Darke County Hoopers
Throughout this off-season, the Prep Girls Hoops staff will be taking a close look at some of the top underclassmen across all of Ohio’s 88 counties. Darke County – named for American Revolutionary War officer William Darke – has a…
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Continue ReadingThroughout this off-season, the Prep Girls Hoops staff will be taking a close look at some of the top underclassmen across all of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Darke County – named for American Revolutionary War officer William Darke – has a number of famous residents. Annie Oakley, who performed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show was from Darke County, as was famed actor, writer, broadcaster and publicist Lowell Jackson Thomas. On the Ohio HS girls basketball circuit, Darke County has produced a number of other special individuals, with this current group of underclassmen being no different.
Let’s take a look at a number of talented underclassmen from Darke County.
Corina Conley scores in a number of different ways for Franklin Monroe. (Photo Credit: Daily Advocate)Corina Conley – Franklin Monroe – 6’0 Forward – Class of 2020
Conley is one of the best DIV players in the entire state of Ohio. Whether she is double or triple-teamed, Corina is a walking bucket. She gets to the rim at will, where she finishes well with both hands. She also does an outstanding job in the post, where she usually gets good position and will finish with a solid drop step or up-and-under. Conley averaged 18 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3 assists per game during her junior year.
Maddie Downing – Tri-Village – 6’1 Post – Class of 2020
A strong and physical post – Maddie is the older of the two twin-tower Downing sisters on Tri-Vallage’s team. She has established herself as one of the area’s top players, with a variety of post moves, as she can finish with either hand around the basket. Her aggressive-attacking mindset helps her shoot a large amount of free throws on a per-game basis. She is a walking double-double, since she is a very good rebounder, as well.
Meghan Downing is one of the state’s top young post players. (Photo Credit: Daily Advocate)Meghan Downing – Tri Village – 6’2 Post – Class of 2022
Meghan burst onto the scene this year as a Freshman. She is one of the top 2022’s in the state and was a rare All-Ohio selection during her first year of HS ball. A strong rebounder, Downing uses her length and athleticism to create problems for opposing defenses. She has great hands and scores a lot of points in transition. She will step out and knock down an occasional 3-pointer if she has space.
Taylor Gray – Arcanum – 6’0 Post – Class of 2022
Gray is a quick-leaper with long arms. She finishes through contact and although she didn’t score as much (10 PPG) as some of the other players listed here, she is a major offensive threat due to her ability to finish in a variety of ways. She has a great frame for a young post and used it to averaged 9.4 RPG – making her a double-double threat on a nightly basis.
Danielle Kunk – Versailles – 5’8 Guard – Class of 2020
Kunk is a long guard who does a little bit of everything for Versailles, one of the top programs in all of Western Ohio. She is a dead-eye 3-point shooter with a high set-shot release. Defensively, Kunk always seems to be around the ball. Whether she is getting steals from her help-side position or coming over to block shots, Kunk starts a lot of early offense for her team, from her defense.
Haleigh Mayo-Behnken – Greenville – 5’7 Guard – Class of 2020
Haleigh had a good junior year, earning all-league honors in the loaded Greater Western Ohio Conference. She is an athletic guard who averaged 12.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. She also blocked over a shot per night and shot 41% from the field. She will need to improve her perimeter shooting during her senior season to be an immediate contributor at the next level, but she does a lot of things right.
Austy Miller – Bradford – 5’5 Guard – Class of 2022
Miller is another rare freshman who earned All-Ohio honors this winter from the OPSWA. She is quick off of the bounce and does a fine job of attacking defenses by getting into the middle of the defense and breaking things down. She is very tough for a young guard and certainly does not shy away from older and most experienced defenders. Austy is a very good scorer at over 15 PPG in her initial campaign. She could be a 20+ PPG kid by the time she graduates.
Lindsey Winner has won a number of big games during her time at Versailles. (Photo Credit: Piqua Daily Call)Lindsey Winner – Versailles – 6’0 Forward – Class of 2020
A true mismatch for Versailles, Winner scores a majority of her baskets around the rim, where she has great hands, is strong on the catch and shoots a high percentage. Lindsey is a good mid-range shooter – her shot attempts rarely get blocked as she is long and has a high release. At the top of the press, Lindsey causes havoc, using her long arms to shorten the floor and create turnovers.
Kayla O’Daniel – Arcanum – 5’9 Guard – Class of 2020
Kayla is an example of a true slasher. Although she doesn’t have picture-perfect form on her jump shot, she is a true threat from 3-point land. She will go to a variety of different finishing moves, using floaters, runners, wrong-arm leaners and baby-hooks. It’s tough to block her shot as she gets the ball up to the rim quickly on her shot attempts. She is an active defender who gets a number of deflections throughout the course of a game.
Lissa Siler – Tri-Village – 5’6 Guard – Class of 2020
Siler was the leading scorer for Tri-Village this year. At over 14 points and 4 assists per game, the All-Southwest District selection took a lot of pressure off of the Downing sisters inside. Lissa is a tremendous passer who has a knack for putting her teammates in the position to get easy lay-ups on the catch. She is a good 3-point shooter with a quick release. She also has a very quick first step and solid 1-dribble pull-up.