Senior Forwards Who Stood Out at Insider Exposure Tournament

Hunter Keith November 29, 2021 @ 09:08 PM

A lot of great basketball was played in front of college coaches at the Insider Exposure Thanksgiving Classic. Below is a list of senior forwards who were impressive during the three-day event. These players didn’t necessarily light up the scoreboard, but they affected the outcome of the game by their effort and passion for the game. Monique Cepeda 2022, 5’10” (University Christian). Cepeda is a fun player to watch on the court. During games, she is always full of energy and always does the extra stuff for her team. In four games, including her play at the Thanksgiving Classic, Cepeda has shown that she can shoot the three and score on all levels on the court. She has connected on 5 for 9 threes in four games and she has also scored her share of midrange shots and points in the paint. Cepeda can handle the ball and typically she helps with the press break and bringing the ball down the court. With her ability to put the ball on the floor, Cepeda can take the ball to the goal and finish. She is also very active on the boards. After 4 games, the stat sheet illustrates her versatile game. Cepeda averages 10.5 points per game, four rebounds, and nearly 3 assists per game. Keturah Taylor 2022, 6’2″ (Columbia High School) was really impressive in the tournament. Against San Jose Prep and some really good athletes, Taylor was a standout. Her athleticism and strength in the middle really stood out. Taylor was rather imposing in the middle of the Tigers’ defense. Taylor recorded only two blocks in the game, but she challenged and changed numerous shots. Taylor showed a lot of versatility, especially on the defensive end. She controlled the paint, but she also defended the wing players and did a solid job in preventing drives to the basket. Taylor was special in the rebounding department, securing 13 rebounds in the game. She also ran the court very well and even filled the lanes late in the game after playing an extensive amount of time in the game. Offensively, most of Taylor’s points came from around the basket where she was strong with the ball. She was also impressive in the pick and roll game setting numerous solid picks for her talented point guard [player_tooltip player_id="91584" first="Na’Haviya" last="Paxton"]. Paxton finished the game with 12 points to go along with 13 rebounds. She also posted similar stats (12points and 11 rebounds) last week against Oakleaf and talented baller, [player_tooltip player_id="91660" first="Fantasia" last="James"]. Courtney Smith 2022, 5’10’’ (Bolles). Smith was impressive at the Inside Explorer Thanksgiving Classic. She did a good job of running in transition. On two occasions, Smith stepped in the passing lanes and intercepted the pass, and went " coast to coast" for layups. What was impressive about Smith’s drives is that she finished one drive with the left hand and the other drive with the right hand. Smith was also impressive from the midrange area and was not shy about shooting the ball from behind the arc. Kinley Hall 2022, 6’1″ (Saint Johns Country Day). Hall played with a lot of effort at the Thanksgiving Classic. She was very gritty and fought for the ball on every play. While [player_tooltip player_id="91651" first="Taliah" last="Scott"], her teammate was taking care of the scoring, Hall was doing all of the little things. She attacked the boards and constantly found herself in jump ball situations. She had a relentless pursuit of every ball in her vicinity. Hall defended the paint well and played solid man-to-man defense. Offensively, Hall was really aggressive and played through a lot of contact. On one possession, Hall had her shot blocked but stayed with the play and put the ball in the basket after the rejection. She was really aggressive in the painted area and got to a lot of loose balls and offensive rebounds. She gave her team extra possessions on multiple occasions.