Top Performers on Final Day at Jaguar Holiday Tournament
There were 8 local teams that played three straight days at Academy of the Holy Names in the Jaguar Holiday Tournament. I was able to make it to the final day for some games between a few teams that I…
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Continue ReadingThere were 8 local teams that played three straight days at Academy of the Holy Names in the Jaguar Holiday Tournament. I was able to make it to the final day for some games between a few teams that I have not seen this season. The finals scores were:
7th place – Robinson – 43, Countryside – 40
5th Place – East Lake – 51, Steinbrenner – 44
3rd Place – Northeast – 53, Bishop McLaughlin – 28
Championship – Santa Fe Catholic – 58, Academy of the Holy Names – 46
Here were some of the players who stood out the most to me:
Kassidy Jones (2021) Santa Fe Catholic
She was named MVP of the tournament with averages of 12 ppg and 5.7 rpg. Kassidy also hit a huge milestone by scoring her 1,000th point in the second round game. It was a HUGE week for Kassidy who is a tremendous player with her ability to score and rebound with the length she has as a guard. Kassidy got into foul trouble in the championship, but was a supportive teammate when she had to sit. When she was on the court, she always brought good energy to the team and contributed on both ends at a high level.
Kirsten Grindel (2021) Santa Fe Catholic
As another member of the All-Tournament Team, she had her best performance in the championship game with six 3’s. She was on fire and put this game away for the Hawks with 5 of those treys coming in the second half. Kirsten also had 5 boards as a smaller guard who always plays tough and is a leading rebounder on this team.
Omega Payton (2021) Santa Fe Catholic
It’s safe to say that Omega is one of the best points guards in Central Florida. She also made the All-Tournament Team and had a 10 point/8 assist game to help her squad win the championship. Omega has that extra gear that allows her to blow by anybody. She’s known to pick a few pockets too as she averages almost 5 steals a game to go with her 5.3 assists per game.
Angie Peña (2021) Academy of the Holy Names
This was my first time seeing Angie, and I was impressed with how well she played against a tough Santa Fe Catholic defense. She put up 17 points with a couple of three’s and 5 for 6 from the free throw line. Angie can go either way, shoots the ball well, and is a very high IQ player that doesn’t make many mistakes. She’s also a tough defender that was an easy All-Tournament Team selection.
Isabella Prada (2021) Bishop McLaughlin
Isabella is a strong player who is the biggest threat on her team. Northeast did a good job of slowing her down and keeping her to just 10 points. She’s a smart player that goes hard on both ends of the floor. It’s a lot of fun to watch her compete as someone who can pass, shoot, play D, and has high energy to go with her athleticism.
Kanesha Hall (2020) Northeast
Kanesha is one of the best players in Pinellas County, and that showed even more on Saturday as she had a quiet 17 points in a lopsided victory. Whenever she’s on the floor, she makes her teammates look better by setting them up when the defense has their focus on her. It didn’t feel like she scored that much because her passing was on full display as a facilitator in this one.
Whitney Rush (2021) East Lake
I was really impressed with how tough Whitney played in this game to bring her team back in a very strong second half performance. She attempted 25 free throws and made 16 of them in her 26 points of work to win the 5th Place game. Whitney is a physical lefty that didn’t back down to any defender and is really hard to stop on the drive. She was also a huge weapon on their press defense that gave Steinbrenner fits in the second half.
Raygen Bostick (2020) East Lake
Raygen did a tremendous job of handling the ball and controlling the boards for the Eagles to pull out a gutsy win. Her footwork and strength were tremendous, and her high level of play led her to a 15 point game as a senior leader on her team.
Anaiyah Allen (2021) Steinbrenner
Anaiyah slowed down in the second half as their offense couldn’t bear the press to get many good offensive looks. She finished with 13 points, and she’s a very smooth operator that can score from all three levels. 7 of her points came from the charity stripe with her only missing the first attempt of the game. Between her, Sr. Lexie Wingerter, and Fr. Alyssa Bongiovianni, the Warriors should have a nice season.
Julia Miller (2023) Robinson
Julia was the best pure shooter of the day with tremendous upside. She hit 5 three’s with two of those coming in the 4th quarter in a very tight game against Countryside. The shots she hit were from just about anywhere with some beautiful rotation and form. It was good to see her put the ball on the floor and get to the hoop a few times too.
Alex Gonzalez (2023) Countryside
She is another player who I would say is one of the better Freshman in the area. It was fun to watch her battle on the scoreboard with fellow Freshman Julia Miller. Alex had 12 points and showed a lot of promise with her energy on both ends, ball handling with each hand, and ability to get to the basket. If she can further develop her outside shot, she’s going to be trouble for opposing teams.