Heart of Texas - Individual Game Reports

 
 
To start an exciting day in the Heart of Texas championship, TeamXpress Black matched up with WKE 17U Rutherford for a strong head-to-head at 8 am.
 
TeamXpress came onto the floor with a distinct height advantage, stemming from 6’6” center Stephanie Soares. The 2018 prospect is homeschooled and made the first bucket of the matchup from 17-feet out.
 
Several schools made the early trek to the gym, with big schools coming from conferences like the Big 12, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the American Athletic Conference lining the baselines.
 
TeamXpress made the first punch, but WKE Rutherford fought back throughout the matchup, hitting deep threes to stay within range. Whitney Randall, a 5’10 shooting guard in the 2017 recruiting class, was the leader of the attack from beyond the arc.
 
Even with WKE Rutherford’s deep three’s, TeamXpress went into halftime with a comfortable lead, 26-14.
 
“I thought they gave the energy and effort they needed to, offensively they looked to execute. So early in the season we’re just working on our system, trying to use games as practices and trying to learn as we go since we’re playing so much,” TeamXpress’s Head Coach Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil said. “I’m pleased with their effort and I loved the way they shared the ball.”
 
Both teams showed good ball movement for such an early matchup, not letting the early wake-up call play too much of a factor.
 
WKE Rutherford was led by 6’0 power forward Tatum Bartels, a 2017 recruit. She finished with 15 points holding a steady attack with a consistent effort from the charity stripe, making eight out of nine free throws.
 
TeamXpress’s starting point guard, 5’6 Nicole Cardano, showed great hustle through both halves and great body control, hitting several pull-up jumpers to continue and extend the team’s lead. Hillary finished with 12 points to lead TeamXpress.
 
Big defensive stops, O-boards and the team’s overall consistent effort for hustle plays made the difference between TeamXpress and WKE Rutherford, as TeamXpress won the matchup 52-28 to continue their bracket climb in the Kentucky division.
   
 
In the second round of matchups to start the talented Heart of Texas tournament, the Minnesota Stars Hersch faced the Katy Rebels 2017 Matte. The game proved to be a good matchup for the two teams as they both were able to create with their quick style of play.
 
With no towering “bigs” on either team, both teams relied on fast plays and tight defense. Rapid basket cuts and points in transition were key to the team’s survival in this quick-tempo matchup.
 
The Katy Rebels showed tremendous ability to push the ball up the floor while containing enough poise to move the ball to find the open shooter.
 
The Minnesota Stars were a real threat with their aggressive attack to gain control of rebounds and their ability to spread the Rebels’ defense with shooting threats along the perimeter. Trips to the charity stripe were a big factor for both teams.
 
To end the first half, the Katy Rebels only held a one-point advantage over the Stars, 29-28, as both teams were running well in transition and playing fast even with the early start.
 
Minnesota Stars’ Erin Saemrow, a 5’11 forward, proved her ability to finish in tough circumstances with several points coming from And-1’s in the paint and in transition. The 2017 recruit from Mounds View High School kept the fire burning for the Stars throughout the entire matchup, finishing with 14 points.
 
The shining star for the Katy Rebels this game was in their power forward Laura Rowe, a 2017 recruit who led both teams in scoring. She had 16 points, using her height advantage at 5’11” and showing her range by draining a three-pointer.
 
Even with Katy Rebels’ steady attack, they were unable to make up for a pair of clutch free throws by Sydney Zerr, the 5’6” point guard that extended the Stars’ lead to 4 points and drowning the Rebel’s late game advances, with the Stars winning 51-48. 
   
 
In the eight courts of games that the field house possessed, one of the big matchups for the eleven o’clock showings happened between AD Elite Peterson and Texas Elite Christian GATA.
 
A late second half comeback became the tale of this game, filled with competitive drives and assertive plays leading down the stretch.
 
Texas Elite proved heavy use in their post play, with their first two buckets coming from 2018 Mia Heide, along with many more coming from down low. 6’2” power forward Kandyce Shepard added to the early post attack, battling her opponents on the glass and dribbling them down on the block. She continued to create success down in the low block, proving her consistency and her ability to be relied on by her teammates to finish.
 
The AD Elite team boasted a strong, quick tempo athletic group of young ladies, and battled hard to overcome Texas Elite’s early lead.
 
Texas Elite threw the first punch in the first half, although AD Elite worked hard to convert on turnovers and finishing tough plays to remain in the game. AD Elite worked to diminish Texas Elite’s early big lead, cutting it to a two-point game at halftime, 28-26.
 
Throughout the second half, the game changed completely in comparison to the first half. AD Elite came out of the halftime break with a vengeance and continued to press Texas Elite more and more and time dwindled from the clock.
 
Keaton Sayers, a 5’11” power forward, and Jasmine Smith, a 5’8” shooting guard, led AD Elite’s fight back into the matchup. They both proved to be tough defenders, and offensively they pummeled down the paint for quick drives and key offensive boards.
 
Post play remained huge for GATA, as their guards continued to dump into the post. Diamond Atchinson, a 5’6” point guard, kept up Texas Elite’s momentum with several And-One drives throughout the game.
 
AD Elite’s baseline to baseline consistent pressure and knack for offensive rebounds kept them in play and gave them the late lead against Texas Elite. Their largest lead of the game came in the last four minutes, stretching to seven.
 
Even with Texas Elite’s balanced floor plan and early lead, Texas Elite was unable to keep poise against AD Elite’s tough press and AD Elite won the battle 62-52.
   
 
In the midst of many battles across Fieldhouse USA in the Heart of Texas Showcase was a big matchup of Texas Elite Adidas Prime and the Ft. Worth Lady Hornets.
 
To start the game, Texas Elite came out with a spark and a sizable difference against the Lady Hornets. Elite boasted two strong “bigs” in Temi Alao a 6’ small forward and in Sedona Prince, a 6’7” center, showing their assertiveness near the basket. The two posts combined for 11 points in the matchup.
 
Texas Elite used that early spark to earn an 18-7 lead halfway through the first half. On the other side of the court, the Lady Hornets had a tough time connecting on early field goals but fought hard on the offensive glass.
 
The Lady Hornet’s Evie Whorley, a 5’6” point guard in the 2017 recruiting class, proved her athleticism and led the early fight against Texas Elite.
 
Forcing early turnovers and quick turnaround buckets kept the Elite ahead going into halftime, leading 28-14.
 
Texas Elite’s 5’8” point guard Tatum Veitenheimer, showed her ability to see the floor by weaving her passes and maintaining good control of the ball. The 2018 recruit showed she was an all-around finisher, making transition layups and free throws. She ended with 10 points.
 
“I think we played faster because this was a faster team,” Texas Elite player Veitenheimer said. “I didn’t think we did in rebounding as well as we should of. I think we did good on the post moves and getting some layups.”
 
With Texas Elite’s notable size, players for the Lady Hornets had to find quick ways to score. One of them being 5’5” point guard Bryanna Roseman. The 2017 recruit may have been a foot smaller than Prince, she showed true grit and finished well for the Hornets. She contributed five points in the matchup.
 
The leading scorer for the Hornets was Jhania Criss, a 5’8” shooting guard who had six points that came off of three big two-point field goals.
 
Although, the Hornet’s smaller lineup against Texas Elite proved to be too much of a miss-match, as Texas Elite’s bigs capitalized throughout both halves. Texas Elite won 54-22, continuing their bracket climb.
   
 
In all the games played in the Fieldhouse on Saturday, the matchup between the Jacksonville Lady Rams and the Urban Heroes Elite – Duane seemed to be one of the most even. Both teams boasted strong guard play and quick basket cuts, leaving the teams to battle it out on rebounds and hustle plays.
 
The Lady Rams came out of the gate with a lot of energy, their lively bench fueling their momentum.
 
The Urban Heroes got early put-backs, working with solid ball movement on fast breaks and finding the open player.
 
Both teams throughout both halves struggled boxing their opponents out and not allowing extra shots- creating a plethora of second and third chance opportunities during the entire game.
 
One of the players on the Urban Heroes team, 5’11” power forward Kamaya Miller, made big plays off of offensive rebounds and put-backs, capitalizing on the game’s lack of defensive stops. The 2017 recruit showed her ability to be clutch, keeping her team at a one-point difference through the last five minutes of the game.
 
“I just felt like that’s what I had to do. That’s my role,” Miller said. “At first we were playing to the other team’s pace and then we finally realized that we needed to slow down.”
 
The Lady Rams tactic was simple – apply pressure from baseline to baseline and play to a quick tempo. The Lady Rams put a lot of pressure on the Urban Heroes, their defense collapsing any time the ball was thrown in the paint.
 
Offensively, the Rams were able to spread the Urban Heroes’ defense with consistently made three-point field goals.
 
One of the Lady Rams’ point guards Hannah Roney, a 5’6” 2017 recruit, sunk two of those trey’s in the second half keeping the Rams’ fight alive. Another guard, 5’4” Jasmine Gaines, kept control of the ball throughout the game, giving sparks of energy to the Rams’ fight and dishing off assists well in transition.
 
The score at half time may have favored the Lady Rams 23-19, but the Urban Heroes were able to break the Rams’ pressure and overcome their early deficit.
 
The Lady Rams called a timeout with less than two seconds left - getting the chance for a buzzer-beater play to be drawn up - with no avail. The Rams fell to the Urban Heroes in a close matchup, 45-44.   
 
A zone to zone battle occurred in the Frisco Fieldhouse when the Minnesota Stars Borowicz team faced the OK Swarm Elite HS in another showdown in the Heart of Texas Showcase.
 
The OK Swarm played almost the entirety of the game in a stifling zone defense, trying to quiet the Minnesota Stars’ outside threat and mid-range game. The Stars also pulled out their zone showing their ability to read the Swarm’s offensive strategy well.
 
Offensively, Sophie Hughes had a nice touch on the ball for the Stars, along with Sarah Grow, who completed several tough plays including an offensive board and put back off of a free throw.
 
Grow had two big momentum plays in the first half, one of them being a buzzer shot where she was fouled on a put back attempt, displaying her resilience and competitive drive.
 
The OK Swarm also had their talents. Raelenne Eddens, a 6’ shooting guard, showed to be very athletic and used her length well to grab balls off the glass as well as get steals, having two steals in the first half.
 
With both teams relying on a zone for most of the game, offensively it came down to hustle play and reading their own players for the open shot. Both teams were able to capitalize on turnovers created by the stifling zone play, so it came down to who could convert those turnovers into fast break points the most consistently.
 
One big advantage the Swarm possessed was in their power forward/center Ericka Stevenson. The 6’1” 2017 recruit used her power down in the low block well, dribbling down her defenders and then using up and over post moves and fakes to create made baskets.
 
The OK Swarm used their edge regarding their post power, dishing it down low often. With their consistent hustle, the Swarm were able to pull off the win over the Stars, with a score of 54-45.
   
 
In one of the first afternoon games in the McKinney PSA, the athletic matchup between SA Finest Cee Lou and OK PWP Elite 17U Adidas turned many heads.
 
A large pool of scouts layered the baselines, with the Big 12 conference boasting five schools in attendance. The SEC, American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, and other notable conferences were represented as well.
 
Both teams boasted lengthy extended four/five players in Mallory Vaughn, a 6’4” center for OK PWP and in Nalyssa Smith, a 6’4” power forward for SA Finest.
 
Smith showed agility and held the ability to drive powerfully to the basket, while Vaughn showed solid post moves and a strong defensive presence.
 
SA Finest’s Kianna Williams proved to be a sweet finisher with a nice touch on the ball throughout the game. The 5’8” point guard made a buzzer floater to give her team the lead heading into halftime, 23-21. She turned up the heat in the second half, hitting deep three’s and pull-ups to keep SA in the fight.
 
OK PWP had a special talent in 5’10” shooting forward Kenni Jo Lippe, bringing the momentum to the team with powerful drives and And-One performances.
 
“I think any time a player can get on a role, that your team gets a little more momentum and I think it carries over to all the other players too so they can hit their shots,” Lippe said. “I thought we really had a good team effort of playing defense.”
 
The ability to hit field goals from behind the arc separated the two power teams throughout the game, and OK PWP proved to fight hard through contact.
 
Even with SA Finest’s huge athleticism, OK PWP was able to stay in the athletic matchup through free throw attempts and their early three’s that gave them momentum. OK PWP ended up taking the victory, winning 49-42 after an intense two halves.
   
 
It was a fight to the finish in the McKinney PSA when the Lady ProSkills Elite team faced the Louisiana Lady Select Black in a late afternoon matchup in the Heart of Texas Showcase.
 
The two teams stepped onto the court possessing different abilities that help them succeed. The Lady Proskills had a tough “hand in your face” matchup defense, while Louisiana Lady Select provided perimeter shooters that could hit big shots.
 
To start the game, the Louisiana Lady Select capitalized on hitting the glass and getting offensive rebounds, grabbing the early momentum. They proved to have a resilient finisher in 5’10” Bryana Langford, a 2018 recruit.
 
The Lady ProSkills answered the early fight from the Lady Select with guard Hailee Walls hitting back-to-back three’s. The 5’6” guard is a 2017 recruit from Mansfield Timberview.
 
Just before halftime, the Lady ProSkills turned up the heat on the glass and the defensive end by picking up their opponents at half-court, giving them the edge going into the second half.
 
Throughout the game, the Lady Select showed something not seen often so early in the AAU season – good offensive play execution. Audience members could see the strategic attack as they set up and called plays, capitalizing on many of them.
 
Relieving pressure on the inside was Lady Select’s Daija Harvey, the 5’7” point guard that showed she was a three-point threat.
 
The Lady ProSkills’ ability to pressure the Lady Select team and make plays off of offensive boards gave them the opportunity to tie the game with under four minutes to play at 41. Hustle and determination became the name of the game for both teams.
 
Many players stepped up their game in attempts to keep their team on the winning side, one of them being Lady ProSkills player Mallory Adams. The 6’1” small forward made many plays down the final stretch to try to get her team the win.
 
“I think that if we would’ve gotten off to a better start in the beginning then we wouldn’t have had to try and dig ourselves out of hole at the end,” Adams said. “We also need to finish the easy baskets by the rim and big free throws.”
 
Perseverance and gusty plays in the last few decisive minutes gave the Louisiana Lady Select team the definitive edge, winning 55-51 in one of the final games of the day. 
   
 
In one of the later matchups of the first day of the Heart of Texas Showcase, Texas Elite Adidas Holcombe faced the OK Swarm Elite HS in a defensive battle.
 
Texas Elite brought a tough defense that veiled the OK Swarm’s offensive attempts, causing their shot selection to be sub par and dwindling in the first half.
 
Although, the OK Swarm still managed to get on the scoreboard well, with the halftime score showing 23-15, only eight points behind the Texas Elite squad.
 
The OK Swarm’s key elements relied in their ability to hit the boards and showing true resilience in the late afternoon game.
 
OK Swarm’s Raelenne Eddens, a 6’ shooting guard, made her money for the game using her athleticism and poise throughout the game. The 2018 showed very fluid movements with a nice bounce, using these positives to her advantage in several hustle plays to keep the ball in play.
 
One thing that the OK Swarm did not possess was Texas Elite’s true big Uchenna Nwoke. The post player stands at 6’4”, proving to be a savior in the defensive paint by making it hard for OK Swarm’s offense to score around her. The 2018 recruit made her presence known on the court, contributing to Texas Elite’s performance.
 
“I just started playing with them [Texas Elite],” Nwoke said. “I feel like my players need to learn how to pass the ball [in the post] to me more. I like our defensive ability.”
 
In the second half, Texas Elite went with a smaller lineup, giving the OK Swarm a chance to climb back within range. Halfway through the second half, the OK Swarm found themselves with a small deficit, only five points behind Texas Elite.
 
Although, Texas Elite’s consistent effort and fast paced tempo continued to be a challenge. They constantly provided elite shooters on the perimeter and took care of the small things, like free throws.
 
Down the final stretch, OK Swarm’s Catherine Gould, a 5’8” point guard, showed her range sinking a deep three in a late attempt to overcome Texas Elite, but their ability to convert on OK Swarm’s previous missed field goals and turnovers ultimately gave Texas Elite the victory, 50-34.