Detroit, MI - The 9th Annual Best of Michigan Holiday Classic brought out some of the top college programs in the country and the lady ballers on the schedule did not disappoint. Each game was action-packed and kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. The event lived up to its hype and was once again the place to be for girls basketball.
Alexa Downey 2021 5’6” Guard Grosse Pointe South H.S.
Alexa was the floor leader for her team, even when she was on the bench. She helped her team get an early lead and eventually a running clock by simply doing the things good players do. She shot the ball well, found the open man, and played solid defense. She finished with 12 points.
Sydney Balan 2019 5’5” Guard Gabriel Richard H.S.
Balan is quick and plays extremely hard. She was great at seeing the court and trying to move the ball forward during transition, hitting the open man or taking the ball to rim herself. Sydney gave all she had until the final buzzer. She finished the game with 9 points.
Kailee Davis 2021 5’5” PG Detroit Renaissance H.S.
After a disappointing loss to Chandler Park last week, it looks like Kaliee Davis said not again on my watch. She consistently left the crowd with Ooos and Ahhs as she showcased her arsenal of handles and crafty passes. Davis was not only the leader of her team but the leader on the court! She finished with a game-high 21 points.
Mahri Petree 2019 5’11” Wing Arbor Prep H.S. (signed with Bradley University)
The most impressive thing about Petree was her relentlessness. She dove for loose balls, played scrappy defense, bullied her way to the basket and refused to give up. Even when she was on the bench you could hear her encouraging her team to keep fighting. Her hustle and hard work from start to finish showed how much of a lady baller she truly is. She finished with a team-high 18 points.
Molly Davis 2019 5’7” PG H.H. Midland Dow H.S. (Signed with Central Michigan University)
Once Molly found her rhythm, there was really no stopping her. She moved aggressively with the ball in her hands and did a great job of creating shots for herself and her teammates. Molly brought that same intensity to the defensive end of the court, causing Huron to turn the ball over on multiple possessions. She had a team-high 19 points.
Kaiden Glenn 2021 5’10” Post Ann Arbor Huron H.S.
Kaiden had a good inside and outside game for Huron. She fought hard on the boards for rebounds, she played good defense in the paint and on the perimeter and led her team in scoring. She moved well without the ball, making herself available for easy shots. She finished with 12 points.
Destiny Strother 2019 5’8” Guard Flint Carman-Ainsworth H.S. (Signed with Marquette University)
Known for her sharpshooting talents, Destiny focused on the quick easy buckets this game. She made great cuts and slashes to the basket to open herself up and finished strong. She also got up the court well during transition, making herself available for easy layups and wide open threes. Although she finished with a game-high 24 points, it wasn’t enough to get her team the win.
Alexis Johnson 2019 5’10” Post Southfield A&T H.S. (Signed with Marshall)
Johnson was the muscle and strength for Southfield and often the energy they needed to get their motors going when they were behind. Nobody crashed the boards as she did. She went to the hoop strong and often drew the foul and spent plenty of time at the stripe. Alexis finished with a team-high 20 points.
Mila Reynolds 2022 6’2” Wing/Post South Bend Washington H.S. (IN)
Although she sometimes seemed frustrated with herself, Reynolds never stopped playing hard on both ends of the court. She did a little bit of everything, including playing the point guard position and still finished with a team-high 11 points.
Ally Vantimmeren 2021 6’1” Post Jenison H.S.
Ally was any and everything her team needed. She scored at critical moments, most of her points being in the paint as she made several strong moves to the basket. She led fast breaks, blocked shots, and snagged rebounds. Ally’s hustle and hard work not got her team a victory but earned her MVP honors as well. She scored a game-high 15 points.
Maddie Novak 2019 5’10” Wing Detroit Country Day H.S. (Signed with Stetson)
Stuck in a sticky situation, Novak literally played until she had nothing left to give. Being the lone one standing of Country Day’s big 3 due to injury and foul trouble, she had to step up and take over the game on both ends of the court. She fought hard but wasn’t able to hold off the high energy Columbus Northland. She led her team with 23 points.
Alexandria Hamilton 2019 5’7” Guard Columbus Northland H.S. (OH) (Signed with St. Francis(PA))
Alexandria took over the game and never let it go. Her resiliency was unmatched and it was hard for anyone on the other team to stay in front of her. At halftime, she had 13 of her team’s 25 points. She finished strong at the rim and made great decisions with the ball. With 36 points, she finished with a game-high.
Alona Blackwell 2019 5’8’ Guard East Kentwood H.S. (Signed with Oakland University)
Shooting the ball from all over the court, Blackwell tried to be the match to light some fire in her team after going down by double digits. Knocking down three 3s at very critical times, Alona showed a lot of poise when it counted the most. She was the leading scorer for Kentwood with 27 points.
Zia Cooke 2019 5’9” Guard Toledo Rogers H.S. (Signed with South Carolina
Simply spectacular! There was nothing Zia Cooke could do wrong in the first half of the game. She’s an extremely smart player and was able to direct traffic and create shots for herself. She knew when to score and when to let her teammates shine. Even as she started to run out of gas, she finished with an amazing three-point play, and a career-high 43 points.
Kyla Jones 2019 5’9” Guard Whitney Young H.S. (IL)
Kyla started the game off hot, scoring 10 of her team’s first 16 points. Whether it was knocking down a short jumper or getting to the basket for an easy layup, Kyla was an offensive spark for her team. She made some great plays on the clutch to give her squad a fighting chance, but it wasn’t quite enough. She finished with the team high 24 points.
Jeanae Terry 2019 5’9” Guard Wayne Memorial H.S. (Signed with Illinois)
There was not a player on the court that could match what Terry was bringing or the level in which she was bringing it. Whether it was knocking down a long three, slashing to the rim, or getting assist after assist, Terry was directly or indirectly responsible for the majority of Wayne Memorial’s scoring. She finished with a game-high 30 points.
Damiya Hagemann 2021 5’7” Guard Detroit Edison H.S.
I would say that Damiya’s ability to step up and take over in such a big game was surprising, but I would not be telling the truth. The sensational sophomore once again showed why she is the top in class and an important piece of the Edison puzzle. She hit big shots, played amazing defense and got the ball to her teammates. She finished with a team-high 18 points.
Alexia Smith 2020 5’8” Guard Columbus Africentric H.S. (OH)
Smith was the golden ticket for Africentric. She hustled, rebounded, got some crucial stops on defense, and hit buckets when they counted the most. She often used her strength to out muscle the person checking her, often drawing the foul and going to the free throw line. She finished the night with a game-high 22 points.
