Watertown Holiday Shootout Team of the Tournament
With the end of the holiday tourney season in Watertown, let’s get right down to it. After three days of non-stop hoops, here is your 2021 Watertown Holiday Shootout team of the tournament: G: KK Arnold KK Arnold 5'10" |…
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Continue ReadingWith the end of the holiday tourney season in Watertown, let’s get right down to it. After three days of non-stop hoops, here is your 2021 Watertown Holiday Shootout team of the tournament:
G: KK Arnold KK Arnold 5'10" | PG Germantown | 2023 State #8 Nation WI | Germantown | Guard | Class of 2023 | #1 Overall Recruit
KK came out and did her thing in the Shootout. In two games against the D5 and D2 #1s, Arnold averaged 29.5 points and 13 boards and nine assists per contest, including a triple-double against Reedsburg on Wednesday. Her handle, finishing, and shot creation were as impressive as ever, getting to the cup at will while still finding ways to get everyone on her team involved. And there were moments where she looked like an absolute killer as an on-ball defender. Germantown split the games but she demonstrated more signs of her game.
It’s always commendable to see a great player get even better. KK’s defensive intensity and off-ball activity on the offensive ends are major step forwards from a season ago. She was always an aggressive, selfless, highly skilled, and highly talented player, and now she’s added another layer to her game. When Aquinas would throw soft doubles and triple teams at her, she naturally relented the ball and found ways to dominate as a rebounder. The UConn commit is always growing as a player and it’s crazy to think she still has another season to go.
G: Sydney Cherney Sydney Cherney 5'6" | CG Reedsburg | 2024 State WI | Reedsburg | Guard | Class of 2023 | #29 Overall Prospect
The Reedsburg sophomore has looked like one of the best players in the class of 2024 all season long and the Cherney bandwagon had no intention of slowing down at Watertown. In two games against Rhinelander and Germantown, Cherney put up a cool 21.5 points per game while being the primary ball-handler for the Beavers. All the while flexing her best skill–her ability to initiate and finish through contact.
Cherney is at her best when she makes quick decisions on the ball. The more she dribbled, especially against an athlete like Arnold, the more she struggled. But when she got the ball on the wings and immediately threw a jab-step or kick-back and attacked the rim, no one could stop her. With her series of finger rolls, runners, floaters, and general strength in her finishing, Cherney was one of the most dynamic guards over the past three days.
F: Mahra Wieman Mahra Wieman 5'10" | CG Reedburg | 2022 State WI | Reedsburg | Wing/Forward | Class of 2022 | Unranked
Let’s not bury the lede: 37 against Germantown. Wieman can score in any style you decide to relent to her. When the the Warhawks’ defense decided not to help off of her, she took her matchup to the post where she’s perfectly comfortable playing bully ball. As an initiator on the perimeter, she uses a series of bursts to get to her spots, always looking to find the best angle to score.
I’ve been extremely impressed with Wieman’s ability to attack space in different ways. She can get to her spots using power dribbles, change of pace moves, b-lining when she needs to, and ultimately it overwhelmed the defenses she’s faced over the course of the past three days. Reedsburg’s all-time leading scorer added 58 more points to her total in a two-day span, light work.
F: Kristina Ouimette | Lakeland | Wing | Class of 2025 | Watchlist
Ouimette is one of the nicest killers you’ll see on a court. Every time a player got knocked down–on either team–she was the first one there to help them back up. And then she proceeded to knock down 25 footers in their grills. She has a high skill level, and once you consider that she’s a freshman, all of her scoring capabilities become all the more exciting. Her footwork and touch set the base for her scoring profile, but it’s her tenacity and effervescent green light that set her apart at the Shootout.
Read more on Ouimette’s performances at the Shootout here
C: Kayl Petersen Kayl Petersen 6'1" | PF Waupun | 2024 State WI | Waupun | Forward/Center | Class of 2024 | #6 Overall Prospect
I’ve already written at length about Petersen’s versatility on both ends of the floor during the shoutout, but why not one more time as a team of the tourney honoree? Petersen demonstrated shooting touch from all three levels, physicality in the paint, great block-to-block movement offensively, vision, handle, and rim protection on the defensive end. Waupun’s Swiss army knife came out to play, and her balanced performances helped Waupun to two dominating victories
Read more on Petersen’s performances at the Shootout here and here