16 New Names In 2021 Rankings
State tournament games justify & corroborate appraisals, where good players/teams meet head-on. Alas….. Nonetheless, PGH Dakotas observed, noted, and evaluated prospects throughout the season, to produce these rankings for the soon-to-be-senior-class of 2021. Sixteen new faces shone brightly, and merit…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingState tournament games justify & corroborate appraisals, where good players/teams meet head-on. Alas….. Nonetheless, PGH Dakotas observed, noted, and evaluated prospects throughout the season, to produce these rankings for the soon-to-be-senior-class of 2021. Sixteen new faces shone brightly, and merit comment, high ranking, and continued promotion to college recruiters.
Red Cloud features new #12 Sharissa Haas and new #16 Stevi Fallis; together with 8-to-10-sisters-in-arms, they forced opponents into an incredible game pace and fed off turnovers from severe ball pressure. Success built confidence. Red Cloud won 21 games and fought into the final eight teams. Both return next winter; hang on for game-changing thrills.
RC Stevens Kenadi Rising shot her way up to #17, as a leading scorer, rebounder, and thief for the second-ranked AA Raiders. We expect her 2020-21 leadership to again take her team into title consideration.
Redfield’s Addy Rozell (sort-of) recovered from 2018’s knee injury to demonstrate great skills, awareness, and leadership. She did not play last year, nor select the surgery; choosing instead to play with braces and achieving #21 ranking. She would surely be top ten without the injury legacy.
At #24 is Darah DeKam, also recovering from a 2018 ACL injury, but with surgery. Return to playing time has been good and not so good at times, but she deserves scrutiny next season to move up further due to all-around skills and aptitude – Girl plays at a high level now, and the best is yet to come.
Braiden Westley of Coleman-Egan burst into PGH awareness at #25. Game sense or BB IQ plus understanding How-To favorably change momentum was noticeable when Westley played at the top of her game. Which happened frequently, leading to the SoDak 16 sub-state battle with Howard.
New #35, from Dell Rapids St Marys, Ella Heinitz exploded this year. Using superior foot speed and ball skills allow her to breeze past flat-footed foes, and posters her finish-at-the-rim-talent. With coach Michelsen guiding, Ella should leap-frog ahead in next fall’s rankings.
Cerrington Jones at 6’1 has a great vertical (30-plus inches), track speed, and enormous on-court energy to enter rankings at #37.
White River bounced back from the devastating loss of the 34-ppg scorer, Caelyn Valandra-Prue, to earn a SoDak 16 berth. Thanks to Remedy Morrison #39 and Trinity White Hat #41, the Tigers won their way into the SoDak 16, again. With four strong seniors in 2020-21, expect WR to contend for the big prize.
Faulkton went 20-3 into State B’s, led by Peyton Melius at 6’0 and #40. Instinctive and willful, she displayed high energy and multiple skills all the way to State B’s.
STM’s Jenna Jacobson morphed into a complete point guard, and a #46 PGH ranking, with consistent ball-pressure defense, selective scoring on fast breaks & open three’s, and with pinpoint passing within STM’s motion sets.
Reilly Reagan (O’Gorman & #47) – Rebounding and hustle defense were primary contributions to Class AA;s best team. Obviously coachable and athletic, all the fundamental skills came out powerfully in her steady efforts.
Grace Ellis of RC Stevens is at PGH #49, and will ascend higher next season as a senior starter. A leg brace did slow her a bit, but her intensity and talent should overcome the obstacle. Watch out for Grace and RC Stevens to be in the thick of the 2021 title battle.
Emily Breske is #66 from Waubay-Summit. Her inside efforts assisted the Mustangs nearly reaching the SoDak 16, where rebounding, defense, hops, and maturity came together.
Chayla Vig of Clark/WIllow Lake #76, which lasted into the SoDak16 of Class A. Her intense focus, low defensive posture, and physicality disrupt the opponent’s timing and rythmn. The young team will improve next season, in performance & in victories, abetted by Vig’s leadership-by-example.