Brandon Folsom via Hometownlife.com

MLive.com's Jared Purcell tabbed Farmington Hills Mercy's Maya White as one of the top-25 girls basketball players in metro Detroit in a pre-season article he wrote earlier this week. 

And it's easy to see why the forward is so heralded. 

During the Marlins' 50-28 opening-night victory over White Lake Lakeland on Tuesday, the junior used her 6-foot-1 frame to battle down low with ease. 

She's the only returning starter from last year's squad, which graduated four different Division I college athletes. They lost seven players in all.

The fundamentals and mechanics she uses to create high-percentage shots in the paint should make her one of the best players in the Catholic League. She totaled just six points against the Eagles, but scoring wasn't required from her in an early-season tune-up that saw Mercy lead 18-2 after the first quarter. 

But this game story isn't just about White. She's a proven commodity already. This writing is actually about Sophie Dugas, a rotational player from a year ago, who's now both a captain and starter. She showed in the opener that she'd be worthy of making Purcell's top-25 list should he ever redo it later this winter. 

Mercy's success starts with its defense, especially its half-court 1-2-2 trap that it employs. Leading the charge with the pressure all night was Dugas, who scored a game-high 11 points. Transition basket after transition basket started with either Dugas getting a steal or the senior joining her teammates in a trap. 

Both her first-quarter baskets came in transition, including one field goal off her own steal. She added another fast break bucket in the third and immediately followed it up with a 3-pointer. 

She has the skill set to dribble through the paint for contested layups or catch and shoot from downtown off a screen.

Had Mercy not been so deep in 2020, she likely would've been a bigger contributor. Now she's getting her chance to show just how talented she is as a third-year varsity player. 

"Sophie is very good defensively," coach Gary Morris said. "The fact that she's a senior (makes her a captain), and we only have two seniors (6-footer Sarah Cunningham is the other). I think she's looking to lead in terms of doing things on the floor. She's a good offensive player. She's got the ability to shoot from the outside, but she can also take the ball to the basket. She's a hard worker. She comes to practice every day ready to work and get better."