Gabriel Richard v. Ferndale: Practice And Scrimmage Evals Part 2
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard and Ferndale had a joint practice and scrimmage last Saturday. There was a lot of high level talent in the gym.
In Part 1 we took a closer look at 6 of the players from that morning.
In Part 2, we'll look at 7 more players that impressed at the scrimmage and practice.
Vanessa Rodriguez (2026, PG, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard)
Rodriguez was outstanding on Saturday. She was dangerous with the ball in a variety of ways. Rodriguez worked right to left, effectively moving the defense out of position and then coming back, feeding the interior for good looks at the rim. She also looked up the floor and advanced the ball with a 2 handed pass for a bucket at the rim. Rodriguez was able to pass her way out of pressure on multiple occasions. Speaking of her outstanding passing, she even showed nice touch on a feed to the paint. Did we mention Rodriguez and her passing? Well, she also passed well working off a screen, hitting the screener over top when they rolled to the rim.
Demi Bolton (2025, CG, Ferndale)
Bolton was fun to watch on Saturday. She showed that she's going to be a dangerous shooter this high school season. She was able to catch the ball and release in rhythm. Bolton hit a pretty catch and shoot corner 3 early in the day and her shooting continued from there. She showed the ability to bury a deep jumper off the bounce as well. Bolton read the defense off a screen. When the defender went under the screen to her right, she took a couple dribbles left away from the action and buried the triple.
Kaniya Watts (2026, PG, Ferndale)
Watts certainly made an impression in the practice and scrimmage. Let's start with her defense. She was tough and physical on the perimeter. Watts was a disciplined defender with good feet, as she wasn't shaken or caught with happy feet on a jab step or crossover move. She even turned defense into offense with a steal and score. Watts showed that she can be electric on offense as well. She had a fast first step on a drive with her right that she finished at the rim.
Saige Edmondson (2025, PF, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard)
Honestly, Edmondson just looks like a college basketball player. The Lake Superior State University commit has impressive strength and appears to be college ready. Edmondson uses her combination of strength and mobility on the defensive end. She showed toughness and versatility on D and looked like she can effectively guard opponents on the perimeter and in the paint. I liked the way that Edmondson worked the glass as well. She didn't stand and wait for the ball, but used her athleticism and went up high after it.
Malia Taylor (2028, PG, Ferndale)
Taylor looked like she'll be a big time asset on the defensive end of the floor for Ferndale this season. She was active and engaged on D and brought a lot of energy to that end. She was incredibly fast with quick feet when guarding on the perimeter. Offensively, she has tremendous upside and the ability to be dynamic with the ball. Taylor was able to touch the paint off a left to right crossover and make plays for herself or her teammates from there. On one occasion, she read a mismatch and attacked the D with a fast first step.
Courtney Dyer (2027, F, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard)
Dyer is a young player that will have the opportunity to learn from some great teammates this year. I liked some things that I saw from her on Saturday. She wasn't afraid of contact and was able to convert on an offensive rebound and put back bucket in traffic. Dyer did a nice job finding and filling empty space and even put herself in position for a couple dump off passes from driving teammates.
Janiya Larry (2026, C, Ferndale)
It was easy to see the upside in Larry's game on Saturday. She has the potential to be really dangerous on the glass. Larry looks for the box out when a shot goes up and can be physical with anybody. She had a couple very impressive offensive rebounds and put backs in the scrimmage portion of the day.