Top Performers Over The Holiday Break on the First Coast

Hunter Keith January 5, 2022 @ 08:18 PM

The First half of the high school season ended several weeks ago and the second half of the season has just started up. There were some basketball tournaments held over the holiday break on the First Coast and around the State. Here are some of the top performances over the holiday break. <img class="size-medium wp-image-372367 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/20211122_112235-scaled-crop-1266x832-1641380437-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="346820" first="Abby" last="Knauff"] 2025, 5’10” G (Bolles). Knauff filled up the stat sheet over the holiday break. Knauff and the Bulldogs played 4 games in Tampa over the break and the athletic freshman came to play. Knauff scored 21 in a victory over Hillsborough and 23 points in the victory over Heritage. In a rematch against University Christian, Knauff knocked down 23 points. Knauff has been spectacular over the first half of the season and her performance over the break is a premonition of what’s in store for the scene half of the season. London Jenkins 2024, 5’4″ G (Riverside) had another game over 20 points. The latest scoring outburst came against Episcopal in the Creekside Christmas Tournament. Jenkins scored 23 of her team’s 45 points. The talented Sophomore also recorded three steals and three assists. She is very quick on the court and has very good handles. She has the ability to take the ball to the basket with either hand. She is also elusive and can put defenders on "skates" due to her good handles and her ability to shoot the ball from all areas of the court. <img class=" wp-image-372681 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/20211130_192054-1-1-scaled-crop-1362x895-1641433931-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="331745" first="Eris" last="Lester"] 2024, 5’10’ G (Orange Park). Lester and 20-point performances have become commonplace. Over the holiday break, Lester knocked down 22 points against Elizabethton and 22 points against Tallahassee Leon. Lester is a workhorse on the courts and plays at the same speed all game long. Her ability to wear the opponent down is a major part of her game that doesn't go unnoticed. Defensively, she is exceptional in the passing lanes and she turns turnovers into layups and scoring opportunities for her teammates. Mary Grace Walters 2023, 5’9 (Creekside) continued her stellar long-range shooting in the Creekside Christmas Tournament. Walters has been aggressive shooting the ball this season and averages 5 three-point attempts per contest. Through 12 games the junior guard has connected on 16 three-pointers and is averaging nearly 10 points per game. In one of the games during the tournament, Walters scored 14 points and connected on two three-pointers. She also was impressive on the defensive end, recording five steals in the semifinals. Walter's impressive play carried over to the championship game, where she connected on several threes and was aggressive on both ends of the court. Tai Baldwin 2022, 5’10” S (University Christian). Baldwin has led the offensive charge for University Christian all year and the senior continued that trend over the holiday break. Baldwin had scoring performances of 27, 21, 16, and 18 points. Baldwin has shown the ability to put the ball in the basket this year and she has done it from all levels of the court. Baldwin has a cat-quick first step and she has the uncanny ability to get to loose balls before anyone else does. For a guard, Baldwin does a great job of rebounding the ball. Through 14 games this season she is averaging nearly 6 rebounds per game. Kate Adams 2023, 6’0″ C (Episcopal) The center stood out during the Creekside Christmas tournament because of her competitive nature on the court. She has good size and competed well against Creekside’s center [player_tooltip player_id="352602" first="Kayla" last="Kastor"] in the middle. Adams was on the end of a lot of good plays. She played aggressive defense, rebounded well, and scored well on the inside. Adams also ran the courts well for a big. Her play in the middle contributed to her team winning the tournament. She is a player to keep an eye on during the second half of the season.