62575" first="Brooklyn" last="Stubblefield"], 2021, 5-6 PG, Greenwood Christian Academy</strong></span> Brooklyn’s move from Greenwood Community to the Christian Academy this year has positioned her to earn some hardware, plus it has given the Cougars a playmaker on the ball who could possibly help them get to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Brooklyn has always been a nice athlete with speed, quickness, and good change-of-direction. She plays with an infectious energy, and she likes to make plays all over the floor. As she has matured over the years, she has really started to see the game much better, and this season she is scoring it at a career-best 16.0 points per game, plus she’s shooting it at a 40% rate (39-97) from 3-point range...all while playing for a much deeper team. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="130375" first="Sidney" last="Wagner"], 2021, 5-6 CG, Tippecanoe Valley H.S.</strong></span> Sidney is one of those players who is just enjoyable to watch. She is tough-nosed, she doesn’t mind physicality at all, and she plays with an outstanding motor. She has a solid frame at her size, she’s a nice athlete in most directions, plus she plays with a great deal of versatility. She rebounds her position well, she has the ball skill and cognitive ability to be a full-time point guard, plus she can shoot/score it as more of a 2-guard, if necessary. I really appreciate her approach, game-in, and game-out. She competes on every possession, so I’m a little surprised she doesn’t have more small colleges knocking down her door at this point in time. She is a true gamer and can help a program win.