Scrimmage Week Notes: Guards

<strong>2023 5-7 PG [player_tooltip player_id="154599" first="Mataya" last="Gayle"] – River Ridge</strong> Though she battled with foul trouble in the first half, [player_tooltip player_id="154599" first="Mataya" last="Gayle"] put on a master course on how to defend [player_tooltip player_id="154582" first="Crystal" last="Henderson"], matching her quickness and shiftiness, able to stay in front. The Knights scored a statement win 72-49 holding Henderson to six points through three quarters before she finished with 17. Gayle’s defense set the tone in the first half before her playmaking put the nail in the coffin in the second. Mataya finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, pushing the ball in transition and getting into the teeth of the defense before floating in air while deciding whether to score or drop off a dime. Gayle continues to climb as one of Georgia’s elite point guards. <strong>2025 5-6 PG [player_tooltip player_id="296847" first="Sophia" last="Pearl"] – River Ridge </strong> The freshman had no first game jitters, draining four threes and finishing with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal. Pearl shined in the offseason. Her confidence grows each and every game. She excels at working over screens and can shoot off the dribble with an accurate quick trigger. Pearl did a good job pushing the tempo in transition and finding open shooters along the perimeter. <strong>2024 5-7 G [player_tooltip player_id="351058" first="Avery" last="Gaw"] – River Ridge</strong> Throughout the CTC Fall League, Gaw got better and better as the season went on. Wednesday was a culmination of all her offseason’s hard work as she emerged as the X-Factor. Gaw came out of the gates firing with two threes and finished with a team-high 16 points. Avery hit a pair of jumpers in the second half and was able to finish at the rim. Gaw is a quick athlete with a strong compact build. She plays with energy and has a tough-minded demeanor which allows her to stay aggressive. Gaw has a quick release on her outside shot. Defensively, when Gayle was out of the game, she picked up Henderson and did a great job of defending without fouling. Gaw is trending upwards. If she can play half as good as she did on Wednesday the entire season, River Ridge will be playing deep into the season. <strong>2022 5-9 G [player_tooltip player_id="252747" first="Haelim" last="Adle"] – North Forsyth </strong> The Alabama-Huntsville product impressed as the primary ball handler. Adle is a strong athlete that uses her strength and quick first step to get into the lane consistently. She is able to create scoring opportunities for herself and others, capable of scoring with either hand. Haelim does a great job at sucking in the defense on her drives before kicking out to open shooters. She likes to implement a quick crossover into a spin move when getting to the rim. Adle tallied 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. <strong>2023 5-7 G Kamryn Gardner – North Forsyth</strong> Kam Gardner had a coming out party in the second half, finishing with 8 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 block. Gardner is a solid athlete on the perimeter that moves her feet well on defense. On offense, Gardner has confidence in shooting off the dribble from deep and can turn corners and get downhill quickly. She has sparkplug capabilities when coming off the bench and can provide energy whenever North Forsyth is in need of a boost.