Region 7-AAA First Round Standouts
Class 3A’s deepest region and most competitive, Region 7-AAA held the opening round of the region tournament at North Hall’s Lynn Cottrell Court. A region that has seen five teams crack the Top 10 throughout the regular season had its…
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Continue ReadingClass 3A’s deepest region and most competitive, Region 7-AAA held the opening round of the region tournament at North Hall’s Lynn Cottrell Court. A region that has seen five teams crack the Top 10 throughout the regular season had its parity on display Wednesday night. Here is a list of top performers from each game.
#5 Fannin County 55, #4 No. 9 Lumpkin County 45
Becca Ledford defends Isabel Davenport2022 5-6 PG Becca Ledford – Fannin County
Without leading scorer Morgan Holt who just tore her ACL, Becca Ledford donned her No. 25 jersey in her honor and went on to help Fannin County clinch their first postseason berth since 2013. Ledford led a scrappy group of Rebels that applied constant ball pressure. Ledford was smooth on offense, attacking the basket and knocking down jumpers when needed. She was Fannin County’s primary playmaker and delivered the ball to her shooters. Only a sophomore, Ledford has a really good feel on the floor. She finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. She should be on college radars over the next two years.
2021 5-8 W Natalie Thomas – Fannin County
Next man up. With Holt sidelined, Natalie Thomas stepped up and was the difference maker offensively, stretching the floor and burning Lumpkin County at critical junctures throughout the game. Thomas went unconscious in the fourth quarter, drilling three straight threes to give the Rebels the separation they needed to close out the game. Thomas nailed six threes and finished with a game-high 19 points and 6 rebounds. She carved out a home in the corners and made Lumpkin County pay for their slow close outs. Thomas has a bit of a slingshot motion with the ball coming from her shoulder, but she proved to be deadly accurate when the Rebs needed her most.
2023 5-10 PF Kate Jackson – Lumpkin County
A mixture of physicality and finesse, Kate Jackson is a fine-looking post prospect with advanced skills for her age. The double-double machine did just that, compiling 13 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Jackson has patient footwork in the low post and scores with both hands. She showed the shooting touch to knock down two threes on the day.
2022 5-9 F Makenzie Caldwell – Lumpkin County
Makenzie Caldwell has a strong frame and athletic build. She uses both hands around the basket when slashing to the hoop, her strongest skill set. She knocked down one three on the day but has an unorthodox looking shot. Her toughness lets her win many 50/50 balls. She stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
2022 5-7 PG Isabel Davenport – Lumpkin County
The 1,000-point scorer didn’t have her best game offensively but made up for it on the defensive end as she posted 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 6 steals. Davenport is quick with the ball and can pull up off the dribble to shoot from deep. She’s good at working off flare screens to get open and doesn’t need much space to get her shot off.
#3 Dawson County 52, #6 East Hall 46
2020 5-11 PF Marlie Townley – Dawson County
Marlie Townley dominated the paint in the second half, scoring 16 of her game-high 22 points while finishing with 15 rebounds, 1 steal and 5 blocks. Townley is a rugged scorer on the low block with a strong drop step. She finishes with either hand and also has range on her jumper. She blocked shots without fouling and grabbed every rebound in her area. Townley would be a good addition for a school looking to add some toughness and IQ to their frontcourt.
Sophia d’Oliveira works on Maleah Harrison2020 5-6 PG Sophia d’Oliveira – Dawson County – Liberty
Athleticism and hustle are hallmarks of Sophia d’Oliveira’s game. She went diving into the stands three times as she sacrificed her body to try and earn extra possessions. d’Oliveira is good at pushing the tempo and making decisions. She has a quick first step and can lose her defender with her tight crossover, but I would like to see her get somewhere more often after beating her first defender instead of pulling it back out. She will need to get into the lane in college to get the defense to collapse so she can find open shooters, which she did a good job of when she decided to attack on Wednesday. d’Oliveira is definitely the playmaker for Dawson County. She was a little hesitant to shoot from the outside last night, but her three-point shot is one of her biggest weapons offensively. Her playmaking and shooting let her be effective on and off the ball. Defensively, she can stay in front of ball handlers with her exceptional lateral quickness. She finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
2022 5-7 G Audrey Griffin – East Hall
Coach Justin Wheeler has plenty to be excited about with his feisty young backcourt. Audrey Griffin was consistent throughout and kept East Hall in the game. She scored the ball at all three levels, hitting mid-range pull-ups, two threes and finishing at the rim. Griffin has sneaky-good court vision as she had some pretty dump offs in traffic when getting to the basket. She had 14 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 steal.
2023 5-5 PG Maleah Harrison – East Hall
As a team, the Vikings canned seven three-pointers to keep them in the hunt. Maleah Harrison knocked down three of them. Harrison played with composure when handling ball pressure. She has the green light to pull from deep. She wasn’t able to get into the teeth of the defense much which is something that should improve as she gets more experience and confidence going inside. The combination of Harrison, Griffin and injured sophomore Alexis Burce looks like a really nice trio moving forward for the next couple seasons.
#2 North Hall 49, #7 Cherokee Bluff 31
Lauren Swanson2020 5-9 W Lauren Swanson – North Hall
Lauren Swanson’s blend of size, athleticism and scoring touch caught my eye. At 5-9, Swanson has a solid body capable of taking bumps when driving to the basket. She scored in a variety of ways, opening the night with two three-pointers and finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. She didn’t have many wasted movements when the ball was in her hands and was efficient when attacking the defense. Really good first impression.
2020 5-11 F Grace Hollifield – North Hall
Floor spacer. That is what Grace Hollifield is. She is a big shooter that stretches defenses out. She hit three triples en route to 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. She defended the inbounds on North Hall’s press and used her length to make things difficult. Hollifield is a combo-forward but probably more of a stretch-four than a wing. She will need to improve her ball handling and get quicker feet to stay at the wing full-time. If she changes her mind and decides to play college basketball, she could be a helpful piece in the right system.
2020 5-5 PG Maci Gillespie – North Hall
Like a true point guard should, Maci Gillespie was able to impact the game without scoring. She is a spark plug with her playmaking and defensive instincts. Gillespie controlled the pace and picked apart Cherokee Bluff with her exceptional passing. She had 2 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 1 block. She’s a trustworthy senior leader that knows how to execute Coach Kristi House’s game plan.
2023 5-6 CG Amelia Shoemaker – North Hall
Amelia Shoemaker didn’t play huge minutes but I saw enough in her limited time to tell that she is going to be the next big-time guard at North Hall. Shoemaker gets after it defensively with quick hands and is a smooth athlete for her age. Her last bucket was most impressive, a strong sweep through at the top of the key, driving left, taking a bump and finishing with a right-handed floater. She had 6 points, 1 rebound and 4 steals.
2020 6-1 C Madi Phillips – Cherokee Bluff – Columbus State
A strong and mobile post, Madi Phillips did everything she could to lead Cherokee Bluff with 12 points, 14 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks. She cleaned up misses around the basket and had a nice drop step. She could stand to add a go-to counter move to increase her arsenal on the block. She should have a productive career in the Peach Belt.
2021 5-9 F Alexis Mize – Cherokee Bluff
The 5-foot-9 forward is physical and does most of her damage in the paint. She did step out and hit an early three, but battling on the glass and hitting 10-footers is where her bread was buttered. She had 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.