The Mid-Season Check: No Mercy

It feels like yesterday, I was excited about walking into the Valley Central gym for my first actual games of the winter. Well, as it goes in a Steve Miller Band song, time keeps on slippin'... and we're basically at the midway point of the regular season. One thing I've been struggling to keep up with this year is nightly recaps of EST summer leaguers and how they do in their high school games, so enjoy this project instead!

No Mercy had a boatload of talent on their team in the 5th annual EST Summer League. They ended up earning a top 4 seed, finishing the season 7-5 after losing both games in the final night, but they found themselves undermanned in 3 of the 5 losses. At full strength, they took the league by storm. They're all putting in work with their high school teams and many are having team success. Check it out:

Meg Huerter was one of EST's best & most efficient scorers, and she's continuing to show it in the winter with Shen.

No Mercy had a very Shen tint to it, down to the jersey colors. 5 of their regular players don the Plainsmen green in the winter - Meghan Huerter (Shenendehowa 2021), Jillian Huerter (Shenendehowa 2022), Rylee Carpenter (Shenendehowa 2021), Kaitlyn Watrobski (Shenendehowa 2020, St. Thomas Aquinas signee), and Sam Lee (Shenendehowa 2021). If you've been paying attention, you already know that Shen's been running through their opponents so far. They're 8-0 with the closest margin of victory being 15. The rest of their wins have been by 23 or more, with 4 of them being 40+ point victories, and they're currently ranked #3 in the latest NYSSWA Class AA state poll.

Meg's been lighting it up & leading the way in the scoring column. She's averaging 19.3 PPG (tied for 11th in Section II) with a season high of 28. Her three games scoring 20+ points were arguably against their toughest opponents. She's hit 23 threes on the young season and is shooting an eye-opening 90.2% from the line (37/41). There's been plenty of balance behind her as Shen is wildly deep and a team-oriented group. Jill has been coming off the bench, but sees plenty of run and is next in line in the scoring column at 9.3 PPG (season high 14). She's also been nearly automatic at the line, shooting 21/24 (87.5%). Kaitlyn, who committed and signed to Division II power St. Thomas Aquinas in the fall, is averaging 8.5 PPG with a season high of 16 at the Amsterdam Holiday Showcase. She's hit 14 threes on the season, and we're still waiting for her to miss a free throw - she's hit all 10 of her attempts. Rylee is right behind her, averaging 8.3 PPG with a season high of 13 and a handful of double digit scoring nights. She's also shooting well from the line - 75% (18/24) to this point - might not be a good idea to put this crew on the line. Sam has been seeing increased run off the bench and is averaging 4 PPG, but her value has been felt on the boards, defensively, and with her all-around energy.

Kaitlyn Watrobski is an important part of a deep, balanced Shen attack. The St. Thomas Aquinas signee is averaging 8.5 PPG.

No Mercy certainly had more than Shen though, as players from four other Suburban Council schools and a Colonial Council standout made their mark.

Olivia Olsen (Niskayuna 2021) has been on a tear this winter. Her production at the high school level has catapulted almost like her Division I recruitment has in recent months - similar to a couple listed above. Liv's pumping in 24.1 PPG with a season high of 41 points against Guilderland, and she recently put up 30+ again in a win. Her scoring average is good for 2nd in Section II at this point. Her presence is also felt beyond the scoreboard, as the ultra-athletic 6'2" forward is a menace defensively and on the boards. She's led Nisky to a fast start, as they've gone 8-1 with their lone loss being to undefeated Saratoga.

Speaking of Saratoga... can't forget about Abby Ray (Saratoga Springs 2021). There are glue kids, and then there's Abby, who calling 'super glue' might not even do her justice. She's averaging 6.8 PPG with a season high of 14 for the 8-0 Blue Streaks, ranked #7 in the latest NYSSWA Class AA polls, and she's knocked down 26 of her 27 free throw attempts. She has a major impact outside of anything in the box score, though. Abby's generally tasked with defending the opposition's best player, helps with ballhandling duties, and is a good distributor & playmaker for a team who's scored at least 64 points in every game.

Abby Ray is an extremely valuable part of her Saratoga squad and has been integral to their early success.

Makayla Blake has picked it up more in her senior season as her Colonie team looks to use their forwards as a strength over much of their Class AA competition. After committing to Division II St. Michael's in the summer & signing in the fall, she's averaging 10.4 PPG for a balanced Raider squad with a season high of 18. She's picked it up recently, averaging 14 PPG over her last three games, and Colonie has been on a tear. They've won 8 straight with a couple quality wins under their belt, and they find themselves at #17 in the latest NYSSWA Class AA polls.

Julia DeBeatham has been consistent while stepping into more of a leadership role as the elder statesman for a wild-card Shaker squad. She committed and signed to Division II Queens in the fall, and Jules is now averaging 10 PPG to lead a very balanced Blue Bison team. She's hit 11 threes and is shooting 79.6% (35/44) from the free throw line while handling point guard duties. Shaker finds themselves at 5-5 after a brutal early season schedule, which included 4 games against state-ranked Class AA opponents and over a month in between home games.

Julia DeBeatham has been pacing the Shaker attack - the Queens signee is averaging 10 PPG while running the point.

Madison Graham was the only one on the No Mercy roster not from a Suburban Council. The Ichabod Crane standout 2020 committed & signed to Division II Adelphi in the fall. Her Riders squad has struggled out of the gate, but they look to be getting on the right track after finally breaking into the win column earlier this week. Graham, as has been the case over the previous couple years, is attracting the lion's share of defensive attention from opponents. She's averaging 12.3 PPG to this point with a season high of 19.

NO MERCY Summer League Stats (notable)

Team Record: 7-5 (4th)

Makayla Blake (Colonie 2020, St. Michael's signee) - 7.2 PPG (high 17), 2.7 RPG, 16/38 FG (42.1%), 6 games played

Rylee Carpenter (Shenendehowa 2021) - 9 PPG (high 17 twice), 3 RPG, 2 APG, 1.2 BPG, 33/81 FG (40.7%), 8 threes, 10 games played

Julia DeBeatham (Shaker 2020, Queens signee) - 5 PPG (high 10), 2.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1 SPG, 7 games played

Madison Graham (Ichabod Crane 2020, Adelphi signee) - 5.4 PPG (high 8 twice), 2 RPG, 9 threes, 8 games played

Jillian Huerter (Shenendehowa 2022) - 6 PPG (high 12), 3.1 RPG, 2.4 APG (9th in EST), 1.1 SPG, 8 games played

Meghan Huerter (Shenendehowa 2021) - 11.1 PPG (2nd in EST - high 20), 4.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 33/79 FG (41.8%), 17/42 3P (40.5%) - 2nd threes made, 4th 3P%, 8 games played

Sam Lee (Shenendehowa 2021) - 1.1 PPG, 5 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 10 games played

Olivia Olsen (Niskayuna 2021) - 11 PPG (3rd in EST - high 21), 8.1 RPG (5th in EST), 1.1 SPG, 2.9 BPG (1st in EST), 55/87 FG (63.2% - 1st in EST), 11 games played

Abby Ray (Saratoga Springs 2021) - 2 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.7 APG (6th in EST), 11 games played

Kaitlyn Watrobski (Shenendehowa 2020; St. Thomas Aquinas signee) - 7 PPG (high 10 twice), 4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 9 threes, 7 games played

Rylee Carpenter made things happen in the EST summer league for No Mercy, and she continues to with her Shen squad.