Category Archives: Girls Analysis

GHSA, Girls Analysis, Girls Basketball

UGA girls team camp Saturday notes

By Bre Singleton (@bre_singleton)

Head Coach Joni Taylor and the UGA Women’s Basketball program hosted their team camp which started on Friday. Teams in attendance included Class 7A teams Norcross, Collins Hill, Mountain View, Tift County, Rockdale County, Hillgrove, etc. With six courts and two locations, UGA certainly held nothing back.

Tionna Carter’s mother, Jocelyn Penn, played in the WNBA

One of the best players I saw on Saturday is actually a bit of a sleeper. Class of 2019 Tionna Carter of the 7A state runner-up Norcross Blue Devils is one to watch for. As a sophomore, Carter posted a double- double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in the state championship game against the girls basketball powerhouse known as McEachern. The 6’0” forward would prove to be a consistent on Saturday, posting 13 points and 6 rebounds on a Ridge View team out of South Carolina. Carter will look to lead the Blue Devils in the 2017-2018 GHSA season as they attempt to avenge their state championship loss. She’s a player that coaches should absolutely start paying attention to.

Along the same lines, Central-Macon’s Jada Clowers is looking to do some damage in her senior season. Standing at 6’1” Clowers can rebound almost effortlessly. In the two games I saw her in action, she owned the paint, getting easy putbacks. Playing PF/C, she posted eight points and five boards in one game and 11 and ten in the other. As she continues to develop, timing on the defensive end will be huge. She is a presence in the paint but has to make sure she’s getting all ball on her block attempts. Still she swatted several shots, not needing any body contact at all. With some offensive footwork, I think Clowers could prove to be a really solid player at the next level.

Tift County and North Cobb squared off in the afternoon. Azonya Austin of North Cobb had a very productive game from the point guard position. There weren’t many people on the court who could keep up with her. Austin blew by defenders religiously on her way to 18 points. Sydney Soloman also had a solid outing for the Warriors. The 6’0” senior had nine points and 5 rebounds from the 4/5 spot. For Tift County, 5’11” senior Kaysie Harrelson had it going offensively with 10 points. Destiny Johnson wasn’t too far behind with nine, but Tift just didn’t have enough scoring to outlast North Cobb in the end.

Hillgrove played Rockdale County in a 5:00 p.m. slot game. Like North Cobb, Hillgrove had to battle in 7A Region 3 with the likes of McEachern. Against Rockdale County though, the Hawks had it going. Taylor Thompson, a 5’11” senior forward was a beast on the boards for Hillgrove. She put up 11 points and seven rebounds while fellow senior Kierra York added 12 points and six rebounds. Laren VanArsdale, a senior transfer from Whitefield Academy, had seven points and four rebounds from the PG spot to help Hillgrove cruise to a blowout.

Javyn Nicholson

The last game I caught ended up being the best of the day in my opinion. Collins Hill and Colquitt County were in a battle. With the score 24-20 at halftime, this game was destined for a good finish. Coming off of a 23-5 season, Colquitt County gave the team from Suwanee all they could handle. Scoring was plentiful in this one. Za’Nautica Downs lead all scorers with 19 points and each point was spectacular. Diamond Hall added her share, putting up 14 points. Collins Hill has a great nucleus coming back for the 2017-2018 season, lead by non-other than Bria Harmon. She had nine points and four boards for the Eagles. Javyn Nicholson (pictured) was absolutely dominant in the paint pouring in 14 points and pulling 10 boards. Jada Rice, the other half of The Eagles’ 1-2 post punch, had an aggressive nine points and eight rebounds. Collins Hill was able to edge out the Packers 49-46. These two teams will definitely look to make even more noise in 7A than they did last year.

Girls Analysis, Girls Basketball

Georgia State girls team camp Top Performers

By Bre Singleton (@bre_singleton)

Georgia State Sharon Baldwin Team Camp Top Performers

Lillian Kennedy

Mountain View: ’18 Lillian Kennedy

​Playing the point/forward spot, Lillian Kennedy was clearly the most athletic player on the court in any given matchup. At about 5’9, Kennedy has the footwork in the paint to finesse her way around many defenders. In a game against Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, Kennedy had 12 points and 8 boards and sat out most of the fourth quarter. Her length and timing gave offensive players fits all day as Kennedy swatted more than a few shots into the bleachers. A member of the Gwinnett Daily Post All-County Third team, the Mountain View standout expressed interest from GSU, UNC Asheville, Stony Brook and others.

Mountain View: ’19 Kamryn Collins

​Kamryn Collins is an absolute beast on the boards for the Bears and cleaning up the paint was her specialty on Wednesday. Still young and raw, Collins has a nose for the ball and rebounding comes naturally. In the early matchup with McEachern, Collins managed 10 points and seven boards. In a pretty competitive afternoon game with the Grayson Lady Rams, Collins put up 13 points and snagged eight rebounds to help Mountain View come out with a win. She’s definitely a young player I’d be on the lookout for in a tough region.

Elexus Bell

Carrollton: ’18 Elexus Bell

​The Trojans will bring back all but four players from last year’s roster for the 2017-2018 GHSA season. Among the seasoned veterans is Elexus Bell, a senior forward. The most dominant post I saw all day, Bell’s post game is something to be seen. Bell put up 20 points and eight rebounds against a young, scrappy McEachern team. Another impressive aspect of her game was her basketball IQ. The Trojans scored off of several nice entry passes from Bell in the high-low game. Bell and the Trojans will surely be a team to watch coming out of 5A Region 7.

Grayson: ’19 Jazmin Robinson

​Rising Junior Jazmin Robinson is bringing the energy to a solid Grayson Rams team. The 5’10 G/F is scrappy and aggressive on the defensive end and always seems to find her way to rebounds and loose balls. Despite a loss to a good Mountain View team, Robinson had eight points and eight rebounds to go along with several steals. Robinson approaches the game with a blue-collar mentality and is willing to do what most others won’t.

Harper Vick

Harrison: ’18 Harper Vick

​The 2016-2017 6A State Runner-Up Harrison Hoyas came to play Wednesday at Georgia State. Coach Steve Lenahan brought both his Varsity and JV squads to get a piece of the action in front of the GSU coaching staff. Senior Harper Vick did not disappoint, putting up 20 points and four rebounds in the Hoya win over Team Elite. Vick had the three-ball going early but scoring in transition is what was really remarkable about Vick’s game. Slashing to the rim, she was able to finish with some exciting moves to help Harrison High cruise to a victory. Vick and the Hoyas will look for some revenge this year on their way to the state tournament.