LOUISVILLE, Ky.—For the most part the Martin Luther King weekend slate of tournaments is the culmination of nonconference competition and sends the majority of scholastic teams down a homestretch of individual games towards the battle for state honors. Each year Coach Keith Baisch and the folks at Mercy Academy offer up one more weekend of carefully selected match ups that allows evaluators, media and college recruiters to enjoy “buffet” style basketball one more time before everyone settles in for conference play.
The 2014 Raatz Fence / O’Shea’s Classic endured a little schedule manipulation from Mother Nature but still offered up eight games over two days that highlighted some talented athletes and well coached teams. It also provided a rematch between two nationally ranked programs that assured implications in the challenging debate of who’s who among the best high school teams on the country. In all, four out of state teams and eight from the Bluegrass took the floor last Friday and Saturday and today we take a look at some of the top performances.
If you follow the game closely by now you know that Blackman (Tennessee) got revenge for their nine point loss to Incarnate Word (Missouri) back in December with a convincing 58 – 49 win of their own. Incarnate Word had their eyes set on a shot at the national title but Blackman’s Meme Jackson and Crystal Dangerfield put a big hole in those hopes in a game that was not nearly as close as the sore indicates.
Jackson, a 5-10 junior, continues to advance and mature in her play establishing herself firmly among the elite of the 2015 class. Her 6 for 9 shooting included 2 of 3 from three point range (17 points) and a dynamic attack that defenders had no answer for. Her first step is on par with the best on the perimeter while her decisions and productivity seem to improve each time we see her in action. She also possesses one of the few “true” jumpers that you’ll find on the high school level and elevates to a height that provides good clean looks on pull ups as well as spot up looks. Add to all that an enthusiastic plus emotional approach to her play that’s contagious and carries over to her teammates. Jackson has the footspeed and physical strength to be an effective defender and seems to be embracing opportunities to lock up anything an opponent has to offer. A strong player who keeps adding to her game and potential.
As a point guard Dangerfield, like Jackson, keeps adding to and refining her skill set. Despite an uncharacteristically cold night from long range (0 for 6), she still finished the game with 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting from inside the arch. The 5-5 sophomore has the tools to penetrate almost at will and does so against both man and zone gaps. Her shot selection and recognition continue to be more consistent and her command of the floor has developed to that of a player with a few more seasons under her belt. Finishing the game with 6 assists, she only turned it over 3 times for a 2 to 1 ratio. The quick hands and feet make her a force as an on ball defender despite her smaller stature. Occasionally she still overplays or takes a few chances but the ability to recover often offsets the risks.
Incarnate Word saw their undefeated record take a hit with the loss to Blackman. To their credit they’ve shown a willingness to get out and play plenty of national caliber competition including the ill-fated rematch with Blackman. In the loss, high profile junior forward Napheesa Collier posted some impressive numbers with a 16 point and 22 rebound double-double. Ironically, it was one of her lesser performances in terms of game impact. From the field she was just 8 for 21 and failed to connect on any of her five free throw attempts. Throw in three turnovers with no assists, five personal fouls and the glow of that double-double fades quickly. From the start Collier seemed out of synch and struggled to find her normal opportunities. Of course that may have had something to do with a very effective defensive effort on the part of Blackman that included getting a hand on several of Collier’s shots. To her credit, the 6-1 forward, was a force on the glass pulling 12 off the defensive board and 10 more on the offensive end.
Over the past several years Twinsburg (Ohio) has enjoyed the services of Maryland sophomore forward Malina Howard and Purdue freshman guard Ashley Morrissette. This year’s edition of the Tigers is getting big numbers and eye catching play from Miami of Ohio signee Baleigh Reid. The 5-9 guard led all scorers over the weekend with a 40 point production in Twinsburg’s two games. After a 27 point effort in a Friday night win over host Mercy Academy (Kentucky) she struggled from the floor (3 – 19) but still finished with 19 in an overtime loss to Notre Dame (Kentucky). Reid is creating a lot of her own looks and is showing a penchant for finishing in traffic or earning a trip to the line as evidenced by her 13 of 16 free throw output in the ND loss. She does a good job of setting up her attack and there’s plenty of effort both with and without the ball. Reid has the lateral speed and quickness to defend the point and off guard spots at the next level and demonstrated sharp anticipation with a seven steal output in the Mercy win.
St. Joe’s made the trip just one state west from West Virginia to collect two wins over the weekend. Notre Dame bound Mychal Johnson got 30 in game one but cooled off like the temperature outside the gym in game two finishing with just four points. Fellow senior and future North Carolina Charlotte point guard Griffin Dempsey started hot and stayed hot over the two game stand shooting a combined 15 for 27 from the floor that included 12 of 22 production from deep. Dempsey is a skilled and intelligent point guard more than capable of directing traffic and distributing the ball in transition or the halfcourt. What sets her apart from other playmakers is the legitimate and consistent threat that she is from the perimeter forcing awareness and tight close outs on the part of defenders. Even good close outs are often not enough with her quick release and ability to shoot from somewhere near Outer Mongolia. She did shoe, however, some rare frustration and emotion in Saturday’s game as things got tight down the stretch.
QUICKHITTERS
Elizabeth Anderson – 2017 – 6-0 forward – Mercy Academy – Some size…Solid frame…Agile…Lots of effort…Potential is there
Makenzie Cann – 2014 – 5-11 guard – Anderson County – Physically strong…Good first step…Narrow base but range and release are there…Finished with 20 despite 6 for 17 shooting…Recorded 10 rebounds as well…Headed to the University of Cincinnati
Katie Downey – 2016 – 5-6 point guard – North Bullitt – Tools…Individual skills…Nice stroke…Can develop shots and passes off the dribble
Aloneet Durden – 2015 – 5-9 guard – Twinsburg (Ohio) – Has moments…Lean and athletic with some length on the perimeter…Upright at times handling the ball but can penetrate…Quick to take shots but stepped up with Reid in foul trouble
Lindsey Duvall – 2017 – 5-9 guard – Bullitt East – Young guard with promising upside…Strong ballhandling allows her to create her own looks…Shot poorly (4 of 27!) but form looked sound and shot selection was not far off…Slashes through traffic and elevates as the bigs rotate…Maturity and refinement need to come but just a freshman at this point
Malerie Martin – 2015 – 6-0 swing – Mercy Academy – Solid size and build…Deceptive with the ball in her hands…Can penetrate off the dribble…Methodical to a degree but efficient…Willing to be physical defensively…Should have a greater presence on the boards with her size and strength…Could evolve further
Eriel McKee – 2014 – 5-11 forward – Anderson County – Athletic and lean…Active on both ends…25 points on 11 of 21 shooting…Added 11 rebounds…Position at the next level is up in the air…Signed with Morehead
Briana Mishler – 2018 – 5-2 point guard – Ballard – Tiny point with sharp ballhandling skills…Reads the floor well for her age…Uses both hands in her attack…Stroke is there…Needs an assist from Mother Nature at this point…Long term possibilities
Elly Ogle – 2014 – 5-10 guard – Notre Dame Academy – Solid size and build…Efficient and productive with the ball in her hands…Produced a double-double in both games…Headed to LSU and the SEC for Volleyball…Setter
Andrea Patterson – 2017 – 5-8 guard – Ballard – Young guard…Fluid and athletic… Quick and attacking…Defends well…Sharp instincts…Watch closely
Dai Jia Ruffin – 2014 – 5-9 guard / forward – Sacred Heart – Power player who can be effective inside and out…Willing to play physical at both ends…Uses her frame and strength to offset a lack of size inside…Conditioning is marginal but gets out and runs the floor none the less…Shot 9 of 12 from the floor and pulled 19 rebounds in single game…Signed with Tennessee-Martin
Emma Wesley – 2017 – 5-5 point guard – Christian Academy – Skills and instincts…Good range…Solid passing…Creates some…Quickness will need to evolve
