St Peters School to Make it Their Year

This is the start of everything here for High School Top 200 Girls Basketball and it’s going to start it off with St Peters School Cambridge being the No.1 team in the country, with the No.1 player in the country Charlisse Leger-Walker and maybe even the 2nd best player in the country Ella Bradley. This is 2018 and HS Top 200 is picking St Peters School Cambridge to go all the way to the National Title game and win it all, but is it to early to make that call? I don’t think so, here are the reasons why.

First off and I’ll start with what’s easiest to pick out and that’s Charlisse Leger-Walker the best Girls High School player in the country. Charlisse has been maybe the best player in the country in my mind for the second year in a row, if I started High School Top 200 last year I could have had her at No.1 with maybe players like Olivia O’Neill, Lawrin Tipene, Tsubasa Nisbet and Charlotte Whittier all making a push for the top spot. Charlisse for the NZ U17 Team was averaging in 27.3 mins on the court 15.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and also a block and steal per game. Charlisse is very much a scorer with her game being that of a scorer and can get to the basket in many different ways. Charlisse has a very good mid range shot that she can hit from anywhere on the court which gives her the option of shot fakes, which she could then take it to the basket for the easy 2 and in hopes of a chance at the free throw line. Her vision makes her dangerous with ball in hand and being able to draw and create on the run without over dribbling and eating up the shot clock. Her Basketball IQ for me sets her apart from a lot of players in the country, sure she is strong going to the basket, hitting jumpers, locking down as a defender but she knows whats going on and how to use it to her advantage.

With Charlisse the No.1 player in the country for her team is great but when you have another player like Ella Bradley another NZ U17 player that can ball out and could end up being the 2nd best player in the country its hard to go past this team as the best in the country. Ella was part of a very strong bench last year for the NZ U17’s coming off the bench scoring 10 points and grabbing 7 boards against Thailand. I think this team could go many different ways because they have someone like Ella with her ability to play with the guard and at speed, or bang down low and get physical with the big girls. Ella can shoot it out when she gets those open shots and because she makes every possession count she doesn’t take bad shots. Her strength will let her over power the guards and bring the big girls out of the key hole because of her shooting and expose the driving lanes.

From last years team that came second in the country to St Mary’s College Wellington, St Peters School Cambridge have 9 turning players this year. They have lost a couple of their starting 5 but with Charlisse and Ella still there controlling the game, the rotation on and off the bench wont be a factor. Players like Jayzelee Waihi, Alana Paewai and Emma Baker all sharing time and filling in the roles of spreading the floor, ball movement and screens with options to drop to the basket for easy 2’s. Francesca Piceno, Kirsten Rawson, Ahi Williams will be there for the toughness and leadership to give Ella and Charlisse a break from scoring and taking it to the rack. The Coaching staff is also a factor with this group of girls, they have all been through this a couple of times, they will have that unfulfilled feeling of being so close to winning another Title and so that drive and hunger gives them that extra push after the hard work and talent runs low. Picking them this early my seems like a stretch to you but I think this team has it and that’s why I pick them to win this year National Title.

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