Nickerson Classic Day 3 POTG Recap: Steady Eddy

The third and final day of the Nickerson Classic was highlighted by 4 big performances by some of the region’s best prospects. Below is the rundown of Sunday’s top players.   Game 1 : Tilton: 68 Hoosac: 44 Player of the Game: <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/A75D8520-BCAB-46C3-8043-A0E3635584DD-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1640004053.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-366710" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/A75D8520-BCAB-46C3-8043-A0E3635584DD-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1640004053-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="269142" first="Ava" last="Woodman"] - Tilton - 6’0’’ - SG - ’24 Woodman finished with 19 points, 16 of them coming in the first quarter. Her outside shot fell, and Woodman ran the floor well and got multiple fastbreak baskets. Woodman only scored 3 points the rest of the game, but it was not because she hit a cold streak. The 2nd half especially, Woodman emphasized facilitating and shot-creating for her teammates. I had no idea that Woodman’s court vision was this good, and at her size, to be that willing and accurate of a passer puts her in the top 3-5 SG discussion in the ’24 class. You can make a strong case for Woodman being a top 10 player overall when you factor in her impact on defense. The amount of deflections she gets throughout the game is unreal, and she is a game-changing defender. Woodman’s stock shot up after this weekend, and she should continue to be a force on both sides of the ball as the winter continues.   Game 2: Brooks: 72 Worcester Academy: 40 Player of the Game: <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-366708" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/0A656763-C3BF-4B84-998C-1501F3B09CDD-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1640003969-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="266795" first="Kendall" last="Eddy"] - Brooks - 5’8’’ - CG - ’23 For the second consecutive day, [player_tooltip player_id="266795" first="Kendall" last="Eddy"] received player of the game. She led the game in scoring for the second straight day also, but what cannot go unnoticed is her momentum-changing defense. Eddy has elite east to west quickness and speed which helps her cover ground better than anyone in ’23. These attributes make her highly effective in Brooks’ full-court trap defense. Eddy isn’t just the best scorer in ’23, but she is undoubtedly the best-conditioned athlete, too. This winter, there is no single prospect regardless of class who is having a better season in the region than Eddy. No matter the opponent, she impacts both sides of the ball at an elite level against some of the top teams. There is a lot of basketball to be played, but as we stand right now, [player_tooltip player_id="266795" first="Kendall" last="Eddy"] is the best player in the ’23 class.   Game 3 Bradford Christian Academy: 63 Northfield Mount Hermon: 58 Player of the Game: <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-366707" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/23D58893-D2E2-4528-B7DD-1304330EB2B4-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1640003857-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="263856" first="Jennifer" last="Martin"] - BCA - 5’10’’ SG - ’22 In one of the most exciting games of the day, BCA found itself down 11 at halftime. Then [player_tooltip player_id="263856" first="Jennifer" last="Martin"] and her three-point shot came alive and sparked a Bradford Christian offensive explosion, resulting in a 5-point victory. Martin had 15 points, including 5 three-pointers, but these were not your typical perimeter jump shots. Martin was launching threes from 10+ feet behind the line, it seemed. Ripping the net clean on all her makes, she took the life right out of NMH, and on the contrary, Martin’s sharpshooting teammates followed her lead and joined in on the Bradford three-party.   Game 4: Noble & Greenough: 56 Winchendon: 26 Player of the Game: <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/F8783A22-CCE4-44FB-AEF5-62A32003BA95-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1640003795.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-366705" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/F8783A22-CCE4-44FB-AEF5-62A32003BA95-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1640003795-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="263921" first="Kayla" last="Lezama"] - Nobles - 5’10’’ - CG - ’22 Nobles got off to a slow start vs. Winchendon and were down 2 after the 1st quarter. Lezama took the reins offensively in the 2nd quarter and controlled the games’ tempo, and Nobles never looked back. Her play in transition was outstanding, and Lezama gave us a glimpse of how she can use her elite athleticism and change of direction to be a dynamic fastbreak playmaker. Whether weaving through defenders for 2 points or throwing crisp and accurate lead passes ahead to the Nobles’ guards and putting them in position to score, Lezama provided the jolt her teammates needed to wake them up and dominate the game.