Takeaways from the 4A girls state championship game
Seton Catholic steamrolled Sahuaro 70-40 on Saturday to become the 4A state champions once again. In a game with so many talented players on the court, many of them juniors or younger, there’s a lot that can be learned from…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSeton Catholic steamrolled Sahuaro 70-40 on Saturday to become the 4A state champions once again. In a game with so many talented players on the court, many of them juniors or younger, there’s a lot that can be learned from a game of this magnitude to close out the season. Let’s review what some of the top takeaways from the game.
Amanda Barcello is one of the top all-around players in the class of 2021
Despite fouling out of the game on Saturday with about six minutes left, she won the Player of the Game award in her team’s dominant victory because of her efforts on the court. Barcello has had an absolutely outstanding junior year, averaging 9.8 points per game and and 8.3 rebounds. While she isn’t always the flashiest player on the court, she definitely plays lights-out defense each and every time she steps on the court, which can oftentimes be overlooked.
Alyssa Brown can continue to rise with more focus on her skills
Brown is a talented player, and there’s a reason that she’s already eclipsed 2000 career points as a junior. However, playing a high-caliber team like Seton Catholic on such a large stage exposed some of her areas of weakness. While she does a great job of putting the ball up and scoring, as well as tracking her own shots to ensure she gets an offensive rebound, she still could use some work improving from the line. Her defense, which is also solid, could also go through the roof if she focused on being more aggressive. None the less, she also is one of the top players in the class of 2021.
Expect both teams to be dominant again next year
With Sahuaro’s trio of juniors Alyssa “Lucky” Franke, Lily Watson and Alyssa Brown all returning, they’re incredibly likely to make another state championship appearance next year. Meanwhile for Seton Catholic, there are no seniors on the team, so they’ll have a fully returning squad next year that’s loaded with talent.
Be on the lookout for Amelie Cartagena
As only a freshman, she really had her breakout game back in December when the Sentinels took on Shadow Mountain. Since then, she’s found her groove with the team and played an integral part in the team’s dominant performance on the court today.