The Harrison Classic: Stock Risers and Game Changers

<p>We’re about halfway through our high school regular season here in Indiana, and the Harrison Classic in West Lafayette is a highly sought after tournament pulling teams from all over Indiana from multiple classes. Heritage Christian (2A #2 and defending state champion) won the whole thing, but it’s more about the players that caught my eye, despite their team’s shortcomings. </p> <p><strong>Harrison</strong></p> <p>The hosts were, far and away, the tallest team in attendance. Putting the two toughest teams in their own pool to start the tournament (Heritage Christian and Lowell) was a daunting task, but a necessary one for the successful development of these Raiders. I was impressed with the play of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108601" first="Josie" last="Hanas"] (’22, 5-8, OH), </strong>whose steady ball control and calculated shots in the attack led me to believe that she plays a little outdoor ball in her spare time. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108602" first="Payton" last="Daulton"] (’22, 5-11, MB) </strong>was both an offensive and defensive force in the middle, and when she rotated to the back row, the team felt it. The hidden gem, however, was freshman <strong>Riley Whitlock (’24, 6-0, OH), </strong>who’s going to be something special soon. Her size and smooth approach will have many coaches drooling over her development. Stay tuned on this one.</p> <p><strong>Lowell</strong></p> <p>In an average tournament, I would never get the chance to see Lowell play, considering how far north they reside. I jumped at the chance to see them play against both the hosts and Heritage Christian, and liked what I saw. Although <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108607" first="Ava" last="Copak"] (’23, 6-0, MB)</strong> is listed as a middle, she can also be used as a heavy-armed pin attacker. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108604" first="Brooke" last="Shapley"] (’22, 6-2, RS) </strong>also played a different position than listed; she was the M2 for the entire time I saw them play their morning wave. Her block is massive, and I didn’t even know she was primarily a right side until I looked at the program. Her natural ability to block from pin to pin led me to believe that she’s a natural middle.</p> <p><strong>Covington</strong></p> <p>Winning their pool over Danville (16-14 in the third!) and Rochester had them paired with the Heritage Christian buzzsaw in the final pool, unfortunately. But in the morning pool, I got a chance to watch <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102533" first="Holly" last="Linville"] (’22, 5-10, MB) </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85865" first="Amber" last="Cruser"] (’22, 6-0, RS)</strong> run the offensive show for the Trojans. Holly is quick in her transition and can block from pin to pin with ease. Amber played all the way around, and even helped in serve receive while in the back row. This lefty hammer can hit from the front and back rows equally, and is an important part of the attack.</p> <p><strong>Rochester</strong></p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-108610" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/09/64693871-E821-4AFC-909D-85A79F6878EC-rotated-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <p>When I saw their roster in the program, I saw TWENTY TWO players. Hoo boy, how will I see all of these kids? The answer presented itself quickly, as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108603" first="Emily" last="Hughes"] (’22, 6-0, OH)</strong> is easily the most polished player for the Zebras. Her smooth and easy attack jump has her panning out to be a pin attacker at the next level, but she also played middle for Rochester on this day. </p> <p><strong>Pioneer</strong></p> <p>Winning their pool over Clinton Prairie and Fort Wayne South Side were the Panthers, who had injury issues coming in. Stud middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101316" first="Madison" last="Blickenstaff"] (’21, 6-0, MB)</strong> had to play all the way around as a primary passer, and was still effective against the tough serving yesterday. This also thrust <strong>Brooklyn Borges (’24, 6-0, MB)</strong> into a starting role as the M2, and she did just fine, thankyouverymuch. once she builds her upper body strength, she’ll be fine. Three-sport all-star <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108605" first="Hailey" last="Cripe"] (’22, 5-6, RS)</strong> is also listed as a setter, but was a heavy-armed right side on this day. </p> <p><strong>Clinton Prairie</strong></p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-108611" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/09/3ED3ADF3-9E33-45F4-AD11-60DE3150B87D-rotated-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <p>One of the shorter teams in attendance, it became clear almost immediately who their primary attacker was. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108606" first="Sydney" last="Swan"] (’23, 5-10, OH)</strong> should never come out of the game for the remainder of her high school career, as this Boiler Juniors-trained primary passer is the engine that makes this team go. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>