EST Cheat Sheet: February 7

What I Saw

- Unatego @ Hancock

Spent Tuesday evening in the 607, starting off by getting a 1st look at Unatego and 2nd at Hancock. The youth movement is evident in each of these programs, with 3 8th graders dotting the starting lineup between the 2 teams, all with some generated buzz already. No one's buzz is quite as loud as Hancock standout 2021 Laycee Drake though, with good reason. The 5'5" guard flexed her muscle early and often against a Unatego zone D that was paying special attention to her. The first time she touched the ball was on a catch in a dangerous spot, just across the timeline in the corner against a zone press. She proceeded to show off the handle and split through the double, then break down a 3rd defender right after, which was a sign of things to come. She created for herself by getting to the rim, using her in-between game with floaters, and the perimeter J, while playing both as a point guard and at the high post against the zone. She also found ways to create for others, especially dumping down to 2017 Lexie Houghton after attracting multiple defenders. I hear that Houghton, a lefty 4 standing about 5'11", has garnered some late D3 interest. Her skill set, athletic ability, and length at that position would be worth a D3 still looking to fill a 4 spot in this class giving her a look, in my eyes.

For Unatego, it'll be interesting to track the growth of their 8th grade twin starters as time goes on. Meghan Perry and Morgan Perry have quite an upside, and with continued skill development, they could be forces in the Oneonta area and beyond as time goes on. They're both lanky & active guards in the 5'8" range that hold down the wing spots for their squad. I was only able to see half of this game, and it's my first look at these two, so time will tell what I think of them in more detail - in these 16 minutes, Meghan in particular showed the ability to score from that position, and both showed defensive versatility and quality rebounding for position - looking forward to tracking these two going forward.

- Bainbridge-Guilford @ Sidney

2nd time catching Sidney, if you count the pre-Thanksgiving scrimmage I saw, and actually just my 1st B-G game this year. It was a high-scoring rout for B-G, ranked 5th in the state in the latest Class C state polls, ending in an 80-55 triumph. I was impressed with the growth in B-G 2019 standout Abigail Selfridge from the last time I've seen her play, which was actually back in the 2016 EST summer league. A strong & athletic 5'7" player who doesn't really have a natural position, she showed much more comfort attacking from the perimeter. She's always been tough around the rim and finishes through contact, and that hasn't changed. What has grown is her ability to hit the pull-up 12'-15' shot, along with increased range on her jumper. She went to the midrange J about a half-dozen times during the game, while also stepping out and hitting a three - something relatively new to her game. Along with Abi, the growth in the game of her younger sister, 2021 Erica Selfridge, is starting to shine through. She's a 5'6" guard with extremely long arms - perhaps a wingspan of 6' or more. While in, she was tasked with guarding Sidney's best player throughout. Her length allows her to tip passes that many others can't, and she can be pesky against a ballhandler by poking the ball away easily. Offensively, she's a knockdown shooter, finding a way to convert 3 open looks into 9 points during the game. She has a greater upside than I previously realized, and I'm becoming more & more intrigued by her growth on the basketball court. Finally, the improvement I saw in B-G 2018 post Megan Palmatier's game can't be understated. Previously just a back-to-basket big, she showed much-improved ability in the face-up game - something that opens her game up drastically. She didn't step outside the 3 point line, but she did knock down a pair of long 2s. Another time she stepped out, she got her defender in the air on a shot fake & made a strong left-handed baseline drive into an inside hand finish at the rim. B-G's numerous offensive weapons - and the multi-faceted nature of these players - makes them a tough team to defend.

What Happened Today

- As mentioned just above, Abi Selfridge (Bainbridge-Guilford 2019) had herself a night - really, a 3rd quarter - in their victory over Sidney at half. After scoring 6 points in the 1st half, having sat a few minutes with 2 fouls, she came out of the locker room on a tear. She put up 16 points in the 3rd quarter, where her team broke it open into the 20s, and a 3 point play early in the 4th before she was taken out for the remainder of the game gave her 19 points in a 9 minute stretch. She added 6 rebounds and 5 steals.

- It's late in the season, so we're in senior night mode. Mohonasen's senior night was Tuesday, which marks the last (regular season) home game for longtime standout and Davidson signee Saeeda Abdul-Aziz. She treated the home crowd with a game high 23 points, pushing her over the 1,600 point mark for her career, in a 54-41 victory.

- The high scorer of the night out of 2016 ESTers, albeit in defeat, came from the left hand of Schalmont 2018 Madison Graber. Graber dropped a game high 30 points for her squad in a 53-52 double overtime defeat to Ichabod Crane. Fellow Schalmont 2018 Paige Brinkman, along with stuffing the stat line, joined her in double digits with 11.

- The game of the night was certainly the highly anticipated matchup between Section II Class AA powers Shaker and Shenendehowa. Shaker was able to get the job done on the road, coming out with a 53-47 victory. There were 7 ESTers on the court between these two elite teams, and it looks & sounds like they all produced for their squads. Shaker received major contributions from Army West Point signee CeCe Mayo, who led all scorers with 18 points, and they also got 11 points - and a phenomenal defensive effort - from 2018 Shyla Sanford. It was another game in double digits for both Shen 2018 standouts Alexandra Tudor and Cameron Tooley - Tudor paced them with 14 points, and point guard Tooley added 10.

- Shoutout to Bethlehem 2017 standout PG and Middlebury bound Emily Wander, who's been producing at an eye-popping rate lately. She only continued that trend Tuesday, pumping in a game high 26 points in their 72-59 W over Guilderland. Backcourt mate Molly Kirby, a junior, added 18 points. Their increased contributions after losing Molly's twin sister Maggie Kirby to a knee injury has been much-needed.

Some More

- Averill Park 2018 Stephanie Jankovic led all scorers with 12 points - in limited minutes - in their 72-22 blowout W over Burnt Hills.
- Guilderland 2017 and St. John Fisher bound Olivia Baumann finished with 15 points in their 72-59 setback to Bethlehem.
- Jamesville-Dewitt 2017 and Bryant commit Julia Kelner led all scorers with 17 points in their 58-27 win over Oswego.
- Delaware Academy 2018 Logan Bruce had a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 10 assists, in their 56-25 victory over Deposit. Addy Sackett, a Delaware Academy senior and SUNY Plattsburgh commit, added 10 points in the win.
- Cobleskill-Richmondville 2018 Allie Pacatte led all scorers with 12 points in their defeat at Oneonta.
- Mount Everett (MA) 2019 Gwendolyn Carpenter led her team with 20 points in their 52-48 victory over rival Lee.
- South Jefferson 2018 standout Jenna Zimmerman filled the stat line in 3 quarters of action, finishing with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 6 blocks in their 64-34 victory over Lowville.

Where You'll See Me Next

Had to make a last-minute plan change on this, as where I was planning to originally go (Moriah for their contest against Northern Adirondack) was postponed. Tonight will keep me in Section II, as I head to Valatie to watch Ichabod Crane host Catholic Central. It'll be my first time seeing Ichabod Crane this year, and a good chance to see Tara Sager, their senior and 2 year ESTer headed to Division II Florida Southern in the fall. I also get a first look at 2020 Madison Graham, who has burst onto the scene of late with some big scoring games. CCHS is no secret, a dominant force in the Colonial that can legitimately go 10 deep. It'll be my 4th time seeing them this season, with 2016 ESTer Emily Frodyma and a host of strong talent across the board.