6th Grade COBBA Playoffs-Day One Report

Rayanna Howell, Alyssa Horsley, Gigi Bowers, Berry Wallace & Ava Schiff

We had the opportunity to spend some time at Reynoldsburg High School on Sunday while covering our first girl’s basketball event.  We caught some very competitive games at COBBA’s 6^th grade playoffs.  Early in the day we watched Coach Ron Bess’ Pickerington Purple squad take down the Dublin Rocks 24-23.  Pickerington was led by the inside/outside duo of Berry Wallace (5’7”/PF/2024/Pickerington) and Rylee Bess (5’0”/PG/2025/Pickerington).  Bess is a dynamic little floor general who excels at both play making and scoring, while Wallace is a rebounding machine and an elite scorer.  Later in the day, Pickerington advanced to the third round with a 30-26 thriller over Olentangy. Barry Wallace led all scorers with a game-high 15 points, while Rylee Bess poured in another 9 points.

We also watched a slugfest between Teays Valley and Olentangy Liberty.  This was a very tight game right from the tip and included multiple lead changes and ties.  Teays Valley would ultimately prevail and go on to collect a 37-30 win to advance to the second round. There were a number talented players in this game including Alyssa Horsley (5’4”/CG/2024/Teays Valley) who exploded for a game-high 16 points.  Horsley was the best shooter we saw all day and her ability to shoot from beyond the arc is her gift. We also really liked Ava Shift (5’3”CG/2024/Teays Valley), who is tough as nails and always in attack mode.  Not only can she score the ball, she’s an elite defender and plays really hard.  She’s still developing her low post skills, but keep an eye on Kennedy Younkin (5’10’C/2024/Teays Valley), who already has big time size at a young age.  As her skill catches up with her length, Younkin could be a good one long term!

Rylee Bess, Jayden Tucker, Olivia Owens & Emma Karagheuzoff

Another contender for the 6^th grade title is Westerville United, who is led by dynamic Rayanna Howell (5’3”/CG/2024/Columbus).  Howell is an elite scorer from all three levels.  She can knock down the 3-ball, get to the rack and hit the midrange jumper as well.  With that said, she’s more the a scorer, as she defends and rebounds at a high level, and she plays extremely hard and impacts the game at a high level. From what we saw, Howell is a star in the making!  Oh yea, she went for a game-high13 points in the 39-23 win over the Grove City Jammers.  We also saw some good things from Jaden Tucker (5’2”/PG/2024/Columbus), including the ability to handle the rock and get to the cup.

There were several other standouts on Sunday including Emma Karagheuzoff (4’8”/PG/2024/Powell), who has significant ball skills, Kadence Conley (5’1”/PG/2024/Dublin), who scored a team-high 9 points against Pickerington Purple. Based on what we saw with Olivia Owens (PG/2024/Olentangy), her name will be added to our 2024 statewide “Watch List.”  We look forward to seeing many of the above-mentioned players at our March 10^th Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase.

Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase Information Page