This year was the first year for the Hoops for Harvest event at Dixie Heights High School in Northern Kentucky. Needless to say, the Hoops for Harvest was a successful event that featured a great atmosphere, great games, and great hospitality. Dixie Heights High School teamed up with Bret McCormick to bring in some of the top teams in Kentucky as well as teams from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee.
This recap will feature a breakdown of the event and some of the standout players.
Simon Kenton High School (Independence, KY)
Simon Kenton found themselves paired up in the first game of the day against a very tough Montini Catholic team. Despite the struggles for Simon Kenton, they still had plenty of talent on its roster. Ally Niece struggled at times, but also looked very good at times against the bigger guards of Montini Catholic. She made some very nice passes in addition to finishing some tough shots. Shelby Harmeyer showed in the contest that she can shoot the ball with the range. Bailee Harney also gained the attention of the opposing team with her three point shooting ability. All three are solid D-1 guards.
Montini Catholic (Chicago, IL)
The first thing I noticed at tip-off was the absence of Syracuse signee, Nikki Oppenheimer. Needless to say, Montini Catholic is still an elite team in her absence. Ohio University commit, Kaylee Bambule, caught my attention quickly with her impressive three-point shooting ability. She knocked down six three's in the first contest against Simon Kenton. In the two games that Montini Catholic played on the day (versus Simon Kenton & Pickerington Central), Montini Catholic received great post play from the duo of BCS prospects in Aaliyah Patty and Lindsey Jarosinski. They are both different type of post players, but impressive in their own right. I was came away very impressed with 2019 prospect Zoe Zacker. Zacker showcased a great passing ability and a high IQ. This team is filled with prospects for every level.
Hamilton Heights (Chattanooga, TN)
The day went as planned for Hamilton Heights picking up two wins, a big win over Mercy Academy, and a tough grind-it-out game against a good Mercer County team. Hamilton Heights saw great play from Jazmine Massengill, Elizabeth Balogun, and Amber Hunt in both games, each doing their usual. The highlight of the day for Hamilton Heights came in the Mercer County came where they saw outstanding play from freshmen, Kamilla Cardosa and Treasure Hunt. This was the most impressive basketball that I had seen each of them play in my time of watching them since their arrival on the scene. Cardosa did an outstanding job of dominating on both the offensive and defensive end. Her play resulted in an offer from Ohio State immediately following the game. Treasure showcased her capability of knocking down deep three's, several coming from the volley ball line area.
Northwestern High School (Kokomo, IN)
Northwestern was a very intriguing team to watch. This team was very young, but that did not matter. Freshmen, Kendall Bostic (6'1 F) and Madison Layden (6'1 G), were both very impressive young prospects. They both showed a high level game that proved to me that they are both potential BCS prospects. Northwestern also saw nice play from 2019 Taylor Boruff. The lefty showed her ability to score at any level on the floor. Senior, Brianna Hahn, had the highlight of the day as she knocked down a game winning lay-up with 4 seconds on the clock against Scott County.