Guards Who’ve Stood Out At Games I’ve Attended

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After going through some standout forwards yesterday, we'll look at some of the guards who've stood out at games I've attended.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='338944' first='Georgia' last='Acompanado']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you think of high-level lead guards, especially today, most people will think about elite handles and a bunch of perimeter jumpers. Acompanado can handle the ball at a high level, but she doesn't settle for anything. She gets to the basket at will and rebounds at an elite level for a guard. Her rebounding will help turn her team into an elite transition team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='533084' first='Vanessa' last='Johnson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pewaukee guard is one of the best perimeter defenders in the state, even though this is her first high school season. She has room to grow on the offensive end, but what she does now has already won high-level games for Pewaukee. She has a bright future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='338948' first='Peyton' last='Musial']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year, Musial came off the bench and made a lot of jumpers. This season, she's expanded her game for her team and done it well. I was surprised by how explosive she was off the dribble. When Musial wants to attack the basket off the catch, not many kids stay in front of her. She's that quick.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='209598' first='Brynn' last='Kirch']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I don't think we'll see the best from Kirch or McFarland until later this season. After Kirch missed most of the last calendar year with various injuries, the Spartans need to figure out how to succeed with their best five. Kirch is in that five. At her best, I believe Kirch is one of the better lead guards in the state because she can make her teammates better and finish around the basket. When I saw her against Jefferson, she looked confident and made some difficult shots. I still think McFarland is a sneaky contender in D2 because of Kirch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keegan Lodes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I didn't see much of Lodes this summer, but you won't find many 5-foot-11 athletes who can knock down perimeter jumpers and defend on the other end. She doesn't have to do much now because of how much talent the Lasers have, but she's one to watch over the next 12 months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='209600' first='Jayla' last='Rankin']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wisconsin Lutheran guard finishes at an elite level around the basket. Rankin also has led Wisconsin Lutheran to an impressive start to the season. There may not be a more surprising team in D2 because of how well Rankin has played.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='338969' first='Lilly' last='Meulemans']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I don't think it's debatable that Meulemans is one of the top ten pure athletes in the state, and she's probably in or around the top five. The sophomore can make plays few others can. A good example is a short-arm 75-foot pass to Lindsey Gerard to help her team beat Fond du Lac at the buzzer. She'll make some plays that will wow you.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->