Raining Treys At 4A State: Wellington & Andale Sharpshooters

Raining Treys At 4A State: Wellington &amp; Andale Sharpshooters

PGH Scouts feature athletes making it rain from deep.

Jeremy Deckard March 6, 2024 @ 03:37 PM

Outside it was sunny in Salina as the Kansas Class 4A State Girls Basketball Tournament started at Tony's Pizza Center. Still, storm clouds hovered over the court in the first game of the day as prospects from Wellington and Andover made it rain from 3-point land.   Here is the first of multiple scouting reports from first-round action in the Class 4A Tournament.   [player_tooltip player_id='349454' first='Brittan' last='Zeka'], 5'10”, CG, Wellington, ‘25   Zeka is a pure shooter who can score from three levels. She is cat-like quick and plays hard-nosed defense. She led the shooting barrage for Wellington to open the game. She converted on her first three 3-point field goal attempts. Zeka is listed as 5-foot-10, but she plays more like a six-footer. Zeka was one of three Crusaders who scored a game-high 14 points and she finished 4-of-8 from 3-point range in Wellington's 71-53 first-round victory.   [player_tooltip player_id='349450' first='Valerie' last='Norwood'], 5'8”, PF, Wellington, ‘25   Norwood is a talented post player who will hit the boards and likes to drive. She plays plus defense and will be a player opposing defenses will need to focus on as the Crusaders advance in the bracket. Norwood is not afraid to handle the ball and puts up shots from deep. She also plays sneaky good defense as evidenced by her four steals in the opening round victory. Norwood finished with 14 points and shot an eye-popping 8-for-10 from the free throw line.   [player_tooltip player_id='621236' first='Lyndi' last='Barton'], 6'0”, SG, Wellington, '26   Barton has a huge reach and plays the game with a ton of grit. She mostly scores in the interior or off the drive. She is a physical player who is not afraid of contact. She cashed in when she did get hammered as she shot 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. Barton filled her stat line with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists.   [player_tooltip player_id='999826' first='Reagan' last='Winter'], 5'10”, PF, Andale, ‘27   Winter is one of the more impressive freshmen that I have scouted this season. If she dedicates herself to improving her overall strength, she could be the No. 1 ranked player in Kansas by her senior season. She defends the paint like a Mamma Bear defends her cubs. Winter finished with a game-high three blocked shots and she can also score from anywhere on the court. The Andale freshman went don't fighting in the team's final game of the season scoring a team-high 13 points and cleaning the glass for nine rebounds.   Maddison Lies, 5'6”, CG, Andale, ‘26   Lies is a spark plug and can score with the best of them. She plays taller than she is and serves as Andale's emotional leader. She scored 12 points and made 2-of-3 field goal attempts from 3-point range. She is an accurate passer and takes care of the ball. She had an impressive stat line in her final game of the season with four rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and one assist.   Taya Orth, 5'4”, SG, Andale, ‘25   On a team with no seniors, Orth takes on the veteran leadership role for Andale. Orth hit a key 3-pointer in the first half for the Crusaders. She plays with high energy and is willing to get on the floor for loose balls. Orth finished with nine points all of them coming from behind the 3-point arc. Like the other three featured Andale athletes she had a bulky stat line that included five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Outside it was sunny in Salina as the Kansas Class 4A State Girls Basketball Tournament started at Tony's Pizza Center. Still, storm clouds hovered over the court in the first game of the day as prospects from Wellington and Andover made it rain from 3-point land.