Top-250 Follow-Up: Teams 9-12
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The featured image is of Dominique Stilley Dominique Stilley 6'0" | PF Concord | 2024 IN (2024) of Concord High School. September 25th the Prep Girls Hoops Network held its third annual Top-250 Expo in Indiana, this time at the…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Dominique Stilley Dominique Stilley 6'0" | PF Concord | 2024 IN (2024) of Concord High School.
September 25th the Prep Girls Hoops Network held its third annual Top-250 Expo in Indiana, this time at the Noblesville Boys & Girls Club. There were 119 prospects in attendance, and I’ve already addressed a number of them in articles last week. With 16 teams and just three games per team, it made it difficult to watch most teams in-person for more than a half or so. However, below are some brief thoughts on the remaining prospects from Teams 9 through 12 and how those young ladies performed at the event.
TEAM-9:
Exsencia Cloma Exsencia Cloma 6'0" | PF Gary West Side | 2023 State IN , 2023, Gary West Side – Exsencia is an extremely long, bouncy, North/South fast forward. She plays with a nice motor and can run & jump with just about anyone in the class. She is probably best in the mid-post, plus she has a real nose for the ball.
Mallory Heerdt Mallory Heerdt 6'0" | PF Zionsville | 2023 State IN , 2023, Zionsville Community – Mallory looked so much stronger and more disciplined than a lot of the girls at the event. She has a strong frame, she can battle inside, score, and defend, but she also has some ball skill and a face-up game to the arc.
Carrie Hiler Carrie Hiler 5'7" | SG Scottsburg | 2024 State IN , 2024, Scottsburg – Carrie is a strong and poised combo guard. She has a dangerous perimeter stroke with some range, but she can also get North/South and attack the basket. She has really improved her handle and decision-making, plus she has a motor.
Olivia Oman Olivia Oman 5'9" | SF Lakeland | 2024 IN , 2024, NorthWood – Olivia is a really nice power wing who understands how to use her frame to be productive. She has a solid handle and touch outside, but she can also play in the mid-post, or attack the basket and finish through contact in the paint.
Dominique Stilley Dominique Stilley 6'0" | PF Concord | 2024 IN , 2024, Concord – I continue to be intrigued by Dominique because she has a lot of potential. She has length, a wiry-strong frame, and she has touch outside. If she can get a bit more dynamic off the bounce, she can become a nice-sized wing long-term.
Team-10:
Karina Scott Karina Scott 5'5" | SG Fishers | 2023 State IN , 2023, Fishers – Karina is a really nice, strong, and athletic combo guard who understands how to play low to the ground. She is constantly on attack, trying to get gaps and score at the rim. I also think she has the ability to become a high-level defender.
Jalyn Shelby Jalyn Shelby 5'11" | PF Evansville North | 2023 State IN , 2023, Evansville North – Jalyn has always been a strong, skillful, smooth-shooting face-up ’4’, and while her range has extended beyond the arc for some time, last weekend she showed an improved handle and playmaking ability around the perimeter.
Hannah Stutsman Hannah Stutsman 5'9" | SF Scottsburg | 2023 IN , 2023, Scottsburg – Hannah strikes me as one of those kids you just win with. She has a solid/strong frame, she plays with a nice motor, and she does a little of everything to help her team. She has some touch, plus she’ll battle inside and rebound/defend.
Alycia Triplett Alycia Triplett 5'11" | PF Fishers | 2023 State IN , 2023, Fishers – Alycia is new to Indiana, having transferred in from Charleston, Illinois. She is an extremely long, bouncy, and very active combo forward. She is still probably most effective in the mid-post, but she can attack the basket from the perimeter.
Kyndra Sheets Kyndra Sheets 5'6" | PG Columbia City | 2024 State IN , 2024, Columbia City – Kyndra is as strong and complete of a point guard as you will find in 2024. She does a really nice job of taking care of the basketball, she plays with a competitive fire, and she can make shots outside or create and find teammates.
Team-11:
Mireya Garcia Mireya Garcia 5'5" | SG Indianapolis Homeschool Wildcats | 2023 IN , 2023, Homeschooled – Mireya is a long and wiry combo guard with really nice speed and quickness. She plays with a good motor, she looks to attack off the bounce a lot, and she can create to score or distribute. I also like her ability on the ball defensively.
Taylor Guess Taylor Guess 6'1" | PF Ben Davis | 2023 State IN , 2023, Ben Davis – Taylor seems to be one of the better kept secrets in 2023. She has an athletic frame, end-to-end speed, plus she’s extremely bouncy. She is a quick-jumper who rebounds the ball extremely well, and she’s tough to contain inside of 15-feet.
Nyla Lewis Nyla Lewis 5'4" | PG Avon | 2023 IN , 2023, Avon – Nyla is a little guard, but she’s a nice talent. She is extremely quick, fast, and explosive. She likes to make plays off the bounce, and she can spin her defenders dizzy at times. I also think she has the potential to become an elite on-ball defender.
Mackenzie Thomas Mackenzie Thomas 6'1" | C Carmel | 2023 IN , 2023, Carmel – Mackenzie has come a long way over the last 12-18 months. She is a big, physical post, but she also has face-up skill and a jump-shot that extends to the perimeter. It’s rare to see such a powerful kid who can pick-and-pop effectively.
Maddie Nipper Maddie Nipper 5'5" | PG Charlestown | 2024 State IN , 2024, Charlestown – Maddie is a really nice floor general whose biggest concern is running her team efficiently. She gets the ball where it needs to go on time/on target, and she handles pressure with poise. At the same time, she is a shot-maker outside.
Joirdyn Smith Joirdyn Smith 5'4" | CG Fishers | 2024 State IN , 2024, Fishers – Joirdyn already had nice ball skill and the ability to score the ball when she entered high school, plus she’s strongly built. But the amount of maturity and discipline she’s added to her game over the last couple of years has been most impressive.
Skylar Thompson Skylar Thompson 6'1" | C Jeffersonville | 2024 IN , 2024, Jeffersonville – Skylar has a broad, powerful frame, solid hands, and she plays with a really nice motor. At the same time, she plays a lot in the mid-post or around the perimeter. If she can use her physicality and dominate inside more, watch out.
Team-12:
Emma Spahr, 2023, Morristown – Emma is a strong, almost powerful front-liner who plays with an outstanding motor. While she will battle inside, box out, and grab rebounds, she also showed nice skill facing the basket in the mid-post and the short-corners.
Braxtyn Dunham Braxtyn Dunham 5'4" | SG North Vermillion | 2024 IN , 2024, North Vermillion – Braxtyn has really nice length at her height, she’ll still need to gain strength, but she has nice quickness in her game. She showed a solid handle and some creativity, plus she’s a capable shooter/scorer from the perimeter.
Makenzie Fuess Makenzie Fuess 5'5" | PG Norwell | 2024 State IN , 2024, Norwell – Makenzie has a fairly strong frame, she’s a solid on-the-floor athlete, and she plays with a really nice motor. She had some ball skill and seemed to take care of it well, but she also looked to find space for jumpers and shot it well outside.
Lucy Riggs, 2024, Danville Community – Lucy is another one of those “tweener” type of forwards Danville always has who plays with great versatility. She has a solid frame, she plays with a nice motor, and she showed a consistent skillset at all three levels.
Justyce Williams Justyce Williams 5'8" | CG Jimtown | 2024 State IN , 2024, Jimtown – A year ago, Justyce put herself on the map because of her physical talents at such a young age. This year, however, she showed a much-improved ability to make tough shots at all levels. She’s such a strong and athletic combo guard.
Gracie Little Gracie Little 5'7" | CG Washington Township | 2025 State IN , 2025, Washington Township – Gracie is a wait-and-see kid because she still has growth left in her, and she’ll need to keep building her strength. But she played with poise, she showed a nice skillset, plus she has good length at her size and nice quickness.