Lily was pulling double-duty much of Sunday, as her normal backcourt running ‘mate was not in attendance. Instead of knocking down 3-pointers on the wing and back-cutting for easy layups, Lily was handling the ball quite a bit, initiating the offense, and finding open teammates. She still found time to make the occasional 3-pointer, plus she is always good at collecting steals and out-sprinting opponents to the opposite end for an easy bucket. She’s primed for a big Winter at Elkhart Christian.

Lily was a point guard at The Encore who consistently separated herself. She was aggressive on the offensive and defensive end, refusing to back down against tough competition. Lily showed confidence as a perimeter shooter and drained a wing three. She wasn’t afraid to drive into towering bigs and elevated to score a tough, left-handed finish. Lily was able to beat defenders off the dribble and score layups throughout the tournament. She generated steals with her defensive pressure and pushed the ball quickly up the floor to create transition offense. Lily sprinted out to block a three-pointer, chased down a fast break, and deflected passes on the perimeter. She penetrated with her dribble and dished out lobs into the post for assists with excellent touch. Lily was an all-around difference maker for 5 Star Basketball 16U over the weekend.

Lily was one of the most impressive players I watched this past weekend. She’s quick, changes pace effectively, and plays under control in both transition and the half-court. She sees the floor well and consistently makes the right passing reads. Her jumper stands out immediately thanks to its compact, repeatable mechanics. Against 24, she knocked down several timely threes that helped keep her team within striking distance. Lily has established herself as one of the best shooters I’ve seen all spring.

I’ve mentioned Lily a couple of times recently, and she is a big influence on the offense at Elkhart Christian, helping them to the Semi-State round just a few months ago. She is long and wiry, quick, fast, and fluid athletically, and she is always around the basketball. She creates turnovers as a defender and flips the floor quickly creating layup opportunities. She is also an accurate 3-point shooter within their halfcourt offense. Lily has a solid handle and can initiate the offense, which is key because she’ll likely be a point guard at the next level.

Lily is one of a few underclassmen to help Elkhart Christian to two of their best seasons in school history the last couple of years. She has some speed and quickness, she has nice length at her height, and she can play a variety of roles if needed. She has always been a fairly accurate shooter from outside when set and in rhythm, but she can also turn the corner and get through the paint. Friday, she got several easy layups in transition. I’d like to see how she handles playing on the ball a bit more against better guards, because I think she has the skillset, but she has always had PGs alongside her.