The first 2013-14 addition of Quick Hitters follows:
- Stevens is
going to be a tough out come playoff time. The way they play defensively will
cause problems for teams that depend on scoring in the half court. Close losses
in the Northside Tournament to Brennan and Wagner showed that Stevens can play
with anyone in the city. Point guard Antania
Newton is looking good after sitting out after transferring from John Jay
and will have a Breakout season.
- Boerne looks
very strong in 3A. They are deep and talented at multiple positions. However,
the NISD touRnament showed them that they have a long way to go when matching
up with the "big girls" of 4A-5A.
- The much anticipated matchup featuring the top teams in
the city is tomorrow. SA ExprEss News #1 Brennan vs # 2 Steele. Keys to the
game.
·
Can Brennan keep USC bound McKenzie Calvert off of the free throw line? Calvert, like all good
scorers, has a kNack for drawing fouls and eating at the free throw line.
·
Can Steele turn over Brennan? Brennan is without
a true PG and must break the press by committee. If Brennan is uNaffected by
full court pressure they will be tough to beat.
·
Can Steele manufacture "easy points".
Steele has yet to be tested without the services of Kyra Lambert this season. The 'Kyra Effect" did not show up on
her personal stat sheet. She Allowed others to score with her defense and
constant attacking pressure on the offensive end.
·
Can Brennan use its substantial size advantage
to control the boards and earN second chance points. Rebounding and limiting
Steele's second chance points should not be much of a problem but will Brennan
be able to dominate the paint with put backs? Grand Canyon commit Eliza Martinez is shooting 62% and Presbyterian commit Deja Mason is finishing at a 58% clip early.
·
Prediction- Calvert will go for 30pts. Tay Boclair will have 20 and 10 brds.
But the game will come down to Brennan making perimeter shots vs Steele's zone
in order to win. Steele will have to score in transition and get double
digits out of 2 more players besides Calvert . The winner will be....
- Speaking of Brennan, Coach Koty Cowgill has decided to
play an arduous schedule early playing Top 10: Reagan, Stevens, Steele and Judson
in the same week. Smart since his district will not challenge the Bears much.
- Johnson may be the favorite in 26-5A but the districts is
Reagan's to lose. Sara Lewis's is steadily getting better and is a growing inside
presence. Reagan can stretch defenses
with the best shooting Backcourt in the city, Mailee Jones, Anya Curtiss and WendY Knight. Wendy Knight is well,
Wendy Knight. She's been solid since day one on Reagan's campus.
- O'Conner looks
good early. They are small but scrappy and move the ball well. Amber Vidal'15 is having a great start
including giving 19pts to Top 10 Judson, 24pts to Brenham, 19pts vs Top 5
Wagner.
- Wagner has 2
early losses but will be ok as usual late.
Kailynn Wilson'14 is doing it early. The kid is athletic enough to play at
the D1 level. She is averaging 17pts fresh off of volleyball.
- Speaking of fresh, 2
ACL injuries already this season. One has to wonder if some teams already playing
close to 20 games in fall leagues has something to with it? 20 fall league games plus 35 high school games
is 15 more games than NCAA D1 men play!
- Dominique Randall
is averaging 9 points early for Judson. While that may not jump off of the
page, please consider that Judson is
averaging a tad bit more than 40 points a game. Randall is an impressive
athlete.
- Brandeis is
good and deep! They had a tough time scoring in the half court at times last
season but does not seem to be a problem this year with Fabulous Frosh Gabby Connally on board. Mykel Costley has improved finishing in
the paint and PG, Hannah Thompson is
a capable floor general. The loss of sharp shooter Kelsey Glassburn to a knee injury hurts their chances of winning
the city but the return of Morgan
Williams from volleyball should help. Watch Treasure Riven at the PF position. The kid is strong in the paint.
