LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The snow was on the ground, people came from near and far and gathered for a special day that comes just once a year. Christmas? Not quite but it was the 8th annual Raatz Fence / O’Shea’s Classic in Louisville and for some folks in Kentucky…basketball can be a religious experience. Each year Coach Keith Baisch and the folks from Mercy Academy offer up one last tournament setting before teams move into the homestretch of conference play and state playoffs. This year 16 teams representing four different states were in a lineup that included Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Elizabethtown (Elizabethtown, Ky.) who were both nationally ranked coming into the event.
Things tipped off Friday night with three contests followed by a full slate of eight games Saturday. Over 2000 fans took in all the action Saturday including a large contingent of college coaches. The ACC, American, Big 10, Big East, the MAC and Conference USA all had recruiters in the building as did many D-II, III and NAIA programs. Blue Star Media was there from start to finish as were 12 other media or scouting service entities. Of course plenty of talent was in the gym as well and today we take a look some of the performances worth noting.
The sophomore class had a strong presence last weekend and probably no member more stood out more than Bullitt East guard Lindsey Duvall. The 5-9 combo has lots of tools and knows how to put them to use. Over the course of two games she averaged 20.5 points on 43 percent shooting while grabbing 9.5 rebounds from the backcourt. Duvall is active both with and without the ball in her hands but creates the majority of her opportunities off the dribble. She reads the floor effectively both in terms of numbers situations on the break as well as defensive rotations in the halfcourt. The form and stroke are there but her base is somewhat narrow at times. Once she breaks down a defender she’s good at navigating traffic and picking her spots to take it all the way to the rim or to pull up. Physically she’s still on the lean side for her size but Mother Nature and the weight room will address that over time.
The senior class wasn’t without strong representation as Incarnate Word (Bel-Nor, Mo.) forward and UConn signee Napheesa Collier reminded folks why she’s among the premier performers among the 2015’s. The Red Knights got two games under their belt in Louisville and all Collier did was shoot an incredible 66 percent from the floor connecting on 22 of 33 shots on her way to 19 and 29 point performances. Even more impressive is that she played limited minutes Friday with foul issues ultimately getting her fifth with the majority of the fourth period still to play. The 6-1 standout also grabbed five rebounds a game as IW notched wins over Lafayette and Mercy Academy. Collier continued to be the prototype player that makes the use of size, athleticism and perimeter skills. What sets her apart from the overabundance of prospects who think they belong on the wing with size and ballhandling is her willingness to utilize those skills from the four spot. The ability to exploit slower bigs off the drive or post up smaller wings makes her one of the most productive players on the scholastic level. Younger players should take note.
The 2016 class had their own high profile representation by way of Notre Dame verbal commit Erin Boley. The 6-2 Elizabethtown forward was the picture of efficiency in the Lady Panther’s impressive win over a promising young Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) team. She was 10 out of 18 from the floor (55%) and did her part on the glass completing the double – double with 12 rebounds. Since we’ve been watching Boley she’s been adding to her offensive arsenal and at the same time sharpening the tools that put her on the map at such an early age. Her perimeter shot still has a unique release to it that might lend to some inconsistency at times but opponents can’t afford not to close out on the catch. Her attack off the drive has evolved and is now a strong, physical tool that challenges defenders and creates a variety of looks. She sees the floor well and generally makes good choices with the ball but her five turnovers in the Riverdale match up might not have thrilled Coach Tim Mudd too much.
As long as we’re talking about juniors with national reputations we might as well mention that the premier point guard in the class was on hand as well. Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) is fortunate that Crystal Dangerfield found her game as their battle with Rogers (Toledo, Ohio) provided the Blaze all they could handle across 32 minutes. Uncharacteristically Blackman shot just 25 percent in the first half and trailed the Rams by one at the break. Ultimately it was Dangerfield’s 9 for 18 (7 of 11 second half) effort from the floor and 21 points that helped her highly regarded teammates pull out a hard fought 47 – 39 win. The 5-5 UConn verbal continues to play at a different pace than her opponents and utilizes her speed and acceleration to create both shot opportunities and sharp passes. Her range necessitates a tight close out anywhere inside halfcourt and at the same time she drives on virtually any defender like an interstate highway. Choose your poison wisely. The pull up was not its usual money shot for her but the elevation she gets on it is on par with players with considerably more size.
Dangerfield isn’t the only athletic guard making noise in Murfreesboro. Across town at Riverdale sophomore Anastasia Hayes continues to command the attention of opponents and evaluators. We acknowledged her play earlier in the season at the Tennessee Turkey Jamm and the effort Hayes put forth in Louisville removed any doubt about those November games being anything less than the norm. At 5-7 she’s an explosive athlete and makes things happen with and without the ball. While she and the Warriors came up short against Elizabethtown (Elizabethtown, Ky.) they never went away and forced the Lady Panthers to compete until the final buzzer of their 77 – 64 win. Hayes produced 25 points on 8 of 19 shooting from the floor, 2 for 3 from three point range and a 7 of 8 freethrow effort. For good measure she grabbed five rebounds in the loss as well. Few players have the speed Hayes does with the ball in her hands and without it, she’s virtually uncatchable. She’ll need to take care of it a bit better as her seven turnovers are sure to cause Coach Cory Barrett a gray hair or two…or seven.
Rogers (Toledo, Ohio) is a mystery. One of the more talented rosters you’ll find (Five underclass D-I verbals) they seem to have multiple personalities and need the challenge of the “big” game to bring out their best. After dropping an 11 point decision to Mercy Academy (Louisville, Ky.) in less than impressive fashion Friday night they stepped up to challenge one of the nation’s top teams, Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), tooth and nail throughout. By virtue of their strong scheduling, we’ve seen Rogers extensively this year. On their good nights it no coincidence that they’re getting strong play from forward Keasja Peace. The 6-1 junior continues to evolve and seems to be finding more and more consistency in her game. While shooting a combined 8 of 22 she did finish with an average of 10 points per game and more importantly averaged 10 rebounds per outing for the event. The lefty is also a defensive presence contributing two blocks on Friday evening and adding four more to the cause in Saturday’s game. Committed to the University of Michigan, Peace has the tools to be a presence each time she steps on the floor. Until she and her teammates find that elusive consistency their toughest opponents will be in the mirror.
We mentioned Bullitt East’s Lindsey Duvall earlier and another young Kentucky backcourt prospect that’s making plenty of noise is freshman Grace Berger. The 5-10 Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.) guard has a versatile offensive game that sees her creating her looks efficiently off the dribble and showing none of the reservations that usually come with youth. She utilizes a change of speed as well as anyone and has a very deceptive acceleration rate when the opposition is foolish enough to come out of their stance. Berger is difficult to defend in traffic and seems to find a way to get unobstructed looks on a regular basis. The form is there on her shot and she’s got an impressive focus regardless of the pressure that might be in her face. She used a 14 point second half to finish with 19 in leading Sacred Heart to a 46 – 31 win over Withrow (Cincinnati, Ohio). From the floor the 2018 standout was 7 of 13 and pull five rebounds in the win.
Host Mercy Academy and Coach Keith Baisch split their two games getting by Rogers (Toledo, Ohio) Friday night before taking one on the chin from Incarnate Word (Bel-Nor, Mo.) in their Saturday match-up. The Jaguars have plenty of depth and five seniors on the roster. Making an impression last weekend was physically strong 2015 Malerie Martin. The 6-0 forward is methodical but productive with an inside-out attack. Though she shot 11 for 30 (36.6 percent) she did connect on 7 of 18 attempts from deep while averaging 14.5 points. Her rebounding came up short at just four a game and she had a combined seven turnovers. At the same time Martin is one of those players whose effort and approach sets a tone for her teammates. She’s active, and as we mentioned earlier, physical in her play. A knee injury a year ago is essentially non evident and Martin should have plenty of basketball in her future.
Penn State signee Ashanti Thomas offered up some flashes of the play that has the folks anticipating her arrival in State College next season. Lafayette dropped both games last weekend falling to Incarnate Word (Bel-Nor, Mo.) on Friday by seven and subsequently to Bullitt East Saturday by 17. Thomas finished with a two game total of 26 points on 47 percent shooting (9 of 19) while grabbing six rebounds in each contest. Thomas is showing the benefit of some effort on her shot as the consistency is coming around both from the floor and the line. On the catch she keeps it high and is reading the floor for both shots and passes. There is still a tendency to put it on the floor more than she’ll want to as she moves on to the colligate level but on occasion she’s improving options. Lots of tools are in place but she’s still evolving with plenty of work to do.
Sometimes shooting photographs reveals some things in the evaluation process that you might not see otherwise. In trying to capture an image of Assumption senior post Nora Kiesler it was surprising to see how limited her touches are around the low post. The 6-5 Purdue signee has lots of tools and has been well coached somewhere along the line. She posts up big and provides a target much more frequently than she actually gets the ball. Kiesler can appear mechanical but she gets up and down the floor well and is an efficient facilitator form the high post or in the trail spot from transition. She’s a strong communicator and plays focused throughout. For the game she was 6 for 14 from the floor finishing with 12 points. Her totals also included 14 boards, three blocks and two steals. Impressions say she can do even more.
When you look at the Dupont Manual (Louisville, Ky.) roster your first instinct is to see what high profile junior post Krys McCune is up to. For the record, last weekend, not much. She did grab 14 rebounds but was 1 for 3 and of little impact offensively. While the Lady Crimson dropped a four point decision to Henderson County (Henderson, Ky.) they did get a noticeable performance from sophomore guard Tonysha Curry. Physically strong and attacking, Curry found her way to the rim again and again which in turn got her to the line more than her share of times. She was 4 for 10 from the floor but struggled with a 5 of 12 tally at the line. Curry had 13 points in the loss and kept her aggressive attack up till the very end. Many plays were beyond her years but seven turnovers reminds you that she’s still part of the 2017 class and just getting started.
Our trip to Naples, Florida back in December gave us a good look at Elizabethtown (Elizabethtown, Ky.) sophomore Jada Stinson. The 5-5 point guard has quickness and speed to spare plus the ball skills to make tight defenders pay a steep price. She can create some looks for herself but is also plenty adept at getting the ball to standout junior Erin Boley and ever improving post Reauna cleaver. The lefty uses a change of speed as well as anyone and isn’t shy about throwing her body into traffic when she gets deep among the bigs. The form is there on her shot and the range allows her to spot up behind the arch. In the Elizabethtown win over Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Stinson finished with 14 points on 4 of 9 shooting. She connected on 1 of 2 from deep and went 5 for 5 from the line while adding four assists. Four turnovers won’t make the highlight film but should prove to be incentive for better decisions down the road.
