Future Prospects: Millard West and Elkhorn South
One of the more intriguing semi-final matchups for the Class A districts involved two neighbors; Elkhorn South and Millard West. Millard West rolled into the postseason feeling good about themselves, winners of four of their last five games, while Elkhorn…
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Continue ReadingOne of the more intriguing semi-final matchups for the Class A districts involved two neighbors; Elkhorn South and Millard West. Millard West rolled into the postseason feeling good about themselves, winners of four of their last five games, while Elkhorn South was also playing some of its best basketball of the season. The winner would probably face North Platte, one of the smaller schools in the Class A classification.
Honnah Leo, a College of St. Mary’s commit, started the game off on fire, scoring or assisting on the first 15 points of the game for the Wildcats, including two 3’s, allowing Millard West to jump out to a 20-8 lead. Suffocating defense by the Wildcats limited the Storm to no field goals for almost 12 minutes of game time, and with Leo finishing the game with 29 points, Millard West ended the great coaching career of Elkhorn South head man Terry Graver with a 60-45 victory.
Let’s take a look at some of the players that were involved in this contest. Note: I watched Millard West earlier this year, so I will be updating my scout on their players first.
Laney Schipper (5’9″ Junior, MIllard West): Schipper is an undersized post who does a decent job defending with her footwork both around the block and just outside the scoring zone. Offensively, most of her work will be done with rim running and on the offensive glass, and she needs to work on her face up game and getting bigger post players in space to beat them off the dribble. A very hard worker, Schipper could develop into a nice post player for the Wildcats.
Update: Schipper had a solid all around game, mainly on the defensive end. She did a nice job helping out on Nebraska volleyball recruit Rylee Gray, making her job difficult in the paint area. With Leo’s dominance on the offensive end, Schipper’s role was not as prevelant tonight, but she is capable of helping out on the offensive end.
Emmy Holl (5’7″ Sophomore, Millard West): Holl started out this contest coming off the bench, but played big minutes in the Wildcats frantic comeback attempt. A scrappy defender who is a great athlete and can play forever without a break, Holl is still developing her offensive game for the varsity level. She will need to improve her perimeter playmaking skills in order to be as effective of offensive guard as the Wildcats look to improve their depth as the season progresses.
Update: Holl had a solid run in the first half, but her playing time was limited in the second half as Coach Marc Kruger shortened his bench. Holl will be needed to play minutes Thursday night to help handle North Platte’s outstanding guard play and prevent them from getting in the lane.
Libby Hoffman (5’7″ Freshman, Millard West): Hoffman was a key player in Tuesday’s game, helping the Wildcats keep the Storm at bay in the third quarter with two big 3 point shots. At this time, she is not asked to do alot of ball handling and can play off of Leo, Gabby Felker and other Wildcats, but her perimeter shooting prowess could help open things up for the Wildcats offense.
Camden Small (5’10” Junior, Elkhorn South): Small is a strong, stretch four type of forward who can be effective facing up to the hoop, especially off of catch and shoots. She can also create a little bit off the bounce, both for herself and her teammates. I would like to see Small be more active on the defensive end; she is strong and athletic, so she is capable of getting out and creating a bit more chaos on the defensive end. This summer will be a big summer for Small to see what strides she takes.
Katherine Raymond (5’7″ Junior, Elkhorn South): Like Small, Raymond is a physically strong player who had a couple of nice finishes around the rim. Raymond is an adequate ball handler, but she needs to work on her quickness as well as her court vision, along with being able to attack with her left hand. She had a couple of nice looks from the perimeter that she will knock down with some more work on her jump shot.
Lauren Kohl (5’5″ Sophomore, Elkhorn South): Kohl came off the bench to give the Storm a jolt of energy Tuesday night. She hit one three point shot and has solid form on her perimeter shot. She is also active on defense and has long arms that be disruptive on defense. Kohl needs to grow into her body and add 10-15 pounds of muscle over the next couple of years, but she has a chance to be a very nice player for the Storm over the next couple of years.