City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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ATLANTIC CITY — The 2023 grassroots season has come to an end, the girls’ edition of the Hoop Group Showcase League closing out its action with this weekend’s championships at the AC Convention Center. The four-day event went from Friday through Monday, starting with showcase games and pool play and then moving into bracket play as the tournament progressed.

Here’s who stood out to the CoBL staff during Monday’s championship games:

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More HGSL Championship Coverage: Day 1 Standouts | Day 2 + 3 Standouts, Pt. 1 | Day 2 + 3 Standouts, Pt. 2 | Recruiting Notebook Pt. 1 |

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Abigail Grillo (2025 | Comets Select 16U)
Grillo put together a terrific weekend and finished that off with a 13-point outing to lead her team to a 16U Platinum championship on Monday. She flashed both her range and driving abilities in the title game win. Her ability to drive into the lane opened things for her teammates as well. Grillo said she’s felt herself playing stronger this summer and that materialized on the defensive end too as she fought for rebounds and stayed tough on her opponent. She will be at Padua (Del.) next season for her junior campaign.

Lola Ibarrondo (2024 | Mid-Atlantic Magic HGSL 17U)
Ibarrondo navigated a tough Lady Runnin’ Rebels defense in the 17U championship game, the 5-8 Neshaminy guard and Holy Family commit going for 11 points, three rebounds and three assists in the close loss. Ibarrondo showed her smooth jumper with a 3-pointer and a long two-pointer, and also got to the rim off the bounce and hit both of her foul shots. Most importantly, Ibarrondo was efficient with her touches and limited her mistakes, kept the ball moving in the half-court and never stopped working. 

Ava LaMonica (2026 | NJ Gemz EYBL 15U)
LaMonica helped her team close out a dominant run in AC with a 16-point performance in the 15U platinum title game over the Comets 2027 group. A 5-foot-9 point guard from Rutgers Prep, LaMonica plays with a lot of toughness and fearlessness on the court that helps her get to the hoop even when it appears others are in her way. Early in the game she also showed the ability to free herself with cuts and slips off the ball to make an impact. Late in the game she was in control when the Comets turned up the pressure. Her four steals on the defensive side were again a result of her aggressive style of play. 

Katie Liggio (2026 | NJ ShoreShots HGSL 15U)
Liggio’s sharpshooting sparked the ShoreShots early in their 15U HGSL win over NEPA Elite. The 5-foot-8 guard from Red Bank Catholic (N.J.) finished with 17 points, which included five first half threes. She has crisp form and a quick trigger and range that extends beyond the line. She later demonstrated she’s much more than a shooter with a drive to the bucket as well. Liggio’s on-ball defense was also part of a collective stifling effort from the ShoreShots that made everything hard for NEPA in the contest.

Lady Runnin’ Rebels 17U
Okay, maybe this is a cop-out. But when a local team wins the 17U HGSL championship, how can we not include them in standouts? And there wasn’t really a standout performance from the group: nine different players scored, led by Gabby Bowes’ (Germantown Academy) 11 points, followed by 10 from Taylor Koenig (Governor Mifflin), nine from Caleigh Sperling (North Penn) and six from Lizzie Halligan (Notre Dame); Julianna DiFebbo (Gloucester Catholic), Whitney Evans (West Chester Henderson), Marisa Francione (Conestoga), Izzy Casey (GA), Sofia Vitucci (Pennsbury) and Camryn Gardner (Red Bank Regional) round out the squad, which didn’t have anybody who didn’t make a significant contribution towards multiple games of their title run.

Stella Lockhart (2026 | NJ Gemz EYBL 15U)
Lockhart is a 6-foot wing/forward from Saint John Vianney who showed off her versatile game in the 15U Platinum game. She finished with 11 points, five boards and chipped in a helper or two. Lockhart is strong inside and tough to stop when she gets the ball down low or the offensive glass. She also stepped outside to knock down a three and led the fastbreak on multiple occasions. Her ability to play both spots helps her share the floor with talented teammate Taylor Sofilkanich.

Alivia Mauz (2025 | Lady Runnin’ Rebels HGSL 16U)
Mauz, a 5-8 point guard from Williamstown (N.J.), had a strong floor game for the Rebels in their overtime loss to the Albany Capitals in the 16U HGSL championship. The primary ball-handler against the Capitals’ press, Mauz was able to beat single coverage and even a few double-teams to get the ball upcourt, and she always seemed to get it into the right hands; that’s how she dished out eight assists, including a few picture-perfect post feeds to the Rebels’ forwards. Mauz also contributed five points, four steals and three rebounds. 

Grace McDonough (2025 | Lady Runnin’ Rebels HGSL 16U)
Quite a few of Mauz’s assists went to McDonough, as the 6-0 Souderton forward had a strong game in the post in the championship. McDonough led all scorers with 14 points, getting 12 of those in the second half, and going 6-of-7 from the floor, while also grabbing six rebounds (two offensive). Most of her buckets were far from wide-open layups; she had a few odd-angle finishes through contact and a couple where she just flipped the ball in from a few feet away, whatever it took to get around or over a defender.

Addison Nyemchek (2026 | NJ ShoreShots HGSL 15U)
Nyemchek is listed as a guard, which catches the eye when 6-foot is also listed next to her name on the bio. It’s a little tough to believe then the rising sophomore from Red Bank Catholic (N.J.) pulls up from three, then she breaks down her defender, then she dishes a behind the back dime. Nyemchek showed off a versatile game with nine points, six assists, four steals and three blocks in the 15U HGSL title game. She has plenty of guard skills in her 6-foot frame, including court vision. She’s a disruptor on the defensive interior and perimeter as well.

Lauren Patnode (2024 | Elevate NYBC 17U)
It didn’t take long for Patnode to stand out when watching Elevate Elite as the 6-footer from Perkiomen School consistently runs point for her squad. Patnode, a La Salle commit, really impressed with her finishing ability as she used both hands to put the ball through the hoop, even when contacted, once she got into the lane. Her length resulted in multiple steals, deflections and blocks and she’s a one-woman fastbreak when she gets out in transition.

Zania Socka (2024 | Team Durant EYBL 17U)
Socka put in a dominant performance in the post to lead Durant to a 19-point win over the Albany Capitals in a showcase game on Monday morning. The 6-4 forward from Sidwell Friends (Md.) racked up 17 points and eight rebounds while showcasing the skillset that’s had more and more high-major Division I programs offering as the summer’s gone on: great footwork in the post, a soft touch on a hook shot and around the rim, the ability to catch anything that comes her way, plus her motor, physicality and athleticism on both ends of the floor. 

Carolina Williams (2025 | Albany Capitals HGSL 16U)
Williams led the Capitals to the 16U HGSL championship, the 5-8 guard from the Hoosac School (N.Y.) going for 14 points plus two rebounds, assists and steals in a gritty overtime win over the Lady Runnin’ Rebels 16s. Williams continually attacked the bucket off the bounce, not minding contact or a trip to the floor if it meant getting a couple shots at the foul line; that aggressiveness paid off late, as her two foul shots put the Capitals one point away from the Elan Ending finish, and another drive the next possession helped break down the defense and result in an open 3-pointer for the win. 

Reese Zemitis (2024 | Mid-Atlantic Magic HGSL 17U)
The future Bucknell wing forward had her shot working for her, knocking down three 3-pointers to pace her to a 13-point outing in the Magic’s 17U championship loss. Zemitis, a 6-0 post from Neshaminy, was tracked heavily by the Rebels’ defense all game long, forcing her to continually circle the court in search of a hint of fresh air; when she was able to pop free, she was 3-of-4 from deep as she showed exactly why she deserved all that defensive attention. Zemitis also had a couple finishes at the rim, grabbed a few rebounds and had one steal and one assist.

Honorable Mention
Kiyanna Blacks-Stewart (2025 | Lady Runnin’ Rebels HGSL 16U), Lexi Carnegie (2026 | NJ Gemz EYBL 15U), Brigid Donohue (2027 | Comets GUAA 14U), Kendall Dudley (2024 | Team Durant EYBL 17U), Cyriah Griffin (2024 | Team Durant EYBL 17U), Tatum Greene (2024 | Team Durant EYBL 17U), Peyton Hoblock (2026 | Albany Capitals HGSL 17U), Addison Kilmer (2026 | NEPA Elite HGSL 15U), Tessa Liggio (2026 | NJ ShoreShots HGSL 15U),  Avery Kocur (2026 | PA Royals 15U), Abigail McFillin (2027 | Comets GUAA 14U), Zoe Richardson (2024 | Albany Capitals HGSL 17U), Kaitlyn Robbins (2025 | Albany Capitals HGSL 16U), Sophie Smith (2026 | NJ ShoreShots HGSL 15U), Taylor Sofilkanich (2026 | NJ Gemz EYBL 15U),  Halie Staub (2026 | PA Royals 15U), Tanavia Turpin (2025 | Albany Capitals HGSL 16U)