Top Performances from Girls Metro Holiday Tournament: Second Round Afternoon Games
The second round of the Girls Metro Holiday Tournament is underway and the first game of the afternoon was 3 seed Omaha Westside vs 6 seed Millard West. Millard West scored as many points in the 4th quarter, 22, as they…
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Continue ReadingThe second round of the Girls Metro Holiday Tournament is underway and the first game of the afternoon was 3 seed Omaha Westside vs 6 seed Millard West. Millard West scored as many points in the 4th quarter, 22, as they did the first three quarters combined. However, their late game push was not enough and Westside won 50-44. The last girls game of the afternoon was 2 seed Papillion LaVista vs 7 see Omaha Northwest. The Monarchs depth, defense, and transition scoring was too much for Ale’jah Douglas and the Huskies to overcomes. Papillion LaVista will play Westside on Thursday, January 2nd for a trip to the championship. Here are 8 players that impressed in the afternoon slate of games.
Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor – 6’3 Forward – Class of 2020
MVP of the afternoon was Illinois State Commit, Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor. She was unstoppable offensively and dominated the glass on both ends. Jasmine works for deep positioning and has an excellent catch radius on entry passes. At the next level, Jasmine may need to be more creative to score consistently, but she is making it look easy right now. McGinnis-Taylor recorded a huge double-double with 24 points and 16 rebounds.
Ella Wedergren – 5’9 Guard – Class of 2020
Ella Wedergren is a strong ball handler and smart decision maker. More than once she was able to break Millard West’s press by herself with the dribble. When teammate Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor was being fronted, Wedergren was able to throw perfect passes where only McGinnis-Taylor could get them. Wedergren had 11 points, 2 of which came on a pretty euro-step scoop layup in traffic.
Abby Hellman – 5’9 Guard/Forward – Class of 2020
Abby Hellman didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but she was a big part of Westside’s win. Hellman can help as a ball handler and is versatile enough to guard multiple positions. Offensively, she found gaps in the defense and got to the hoop, stayed patient and on balance, and drew contact or found open teammates.
Jenna Bohaty – 6’0 Forward – Class of 2020
Jenna Bohaty is a long and skilled ball handling forward. She has good vision finding cutters from the post or wing position. Jenna can draw the other team’s biggest player, in this case McGinnis-Taylor, out to the perimeter and open up space on the interior. If you put a smaller defender on her, Bohaty can score on post ups. The senior forward shot 100% from the floor but only attempted two shots, one of which was a really nice pump-fake strep-through finish in the lane. She needs to be more aggressive, even if this is one of her toughest matchups of the season.
Honnah Leo – 5’10 Forward – Class of 2020
After struggling to get her shot to fall in the first half, Honnah Leo started to get going after halftime. She hit a couple shots in the 3rd, including a strong post up and finish to beat the 3rd quarter buzzer. Leo flipped a switch in the fourth quarter, draining 3 threes, cleaning up on the offensive glass, and getting to the line. She finished the game with 26 points and 5 rebounds that all came on the offensive end.
Olivia Boudreau – 5’9 Guard – Class of 2020
Olivia Boudreau helped in so many aspects of the game vs Omaha Northwest. She knocked down three point shots, made good decisions, pushed the ball in transition, and helped on the defensive glass. Boudreau was also very active defensively, causing turnovers with her defensive rotations. The future Morningside Mustang scored an effortless 18 points.
Lindsey Ingwerson – 6’0 Forward – Class of 2020
Foul trouble stopped Lindsey Ingwerson from getting much of a rhythm going in the first half, but she made up for some lost time in the fourth quarter. Ingwerson got out in transition, at one point in the 4th scoring 6 straight points for the Monarchs. She tied Boudreau’s scoring total with 18 points. I was most impressed with her passing ability. She makes quick decisions, good inside-out passes, and has great vision from the high post.
Ale’jah Douglas – 5’5 Point Guard – Class of 2020
Lefty Point Guard Ale’jah Douglas made a solid case for MVP of the afternoon games, scoring 28 points and leading her team in rebounds. Douglas is all over the court and seems to be working harder than everyone around her. Twice she seemed to be out of the play and sprinted back on defense to stop and easy layup, once blocking a shot near the backboard from behind. Offensively, she has a lightening quick handle and can create space anytime she wants to get her shot off. Douglas is too fast to stop in the open court with one defender and once she gets to the rim she can elevate, draw contact with her body, and extend to get her shot off. We could have been looking at an even better stat line from Ale’jah if she had a couple more bounces go her way.