Pacific Automation Holiday Classic Standouts

Story by Prep Hoops Oregon writer, Jed Tai: With the Les Schwab Invitational taking a break on Sunday night, we thought we would venture over to Southeast Portland and take in some of the [program_tooltip program_id='716198' first='Pacific' last=''] Automation Holiday Classic. We were obviously attracted to the fact that two future McDonald's All-Americans would be playing in games in Cameron Brink (Mountainside) and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/hailey-van-lith/">Hailey Van Lith</a> (Cashmere) but there were plenty of other great players participating. We have honestly never tried to evaluate girls basketball before but other than some minor differences, hoops is hoops and we thought we would use some of our experience in watching boys/men's basketball at all levels to see what we could spot in three games we watched - Beaverton/Mountainside, South Medford/Wilsonville, and Cashmere/La Salle. Here's a look at our observation of the top performers in those games. Standouts: Cameron Brink (2020 Mountainside) - Stats: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks We've seen plenty of highlights of Brink but seeing her play in person the first thing that came to mind was she's incredibly long. Listed at 6-foot-5 we wouldn't be surprised if her wingspan was around 6-foot-8 or 6-foot-9 and she totally used that to her advantage on defense. If she wasn't blocking shots her pure presence was affecting opponents. The Stanford signee got into early foul trouble and finished scoreless at the half, but quickly made up for that with quick points in the third quarter. Whether she was posting up high or low, Brink could easily turn and shoot over her defender with touch and on one possession, she even nailed a step-back three. Unfortunately Brink's night ended on a sour note as she was whistled on a questionable foul call and then she slammed the ball down in frustration and received a technical. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/hailey-van-lith/">Hailey Van Lith</a> (2020 Cashmere) - Stats: 25 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists Having seen some of Van Lith's highlights, we were expecting a Shoni Shimmel type of show but it was quite different. Instead of a ton of highlights of crossovers and step-backs, the Louisville commit played rock-solid fundamental basketball. La Salle was very focused on doubling her whenever she got the ball, so she often looked to pass off to open teammates for jumpers. And when Van Lith did look to create, she was money with her pull-up lefty jumper from mid-range. She has the strength, quickness, and ball-skills to create separation from defenders and it seemed as if her shot was near unblockable. Van Lith had a goose egg from long range (0-for-7) but you got the feeling that those usually fall on a consistent basis. And she controlled the defensive backboards with an eye-popping 17 rebounds. Laura Erikstrup (2020 Beaverton) - Stats: 24 points, 9 rebounds, 10-14 fg Erikstrup had it going down low all night long. She was extremely effective in the post and finished well around the basket with both hands. While she seemed more comfortable posting up, she did step out and knock down an open three and there was one play where she got the ball at the top of the key, crossed over her defender with a behind-the-back dribble, and then finished with her left hand. There's no question the San Diego signee benefited from Brink's foul trouble but she made her share when Brink was in the game as well. Mary Kay Naro (2020 Beaverton) - Stats: 11 points, 6 assists, 4-6 fg Naro was steady with the basketball all night long and was sharp with her decision making. She looked for opportunities to drive and either drove and kicked it out to open shooters or scored the ball herself. When left open, the Boise State signee stepped up and hit the jumper. And she finished the game with zero turnovers - and the win - about all you can ask from your point guard. Sydney Erikstrup (2020 Beaverton) - Stats: 12 points, 5 rebounds Of the twins, Sydney Erikstrup seemed to be more at home operating from the wing in this game as Beaverton tried to attack Mountainside's zone. She was comfortable shooting the three, although was only somewhat effective (1-for-5), so she looked to attack off of the dribble. The Arizona State signee showed that she could finish around the basket with both hands and was a capable passer as well. Addison Wedin (2021 La Salle) - Stats: 14 points, 3 rebounds Wedin certainly had a slow start, as she seemed to settle into launching threes (and not hitting) them against Cashmere's zone in the first half. But in the second half, after catching a pass inside and converting a short shot, she started to go to work. Wedin used her size and strength to penetrate the zone and convert buckets, and then started to find her shot from the outside.   Some other players that caught our eye: Sydney Burns (2021 Wilsonville) - Stats: 11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists Even with the stats available, it wouldn't have measured the amount of motor that Burns put on the floor because she seemingly was everywhere on both sides of the ball. If there was a 50/50 ball, she would win it. She created off the dribble and got some buckets as well as found some teammates for others. Surely she's one to watch for the Class of 2021. Bella Pedrojetti (2020 South Medford) - Stats: 21 points, 4-9 3pt Pedrojetti had it going offensively, whether it was hitting threes or taking it strong to the cup and finishing. The 5-foot-10 wing had a nice looking shooting stroke from distance and seemed most comfortable playing up-tempo, getting up and down the court. Lindsey Wilson (2022 Mountainside) - Stats: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4-4 fg, 3-4 ft Wilson is a 6-foot post that set up low whenever Brink was up high. When she set up shop down low she held her ground but was capable of stepping out and knocking down the mid-range jumper with a soft touch. Halle Hageman (2022 Mountainside) - Stats: 10 points, 2 assists Hageman was relatively steady at the point and seemed to have a pretty nice touch from beyond three-point range, hitting 2-for-5 from distance. Emilia Bishop (2021 Wilsonville) - Stats: 15 points, 6 rebounds Bishop has good size at 6-foot-2 but runs the floor well. She posted up strong in the paint and seemed to have some solid post moves. She also seemed capable of stepping out and knocking down mid-to-long range face-up jumpers. Sierra Logue (2020 South Medford) - Stats: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks Logue is an extremely long and lanky post with decent size at 6-foot-2. She was pushed out of the paint on occasion but did her best to fight for rebounds on both ends. Logue showed a pretty soft touch on her shot. Emma Schmerbach (2021 South Medford) - Stats: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists The daughter of Crater boys basketball coach Chris Schmerbach came off of the bench and provided instant energy and motor. She had a pretty decent touch on her shot and flashed some solid ball skills. Toni Coleman (2021 South Medford) - Stats: 17 points, 4 steals Coleman is a soccer player so it's not surprising she has great speed. Whether it was streaking down court after a missed shot or getting the steal herself, the 5-foot-4 guard leaked out and got several easy layups in transition.