Prairie State Conference Preview
This will be the last year for the Prairie State Conference so everyone wants to go out a winner. Alton Marquette is coming off a 21 win season and the conference championship. Coach Green returns most of his rotation and…
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Continue ReadingThis will be the last year for the Prairie State Conference so everyone wants to go out a winner. Alton Marquette is coming off a 21 win season and the conference championship. Coach Green returns most of his rotation and would look like the odds on favorite to repeat. Father McGivney was a 1 loss team in conference and also returns most of their rotation. Coach Oller is certainly looking to improve on last season simply by keeping everyone healthy. Wood River and Metro East Lutheran will be fighting to work their way up to the top while Nokomis and Bunker Hill try to rebuild and return to better days.The following is a list of players that be fighting for All Conference spots and trying to lead their team to a championship.
Alton Marquette returns three first team All Conference players. All three were freshman last year and made a huge impact for the Lady Explorers. Adrenna Snipes is a 5’5 point guard that was named Alton Telegraph small school player of the year. Snipes is able to consistently get into the lane where she uses her moves to finish consistently. She is also an excellent defensive player that set a new school record for steals in a season. Kamryn Fandrey is a 5’5 guard that was the second leading scorer for Marquette. Kamryn excels on the defensive end where she can really frustrate other players with her ability to always be pressuring them. She is like that gnat that will never go away, constantly in your face. She has range out to the 3 point line where she can get hot and is an excellent free throw shooter. Abby Williams is a 5’9 forward that is another hard nosed player for Coach Green. Abby does a good job penetrating against zones and finding the open spots. She finds a way to get offensive rebounds in critical situations. Abby just has a nose for the ball. Abby will be looked upon to contribute more offense this year by keeping herself out of foul trouble.
Father McGivney also returns their top three players that can all be expected to be in the running for All Conference spots too. Macy Hoppes is a 5’4 2020 point guard that stuffs the stats sheet for the Lady Griffins. She averaged 7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals per game last year. Macy is a bundle of energy that really gets the team going with her play.Anna McKee is a 5’7 2021 guard that is the leading scorer returning for Coach Oller. Anna has scored over 800 points in her two varsity seasons using her 3-point shot as her main weapon. Anna excels on defense with her long arms and ability to anticipate passes which leads to many fast break layups for her team. Madison Webb is a 5’9 2020 forward that may be the key cog for the Lady Griffins this year. After a very successful sophomore season Madison was unlucky enough to break a finger in pre-season practice last year. She only played in 14 of 32 games. When she did play Madison scored 12.3 points per game and pulled down 6 rebounds. Madison has always been tough inside but has really worked hard to develop a consistent outside shot to compliment her inside game. I expect a big senior season from Madison.
Other players that should be in the mix for All Conference:
- Destiny Williams is a senior point guard from Metro East Lutheran. Destiny is the leading scorer returning for Coach Stock. She is capable of beating most defenders off the dribble. When Destiny gets to the lane she does a good job of scoring or passing off if she sees an open teammate. Destiny also excels on the defensive end of the floor.
- Macee Eisenbarth is a 5’7 2020 forward from Nokomis. Macee does a great job of getting results on pure guts and effort. That is not to suggest that she does not have talent, she does, but, constantly fighting against taller players in the post is not a life for everyone. Macee does a very good job off their side screen and roll offense by exploiting teams that switch or slower post players that cannot stay with her. She finishes consistently in the lane or gets fouled.
- Kayla Brantley is a 5’7 2020 guard from Wood River. Kayla is the leading scorer returning for the Lady Oilers and is a 3 year letterman. Kayla battled knee injuries last year and will need to stay healthy for Wood River to make a run for a conference title. Kayla has a good outside shot and has a knack for hitting shots in the mid range too.
- Aubrey Robinson is a 6’0 2020 forward from Wood River. Aubrey was named the MVP of the team last year. Coach Parmentier feels she is the best all around player on the team as she can score inside and outside but also uses her length very well on defense. Aubrey gets her hands on many passes in their zone which leads to those live ball turnovers everybody wants. Aubrey can hit shots consistently out to the 3 point line.
Defense played a big part in last years conference race with Alton Marquette and Father McGivney each giving up less than 30 points per game in conference play. This year should be no different. Alton Marquette was able to score 54 points per game so the key will be to slow them down some. These games are usually tight and exciting, I look forward to the season.