EST Cheat Sheet: February 17

As the season starts to wind down a little, with teams getting knocked out by the day, the rundowns will start to get grouped together with some different formats. It was still a very busy weekend for me, with a game in Delhi Friday, two in Syracuse Saturday, and four in Potsdam Sunday. Friday's recap - instead of a game rundown, a handful of short player writeups of note - below.

South Kortright vs. Stamford @ SUNY Delhi

Melanie Hoyt (6'0" F, Stamford 2021) - Despite Stamford's loss, the younger of the two Hoyt sisters may have been the game's shining star looking back at it. I knew she was going to be a major factor at first watch in their high school's summer league, but even I couldn't have guessed her improvement from that point to now. She has legitimate physical tools with her current height, length, and athleticism. She rebounds and protects the rim like a post, but can also run the floor like a guard. She has an unteachable feel for the game at both ends, and it's even more noticeable on the defensive end, where she does a great job of blocking shots without fouling. Offensively, she has a legitimate stretch 4 skill set, and she showed the ability to finish through contact against a tough SK team. The 8th grader had 14 points, a handful of rebounds, and several blocks over the course of the game. Extremely bright future ahead.

Brianna Laing (5'4" G, South Kortright 2017; Hartwick commit) - Stamford's defense was geared to stop Laing, as it looked like they went diamond & 1 for a good portion of the game. It often didn't matter, as many times it ended up being Laing who got a bucket when it was needed most while SK's offense was stagnant. She has consistent deep range to make a defender play tight within 25 feet, and the handle and quickness to get by the crowding defender. She finished with 17 points, nearly all of them hard-fought.

Haley Steenland (5'2" G, Stamford 2018) - Speaking of a defense being geared to stop someone, South Kortright didn't allow Stamford standout Steenland to get any daylight ever. Sometimes, she decided to make her own. The Rams dogged her on the press for 32 minutes, trying to wear down not only Stamford's leading scorer this season, but their only legitimate ballhandler. She only sat for about 1:30 in the 2nd quarter - Stamford had 5 offensive possessions in that frame and didn't attempt a shot. A few times, Steenland was able to knife through all 5 SK defenders with the handle, and she went in to finish a couple of those instances. She's also a very pesky defender, with the quickness to stay in front and quick & active hands that allow her to dig in and get steals. She had 10 points, 4 assists, and 5 steals on the night.

Alexa DuBois (5'8" G, South Kortright 2017; Hartwick commit (soccer)) - Extremely well-rounded game for longtime standout DuBois, who, like Laing, is a 1,000 point scorer. She had more room to work than any other time I've seen her play with SK with the defense often working against Laing, and she took full advantage of it by knocking down open jumpers and getting to the rim to use her strength. If there was a high school girls' fantasy basketball league, you would've won money if you had her on your team for her statistical performance - 16 points, 13 rebounds, 7 steals.

Madison Hoyt (6'0" F, Stamford 2019) - Madison, like younger sis, also seems to be making strides. She has a stronger build and is more of a true post player than Melanie, and she used that to man the glass for her squad, finishing with a team high 9 rebounds to go with her 8 points. Offensively, despite being given very little room to operate by the SK defense, she also showed her ability to step out and hit the 15 footer. What stood out most was perhaps her passing ability - she became a legitimate playmaker when catching the ball in the high post area, finding Melanie in high-low situations or hitting a cutter.

Jordan Finch (6'1" F, South Kortright 2019) - Finch is, without question, the most intriguing prospect on the SK team. I'm calling her 6'1", but that may be a stingy listing as you could say she's 6'2" and I wouldn't bat an eye at it. At this stage, she's a little on the raw end offensively, but she looked smoother in this game than any previous time I've seen her. She turned over each shoulder in this game to make post moves and finish. Finch didn't see the ball too much, but when she did, good things happened. Defensively, she could be a high-level rim protector. Her length and athletic ability are noticeable within seconds. With her long & lanky body type, an improved face-up game will make a world of difference for her. I'm particularly interested in seeing her development over the next few months - after Laing this year, Finch should be SK's next college basketball player.


2016 ESTers - How They Did

- Brianna Laing (South Kortright 2017, Hartwick commit) finished with a game high 17 points in their 54-43 Delaware League championship win over Stamford.

- In defeat, Haley Steenland (Stamford 2018) finished with 10 points, 4 assists, and 5 steals.

- Emily Frodyma (Catholic Central 2018) was one of three in double figures, finishing with 10 points in the Crusaders' 54-30 win over Guilderland in the 1st round of Section II Class AA playoffs.

- In defeat, Olivia Baumann (Guilderland 2017, St. John Fisher commit) paced her squad with 11 points.

- Mikyla Mitchell (Scotia-Glenville 2020) and Caitlin Estes (Scotia-Glenville 2017, Adelphi commit) were two of three in double figures, as they romped Bishop Maginn 72-24 in the 1st round of Section II Class A playoffs. Mitchell scored 12 points, and Estes added 11.

- Allison Moreau (Sauquoit Valley 2019) led all scorers with 26 points and led her 13th seeded group to a 66-56 victory at 4th seeded Weedsport in the 1st round of Section III Class C playoffs.

- Danielle Caivana (Frankfort-Schuyler 2017) finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in their loss to Beaver River in the 1st round of Section III Class C playoffs.

- Meaghan Perrino (Cooperstown 2018) led all scorers with 15 points and Julie Ford (Cooperstown 2018) finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals, and 7 blocks in their squad's blowout W over Port Byron in the 1st round of Section III Class C playoffs.

- Sophie Wittenbeck (Waterville 2018) finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds in her team's 65-53 victory over Cato-Meridian in the 1st round of Section III Class C playoffs.

- Chloe Chaffin (Kingston 2018, Fordham commit) finished with a game high 22 points in their 65-39 victory over Newburgh.

- Brianna Rozzi (Highland 2019) dropped 23 points, a team high, in their 58-44 victory at Saugerties.

- In defeat, Grace VanRoy (Saugerties 2019) led all scorers with 27 points against Highland.

- Lauraine Joensen (Northampton (MA) 2017, Canisius commit) finished with 10 points, which tied for a team high, in their 54-43 defeat to West Springfield. Her first point of the game was her 1,000th in her 3 year varsity career; congratulations to Lauraine on surpassing the 1,000 point mark!

- Molly Kirby (Bethlehem 2018) finished with a team high 18 points in their 49-42 victory over Niskayuna in the 1st round of Section II Class AA playoffs.

- Abby Kienzle (Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons 2019) finished with 13 points, which tied for a team high, in their 47-42 setback to Rensselaer in the first round of Section II Class C playoffs.

- Kylee Rosbrook (General Brown 2018) contributed 11 points in their 50-37 defeat to Westhill in the 1st round of Section III Class B playoffs.

- Jenna Zimmerman (South Jefferson 2018) only scored 6 points, but added 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 5 blocks in their victory over league rival Lowville in the 1st round of Section III Class B playoffs.