Neal, Daniels first team all-Jeffco

The 4A Jeffco League girls basketball coaches have spoken and their consensus is that two of the league’s top players competed for Summit High School.

Lady Tiger guards Samantha Neal and Cissy Daniels were both named to the 4A Jeffco League’s first team following Summit’s 17-8 season. In addition, Neal finished second in player of the year voting, while Daniels was fifth.

Golden senior Blakelee Midyett collected league most valuable player honors for the second straight season.

According to Summit coach Jeff Neal, Sam Neal and Daniels were widely considered the best backcourt duo in the 4A Jeffco League this season.

“At the coaches meeting, I described Sam and Cissy as bookends,” Jeff Neal said. “I think the other coaches agreed with me. A lot of them said both players had tremendous years and it was hard to differentiate between the two of them.”

Sam Neal, a sophomore sharpshooter, led the 4A Jeffco League in scoring with 17.5 points per game. Opposing defenses were instantly cognizant of Neal’s scoring prowess after she lit it up as a freshman, while leading all of 4A with 71 3-pointers made. Due to her reputation, Summit’s shooting guard encountered a myriad of double teams and box-and-one defenses throughout the season, making her scoring crown especially impressive. Neal also finished second in the league in steals (91) and third in assists (94).

Daniels, the Lady Tigers’ point guard, was a four-year starter at SHS. In her final campaign with Summit, she finished third in the league in scoring (14.8 ppg), second in assists (128) and seventh in steals (54).

Daniels’ sound abilities as a floor general will be sorely missed by the Tigers next season. Outgoing seniors Amanda Neal and Allie Esparza will also leave a significant void in their wake.

“We were a senior-dominant team,” Jeff Neal said “We’ll have our work cut out for us next year; those three will leave us with a huge hole to fill.”

Amanda Neal, who led the league with 3.9 blocks per game, was named to the all-league second team.

Post player Lynlee Holloway received honorable mention for the second consecutive season. Following a sophomore season in which she didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer, Holloway finished her junior year third in the league and seventh in the state with 44 3-pointers made.

“To say she came out of nowhere as an outside threat would be an understatement,” Jeff Neal said.

After posting a 6-3 record in Jeffco play, the Tigers claimed third place for the second consecutive season.

“I’m very happy,” coach Neal said. “Finishing third in the league but still getting two players on the first team says a lot for our program.”

Adam Boffey can be contacted at (970) 668-3998, ext. 13631, or at aboffey@summitdaily.com.