Jayda Porter leads Rock Bridge past Park Hill South in Missouri girls basketball showdown
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI – Even though she was a freshman, Jayda Porter was one of the driving forces for the Rock Bridge girls basketball team during its 24-win season and Missouri Class 6 runner-up finish a year ago.
Now a year older, wiser, and more confident, the Bruins’ 6-foot-2 sophomore power forward had a dominant performance at the Norm Stewart Classic on Saturday while facing off against another of the top sophomores in the country.
Porter scored 26 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked four shots, dished out three assists and was named the game’s most valuable after leading Rock Bridge to a 66-52 victory over Park Hill South at Mizzou Arena.
“Jayda was doing Jayda things and that’s really good,” Rock Bridge coach Jill Nagel said. “We’re good when those things happen. She’s been coming off an injury, so I think this was the first game that Jayda probably felt like Jayda.
“She’s been doing well for us – she’s been averaging more than she did last year – but still coming off an injury. She wasn’t able to practice with us for about the first four weeks. She was on a bike, a stationary bike, and getting her cardio. She’s getting back in rhythm and I think this was the first game where she felt like she was kind of back.”
Rock Bridge (4-2), which went 24-8 a year ago, defeated Park Hill South 58-57 in the quarterfinals during its run to Springfield last winter. On Saturday, the Bruins bounced back from a 58-57 double-overtime loss to undefeated Kickapoo at the Willard Classic thanks to Porter’s performance and a strong all-around team effort.
Mari Miller, a junior guard, added 11 points and three steals. Lexi Butts, a senior guard, came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds, score six points, and dish out a team-high four assists.
“We just had to bounce back,” Porter said. “Everyone’s gonna have a tough loss here and there. In practice, we had to lock in and get ready for it.”
Park Hill South (2-2), which went 26-4 a year ago, was led by 16 points from Ava Kells and 14 from Avery Simmons.
Sophomore Addison Bjorn, one of the top prospects in the Class of 2026 nationally, had a slow start but finished with nine points and a team-high six rebounds.
“We’ve been playing against each other since we were in sixth, seventh grade,” Porter said of Bjorn, a 6-1 guard who won a gold medal with USA Basketball’s U16 team last summer. “We had to lock in in practice and focus up and get ready for her. She’s definitely one of the best out there.”
Porter and the Bruins have gotten the better of Bjorn and the Panthers in their two most recent matchups, but the standout players and their teams figure to see a few more memorable matchups over the next two and a half seasons.
On Saturday, the youngest member of the Porter family – basketball royalty in the Show-Me State that includes Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets and sisters Bri and Cierra, who led Rock Bridge to three state titles – showed how she continues to get better and better.
“I think I’m just more confident overall,” she said. “I think I’m just more confident. Just being a year older and not just being a freshman just helps.”
Rock Bridge - Park Hill South girls basketball
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- Nate Latsch | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveMiz
