State Finals Follow-Up: Class 4A

Hamilton Southeastern and Lawrence North met on January 15th, with HSE prevailing 56-45.  Look back at this past Saturday, and each team scored just one point less, with the outcome again being in HSE's favor, 55-44.  However, it took a 21-9 fourth quarter for the Royals to overcome Lawrence North's lead, and it also helped that star wing <strong>Sydney Parrish</strong> (2020) was perfect from the field and the line in the fourth, scoring 11 of her game-high 30 points.  Hamilton Southeastern has been one of the state's most talented teams for the last couple of years, but this season everything finally came full circle and the Royals went undefeated against Indiana competition (<em>their only loss was to Ryle High School of Kentucky</em>). For 3+ quarters, everything was going Lawrence North's way.  They were scrappy and hustling, but they were also very deliberate and not forcing the action when they didn't have numbers.  But forward <strong>Lauren Gunn </strong>(2020) went down with an injury with just 48 seconds left in the third quarter.  Combine that with 6-1 post <strong>Justis Odom</strong> (2020) already missing the game, and the Wildcats were thin on depth.  <strong>Jayla Smith</strong> (2021) and <strong>Katie Davidson</strong> (2020) led Lawrence North with 15 points apiece, and Smith was 5-9 from 3-point range in the effort.  Parrish of Hamilton Southeastern got help across the board, as the other five girls who played ten or more minutes each scored 4 or 5 points apiece. &nbsp; <strong>Player of the Game:  Sydney Parrish, 2020, 6-2 W, Hamilton Southeastern</strong> This was an obvious selection, as it usually is with Sydney.  She poured in 30 points on 11-16 shooting, 1-1 from 3-point range, and 7-7 from the free throw line.  She also grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.  The 30 points Sydney scored were just one point shy of tying the Class 4A Championship Game record shared by three other players from previous years.  Sydney is a highly skilled and talented wing, and she will have a tough decision to make, as she has already narrowed her list of schools down to Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and UCLA. &nbsp; <strong>Control Freak:  Kristian Young, 2020, 5-4 PG, Lawrence North</strong> For a second consecutive game, I was really impressed with Kristian's willingness to buy in and manage the game much better than she ever has.  She has blazing speed and quickness, and she loves to be on attack, but now she really looks like she understands situations and is taking care of it so much better.  She still attacks the basket when the timing is right, and while she didn't shoot it well on Saturday, she played 30+ minutes of turnover-free basketball.  That was huge for this team, and will definitely benefit them heading into her Senior year next season.  She already holds Division-I interest and offers, and if she continues to play like this, more should come quickly. &nbsp; <strong>A Royal Pain:  Amaya Hamilton, 2019, 6-1 F, Hamilton Southeastern</strong> There's no question Amaya has always been dripping with talent and upside, and Duquesne is definitely getting one heck of a prospect in her.  She is incredibly long, fluid, and athletic.  She's skilled in the mid-post, around the paint, and a little around the perimeter, but that's not what stood out Saturday.  She is really appreciating the defensive end of the floor.  While we have raved in the past about teammate <strong>Tayah Irvin's</strong> (2019) defensive prowess, and Tayah was again very good Saturday, Amaya is showing that same sense of urgency at that end of the floor, and she is frustrating for forwards, wings, and guards to play against.  The combination of her footwork, quickness, and length make her a valued defensive player at the next level. &nbsp; <em>Header photo of Hamilton Southeastern celebrating their 2019 State Championship; photo courtesy of Dr. Allen Bourff's Twitter account.</em>