On paper, this was a game that should have been won by the Black squad, which featured four veteran players, including all everything Anna Freeman and low post threat Courtney Freeman. Sophomore Katie Mallow also provided an outside scoring threat for the Black Squad, but Mallow is primarily a shooting guard and was the only true ball handler on the team. The Gold squad, which won 93-68, inlcuded the bigger lineup and also had a small advantage the Black squad could not make up for – having an extra player on the bench.
Along with having a deeper bench, the Gold squad had the benefit of having both of the teams point guards on their side in Raven Gary and Jessica Barrios. Gary will most likely be the starting point guard over Barrios, who returns after sitting out last season with an injury. The Gold squad used the deeper bench and better ball handling to their advantage, only turning the ball over twelve times in the simulated game. The Black squad was forced into twenty five turnovers which led to nine more shot attempts for the Gold squad. The nine extra shots were also parlayed into nine more assists for the Gold, who held a 23-14 advantage in that category. The rebounding battle was even, as the Black squad led that category with a 36-34 advantage. Both teams grabbed 13 offensive boards a piece.
The Gold squad was led by a Maryah Sydnor who poured in a game high 38 points on 15/25 shooting. Sydnor was also 3/4 behind the arc and grabbed a game high 11 rebounds. Kelsey Sharkey was named the MVP of the game with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists, just missing out on the rare triple-double. Despite being named MVP, Sharkey was 0-8 from the free throw line.
The Black squad was led by Courtney Freeman with 21 points and nine rebounds. She was also perfect from the free throw line going 7-7. Anna Freeman scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds. Katie Mallow scored 14 points, going 3/5 from behind the arc.
The exciting part around a scrimmage is being able to see the freshman for the first time. The year’s team includes five new faces with a high priority placed on the inside. Khadejah Wilkerson and Lashawna Gatewood stood out in this game, scoring ten and twelve points respectively. Beyond their work on the offensive end, these two stand out as the most college ready players on the defensive end as well. They will mix well with the current players and Darcie Vincent’s style of play. The remaining freshman, Bria Huffman, Farrahn Wood, and Keke Cooper all played significant minutes but were rather quiet. Huffman played all forty minutes, so it is obvious she is well conditioned and talented. Cooper and Wood were a combined 1-9 from the floor.