Let’s take a look at the girls opening matchups for the start the SAC Holiday tournament:
#8 Snider vs. #9 Wayne, 9 a.m. on 12/26
This is a rematch of the conference game played on 12/13 with Snider coming out of Wayne with the 39-31 win. Payton Gorman is counted on so much for Snider and did come up big last Friday scoring a team-high 13pts. Wayne leans on freshman Shabrea O’Quinn, who leads the team in scoring with 8.5 pts/game but Shiara Alexander (8.5 reb/game) will be needed on the glass to keep Snider limited on 2nd chance points. Can Snider beat Wayne twice in a matter of 11 days is the question?
Match-up to watch out for: Jaiden Eastom (Snider) and Aniah Hill (Wayne)
#7 Northrop vs. #10 North Side, 12:30 p.m. on 12/26
Northrop has started the season very inconsistent and will look to get out to an early lead against the Legends They have 2 of the top juniors in the city w/ Destiny Jackson and Ti’Auna White plus sophomore J’Asia Scott that can really do some damage in this tourney if they can play consistently. North Side is still a work in progress under 1st-year head coach Michael Wallace but they do have a player in Ja’Shanek Brooks (9 pts/game) that can be a matchup nightmare. The key will be if North Side can protect the ball and limit their turnovers.
Match-up to watch out for: J’Asia Scott (Northrop) and Sumiyha Chambers (North Side)
#4 Bishop Luers vs. #5 Concordia, 4 p.m. on 12/26
Both of these teams can be a sleeper team in this tourney. Concordia does have a tremendous player in Chanteese Craig (9.7 pts/game 7.2 reb/game that can absolutely dominate on both sides of the court. It will be most important for Craig to stay out of foul trouble which has been an issue in the 1st half of the season. For Luers, they have one of the best players in the city with Lydia Reimbold (15 pts/game 7 reb/game). The supporting cast is talented but looking at the season thus far they have not been able to get out of their own way with not taking care of the ball. For Luers to be at their best they need to score so the D can set up and for Concordia, I believe they need to hit some shots for the defense to loosen up in the post which is the strength.
Match-up to watch out for: Kennedy Glenn (Bishop Luers) and Annaka Nelson (Concordia)
#3 South Side vs. #6 Bishop Dwenger, 9 a.m. on 12/27
South Side has played a tough schedule to open the season and start 6-2 with the 2 losses being by a combined 9pts. They just might have the best SAC backcourt in Jaci Jone (15pts/game) and Olivia Smith (14pts/game) which really leads them in the right way. However, for them to be great and to make the run to the finals they need Lamyia Woodson and Alaya Chapman to be aggressive but not pickup fouls away from the bucket. Dwenger, led by PG Molly Ream, is best when their defense is engaged and actively forcing turnovers. For the Saints to pull the upset they need to be solid defensively and knock down shots beyond the arc which they are more than capable of doing with the shooters they have starting and off the bench.
Match-up to watch out for: Lamyia Woodson (South Side) and Carissa Wiegman (Bishop Dwenger)
Girls Bracket
[mstw_tourney_bracket tourney=’2019-girls-sac-holiday-basketball-tournament-bracket’]
