FSCB Holiday Classic: Top Performers

Last week at the Show Me Center, Cape Notre Dame reigned supreme in the First State Community Bank Holiday Classic as the Bulldogs three-peated as tournament champions (first team to do so since 2005). No. 1 seed Notre Dame won its eighth overall Holiday Classic title in dominant fashion by defeating all three of its opponents by double figures. The Bulldogs beat No. 6 KIPP St. Louis 74-10 and No. 5 Woodland 55-25 in round-robin play, while handling No. 3 Delta 55-42 for the championship. To reach the title game, Delta defeated No. 2 Jackson 68-53 as the Indians finished the week by winning the third-place game over No. 4 Saxony Lutheran 51-23. Here are my top performers from this year’s Holiday Classic: <strong>Tournament MVP – 2022 6’0” CG</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="162386" first="Alexa" last="Rubel"]<strong>, Cape Notre Dame: </strong><span style="font-size: 1rem;">There's nothing she can't do offensively as she's a lethal scorer on all three levels. Arguably the best passer in the state with her unmatched court vision, precision and timing. Phenomenal rebounder, shot blocker and taker away of the ball.</span> <strong>2023 6’1” SF</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="193484" first="Tori" last="Rubel"]<strong>, Cape Notre Dame: </strong>Game changer who stuffs the stat sheet. Top-notch, three-level scorer with her effortless pull-up jumpers off the dribble and strong yet smooth drives to the rim. Tenacious defender who disrupts play after play. Pushes the ball and cleans the boards extremely well. <strong>2022 5’8” CG</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="194140" first="Kendall" last="Holweg"]<strong>, Delta: </strong>High motor on both ends with unique athleticism to fly around the court. Dangerous offensively with her ability to pull-up in a heartbeat and find the rim with ease. In-your-face defender who gives ball handlers little to no room. <strong>2023 5’10” SG</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="317551" first="Katie" last="Waller"]<strong>, Jackson: </strong>Smooth scorer who is a knockdown shooter from 3-point range and can attack the basket with the best of them. Creative with the ball as she has a knack for dishing out one-handed passes on the move. Very aware defensively. <strong>2024 5’6” CG</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="194539" first="Presley" last="Holweg"]<strong>, Delta: </strong>Incredibly scrappy player that is always gunning to make a play. Fantastic drive to the basket and has nice moves like her euro step and floater for easy buckets. Gets after it on defense as well as when she's going for rebounds. <strong>2022 5’9” SG</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="317545" first="Leah" last="Jansen"]<strong>, Cape Notre Dame: </strong>Top on-ball defender in the tournament as she has a knack for picking pockets and creating fast-break scoring opportunities. Smooth finish at the rim as she's quite the deep threat on full-court heaves. Unselfish with the ball. Nice 3-point shooter. <strong>2024 5’8” CG</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="194533" first="Addison" last="Nichols"]<strong>, Delta: </strong>Elaborate scorer who goes on quick runs of her own whether it's from beyond the arc or attacking the basket. In fact, she is a sharp shooter from 3-point range and is developing a nice mid-range game. Very opportunistic defender.