2018 Skilled Up Elite Fall Finish
HOUSTON, TEXAS – Lutheran North was jumping a couple of weeks ago with Skilled Up Elite’s Fall Classic featuring some of the top players in not only the city state and country but some teams that that are so close to making deep runs that I wish I could just fast forward to what I call the third round, the playoffs, but that’s no fun and to see many of these young ladies already in regular season form before the season starts had me beaming from ear to ear so here’s a rundown on some of the top players from each squad. Special S/O to Langham Creeks’ Dyani Robinson, one of the most explosive scorers in the city who showed just why I’ve been saying that for a very long time
College Station-I knew this squad was going to be tough with a healthy Rebekah Hailey, another year under Na’layjah Johnson’s belt, explosiveness from both Taylor Carter and Ailyna Collins as well as her sister freshman Aliyah Collins, one of the top freshmen in the state and had Sissy Thompson been able to go, I knew this squad had the firepower but even though you have firepower you definitely need a match and Alexys King, one of the best catch and shoot long ball specialists in Texas, with accuracy I might add, this squad has a whole lot of players that can get going really quickly and I watched them score I guess 15 or 16 points in a couple of minutes so pull out the calculator, road trips are planned
Cedar Park- I’d seen Pujita Shukla numerous times this past season so I already knew but this squad definitely has a chance to make a run this year and a major one next. Nicole Leff is very active around 6’0, rebounds and finishes strong and knocks the mid down. Alisa Knight is just under that magic number of 6’0 while freshman Shelby Hayes already showed me she’ll pay dividends early, she too is 6’0. Hannah Wheeler, Alexandra Maresca and Sarai Estupinan are a trio of talented guards that can score, attacking or from outside, but more importantly see the floor and handle pressure
Katy Taylor-I’m going to see a lot of this squad, seniors Alyssa Bone, Kailee Mann, Taylor Woods and Katie Massingale can all score and provide solid leadership. Danielle St Denis was dropping the long ball with ease and that crossover was definitely working. Sarah Holson adds to the number of players who are long and play the passing lanes well, as well as finish strong and I’ve been waiting 4 years to say Sydney Ward is one of the best freshmen in the state
Cy Springs- Zaria Johnson is one of the best players in the state; she’s over 6’0 athletic and can change a game on both ends. Derricka Watson and Yasmine Handy were steady at the guard spot while sophomores Emari Sidney and Jacoria Moore were solid in every game, the Panthers will definitely make some noise
The Village- Jada Malone is 6’3 and one of the top freshmen in the country, she scores inside, hits the mid to long range jumper and is now handling the ball in open court so should I stop there? No, this is going to be an interesting season and this squad has several bits and pieces with multiple scorers on the inside and outside to compliment Malone, an improved Karlie Sampson as well as Tymberlin Criswell who’s receiving D1 interest already
Tomball Memorial- tough squad that keeps coming at you, with the district realignment they’ll be facing some heavy hitters but as I stated, they keep coming at you so they’re definitely up for the challenge. Anne Kate Martin shot the long ball, tough play from Reese Rosner and Jasmine Mendoza, not to mention Lauren Crawford but this squad is young, Breanne Baimbridge is lone senior while Kaitlyn Chomko is a freshman that is going to make some noise
HS Mixed Tape- Clear Creek trio of Aikens Semones, Macie Illyes and Eliya Ellis will bring some heat, Semones just keeps adding to her game, Danecia Treston (Hastings) can get it done on both ends, talk about scores multiple ways, Arianna Sturdivant (Bush) can do that and is one of the top midrange shooters in Texas. Got a kick out of Ashlyn Rogers (Alba Golden) who was unconscious at times scoring off the dribble, mid to long and just to keep it real, the scoring performance from Evan Thomas (Rose Hill Christian) on BOTH days was definitely worth the price of admission. Duschene duo of Katheryn Vanpelt and 6’2 Annette Clark also energized the weekend