Sandy's Spiel Showdown Girls Top Performers
Girls Analysis

Sandy’s Spiel Showdown Girls Top Performers


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The 2024 Sandy’s Spiel Showdown was sponsored by Redline Girls Basketball Club and Kings and Gents.

Blaklee Ledford
2028 5-5 PG Blaklee Ledford – Murray County
In a real measuring stick matchup not only for the teams but individually as well, Blaklee Ledford helped steal the show and seal a 63-60 overtime win against Marietta with Florida Atlantic in the building to watch. Facing one of Georgia’s consensus top freshmen with Power 5 offers, Ledford more than held her own, proving she could play with the best in the nation. Blaklee racked up 19 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block after a scoreless first quarter. The freshman showed her mettle, netting a pair of free throws with less than 10 seconds left to force overtime at 57 all before netting the first two buckets of the extra period to give Murray County the lead for good, the Indians trailing after each of the first three quarters in a nip-and-tuck affair. Ledford found success with her quickness off the dribble. She’s an elite penetrator with a knack for splitting traps and bursting through the seams of the defense. Blaklee thrives at getting to her floater using a quick crossover and is crafty when attacking the rim, baiting defenders into fouling her. Ledford dropped in four floaters and scored on a total of six drives. While it feels like Ledford can be a heat seeking missile when it comes to getting to the basket, shooting 5-9 from the foul line, defenders have to be aware of her passing ability. She has terrific court vision off the dribble, fitting in assists through traffic for layups. Ledford’s high motor, nose for the ball and overall IQ give her a chance to be special. With her performance on Saturday against one of the southeast’s elite 2028 guards, I can promise Blaklee put herself on D-I radars and could be well on her way to becoming the best player in school history as the Indians look to contend for a state title over her four years in Chatsworth.

Bayleigh Winkler
2025 5-10 PF Bayleigh Winkler – Murray County
D-III programs should be consistently in touch with Bayleigh Winkler. I love her inside-out game. Winkler is a physical low post presence with impressive back-to-the-basket moves. She scores with both hands and has a soft shooting touch which separates her from most. Winkler scored in a variety of ways against Marietta. She backed her man down before shooting a turnaround jumper, converted an And-1 drive, scored out of the pick-and-roll, posted up for a bucket and netted a key three late in the fourth quarter. Bayleigh finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block. At the next level, Winkler can be used as a stretch big or a more conventional post thanks to her strength and footwork. Oglethorpe checked in on Winkler recently. Bayleigh is flying under the radar as one of the better unsigned posts left in Georgia. NAIA and D-II programs might want to investigate as well.

Callan Ledford
2026 5-8 G Callan Ledford – Murray County
Callan provides toughness and reliability in the backcourt. Much like her younger sister, Ledford is a ballhawk. She has a quick first step when it comes to tracking down rebounds and winning 50/50 balls. Ledford has a strong frame and uses it well as a physical driver and defender. Callan facilitates well when getting downhill and can help open up the defense with her jumper. Ledford tallied 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal, shooting 4-6 from the foul line in the win. The high academic 4.1 GPA student has a ton of value and should see her recruitment pick up serious steam over her final two seasons at Murray County and on the travel ball circuit, likely joining Redline this upcoming season.

Kyann Senior2027 5-8 W Kyann Senior – Marietta
Listed at 5-foot-8, Kyann has uncanny rebounding abilities. Pound-for-pound, Senior might be the best young rebounder in the state. Kyann has outstanding hands and is relentless when pursuing offensive rebounds. She crashes the glass with vigor and plays with a chip on her shoulder. Senior is not one to shy away from altercations. She is an emotional player that talks the talk but can also walk the walk. Kyann was unstoppable for a stretch of the game against Murray County, outhustling and outathleting the Indians as she scored 12 points in the second quarter and finished with a game-high 21 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Kyann’s offensive outburst was balanced. She scored on a pair of putbacks, two drives, two pull-ups and a mid-range jumper. She turned steals into transition hoops, showcasing her speed and ball skills in the open floor. You can’t teach the energy that Kyann plays with. It was an impressive performance in front of Florida Atlantic. If Kyann continues to shoot the ball well and extend her range to the three-point line, you can expect her name to pop up more and more with D-I schools.

Leah DeWitt2028 5-9 PG Leah DeWitt – Marietta
Leah faced physical defense throughout the day against Murray County. While it may not have been her best game up to her high standards, DeWitt still delivered 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, a career day for most. Leah went 5-7 from the foul line and elevated her play in the fourth quarter with seven points. DeWitt found her offense from all three levels. She sank a pair of threes, hit a coast-to-coast pull-up jumper and netted a floater. The elusive DeWitt can take over games in a flash with her outside shooting and playmaking for others. She is a very good passer in transition, beating the defense over the top. Multiple High Major programs have already offered as Leah is regarded as one of the top freshmen in Georgia.

Mackenzie Everett2028 5-9 W Mackenzie Everett – Marietta
I really like Mackenzie Everett’s upside, part of Marietta’s exciting young trio. Everett performed well at the Sandy’s Spiel Fall League and has carried on her play into the regular season. Everett is long, lanky and most importantly, skillfully versatile. Mackenzie is a wing but has the capability to play 1-4. She hit some key shots late in the fourth quarter including a go-ahead three with 41.5 second left to give the Blue Devils a one-point lead. Everett finished the day with a pair of threes, a bucket in the post, a drive and a tough spinning And-1 layup resulting in a total of 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. Mackenzie has two-way stat sheet stuffing capabilities. She has all the tools to blossom into a serious prospect.

Abbey Bensman
2026 5-10 G Abbey Bensman – Pope
In what was a sluggish defensive battle for much of the game, it was Abbey Bensman who put her foot down offensively to extinguish any hope of a Heritage-Catoosa comeback, scoring seven of Pope’s 13 fourth quarter points to pull away for a 48-34 win. Bensman tallied a game-high 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. She sank three-pointers, inching closer to the school-record. Abbey went 4-6 from the line and scored on a cut and a drive. Bensman has proven over the course of her career to be a habitual producer. Her knowledge of where to be on the court and when often leads to positive outcomes. She can handle physical defense and eventually wears on opponents as she can score in bunches with her three-level scoring touch. The potential valedictorian is elite on the hardwood and in the classroom. She is a college basketball player if she so chooses that path.

Sarah Gentry
2025 5-7 PG Sarah Gentry – Pope
It’s not often that I award Player of the Game to someone that scored only one field goal. Sarah Gentry was that good in Pope’s win over Heritage-Catoosa. It is not anecdotal to say Gentry controlled the game without having to score. Every single time it looked like the Generals were in a position to close the gap, it was Sarah who made a play. Gentry was inevitable in the fourth quarter, swooping in for steals and rebounds while dishing out assists offensively.  Sarah does all the little things well at a high level. She helps the helper, she sees the floor and is always hunting a play to make. If Abbey Bensman is the engine for Pope, Sarah Gentry is the gasoline. Gentry corralled 3 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 8 steals and 2 blocks in the 48-34 victory.

Kayla Lopez
2025 5-0 PG Kayla Lopez – Heritage-Catoosa
One of the best passers in Georgia, watching Kayla Lopez operate the pick-and-roll is a treat. Kayla wraps around passes to rolling teammates and masterfully places bounce passes to hit backdoor cutters. Although she is undersized, Lopez reads defenses extremely well. She helped pack a punch offensively on Saturday in a low scoring game, banking a three, scooping a right-handed layup on the left side and scoring on a backdoor cut of her own en route to finishing with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Small schools looking for an advanced playmaker should get in touch with the floor general.

Yolanda Floyd2025 5-8 G Yolanda Floyd – Hillgrove
The Presbyterian-signee came off the bench and quickly took over the game, dumping in a game-high 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals in Hillgrove’s 57-25 win over a Graycen Ehlen-less Walton. Floyd’s speed and precision sliced up the Raiders. She hurt Walton in the open floor, not only with her downhill attack but with her pull-up game. She stopped on a dime to sink two mid-range jumpers, hit a short-range shot, two three-pointers and netted a fadeaway jumper out of the post. When Floyd’s outside shot is working like it did on Saturday, paired with her agility on-ball as a slasher, Yolanda is one of Cobb County’s toughest guards.

Aeris Macon2026 6-0 C Aeris Macon – Hillgrove
Aeris was an interior stalwart during the Sandy’s Spiel Fall League and was equally effective against Walton, completely locking down the paint. Macon couldn’t be scored on inside, swatting away shot after shot while walling up and defending without fouling. Aeris compiled 3 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 5 blocks. The Hillgrove guards get a lot of the praise, but Macon is an invaluable presence that gives the otherwise small Hawks a force inside. With two seasons of development remaining, college programs should keep Aeris on their watchlist. Her strength of doing the dirty work is appealing.