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GUAA Championships Day One Standouts (Pt. 2) (July 23)

07/25/2022, 10:30pm EDT
By Sean McBryan

Sean McBryan (@SeanMcBryan)
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MANHEIM, Pa. — The Girls’ Under Armour Association Championships took place this weekend at Spooky Nook Sports complex, with some of the best programs from around the country coming to Lancaster County to compete for the GUAA title and plenty of college coaches filling in to see them.

CoBL had staff on for several sets at Day One on Saturday. Here are a few standouts from the day’s action that we caught:

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More GUAA Championships Coverage: GUAA Championships Day One Standouts (Pt.1)

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Macy Brown (2023 | Michigan Basketball Academy 17U | East Grand Rapids, Mich.)

Brown was not hitting her lefty shot from outside in the first-round game. She appeared frustrated, but then something changed. The 6-0 Michigan commit and No. 69 recruit in the 2023 class shifted her focus to impact the game in different ways. She started driving, almost always to the left, which still couldn’t be stopped even when the defender attempted to take it away. Brown was also the clear vocal leader of the team and the way she got other teammates involved rather than continue to chase her own shot was telling of the player head coach Kim Barnes Arico will be getting soon.


Erianna Gooden, Below the Rim (Photo: Sean McBryan/CoBL)

Erianna Gooden (2025 | Below the Rim 16U | Northside, Ark.)

Playing against the strong and athletic Comets’ 16U squad that features Brooke Wilson, Joanie Quinn, Mac Pettinelli, Carly Catania, Jill Jekot, Anna Azzara, and Co., it would be easy for an opposing guard to appear overmatched. Gooden, who was playing up an age bracket for her Below The Rim squad, looked anything but. The 6-0 point guard battered her way to the rim on multiple occasions and showed a solid outside stroke. She scored 13 points and picked up four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal along the way.

Lena Girardi (2025 | Comets 15U | Westminster Academy, Fla.)

An already physically strong 6-0 guard, Girardi appeared to play much older than she is. The second tallest player on her Comets squad, Girardi is the lead ball handler and shows the ability to easily get past the first defender before making a seemingly effortless decision to kick out to a teammate, pull up from midrange, or go all the way to the rim. She was the catalyst in the Comets’ 58-46 first-round victory over NY Havoc and 59-33 win over Colorado Basketball Club to reach the quarterfinals.

Erica Hall (2024 | Western PA Bruins 16U | South Fayette)

Hall’s 5-10, athletic frame was meant for the frustrating, full-court press defense the WPA Bruins 16Us implemented in their 54-42 win over Arizona Elite in the 10:45 slate Saturday. Her activity and length on the defensive end caused issues. The South Fayette rising junior also keeps the offense flowing with meaningful cuts and smart, quick passes. Hall also has no problem cleaning the glass, can finish around the rim, and had a shot that extended out to 3.

Ericka Huggins, Books & Basketball (Photo: Sean McBryan/CoBL)

Ericka Huggins, Books & Basketball (Photo: Sean McBryan/CoBL)

Ericka Huggins (2024 | Books & Basketball 16U | St. Elizabeth, Del.)

Huggins was anything but stagnant even though her BBA 16U squad fell 57-47 to Tennessee’s FBC Reign in the opening round. After Audenreid guard Maya Braxton-Young’s scorching first half (she finished with 18 points in the game) fizzled a bit in the second, Huggins picked up her play to give BBA a chance. The 6-0 forward finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Huggins was a menace on the defensive end with long arms that frustrated the offense. Offensively, she showed good finishing ability with her own post moves and catching off the roll. Her screen setting is another strength as she was able to get teammates open for open layups and threes on multiple occasions. Huggins said she’s been in contact with some Division II and III schools with the goal of going Division I. 

Emily Knouse (2025 | Comets 15U | Archbishop Wood)

The 5-10 forward’s elite shooting is a perfect match for the plethora of skilled guard play on the Comets 15Us. Knouse was deploying her lethal jumper from everywhere on the court, and once defenses started making adjustments, she was seamlessly finding her open teammates as a result. With Knouse, Girardi, and Molly Rullo aggressively orchestrating the offense, the Comets 15Us went all the way to the championship before falling.

Maddie Petroelje (2023 | Michigan Basketball Academy 17U | Hudsonville, Mich.)

MBA’s answer to Scott’s heroics was Petroelje, who drilled a couple clutch 3s including one to give her team a two-point lead with 1:06 left in the game. The 6-1 sharpshooter who committed to Loyola in March also drained three clutch foul shots to ice the game after being fouled on another deep attempt. The Loyola coaches who came to see the 6-1 forward were smiling from ear to ear.

Taliah Scott (2023 | Florida Girls Basketball 17U | St. John’s Country Day, Fla.)

In one of the best games on Saturday, Scott stole the show. Scott’s 17U FGB squad ended up losing 58-55 against Michigan Basketball Academy in a first-round tilt, but it could’ve gone either way. In crunchtime, Scott hit multiple tough driving layups including an and-one and drilled a clutch stepback 3 to tie it in the waning minutes. The 5-9 guard and No. 13 recruit in the nation is verbally committed to Arkansas.


Brooke Wilson, Comets (Sean McBryan/CoBL)

Brooke Wilson (2024 | Comets 16U | Archbishop Carroll)

The 5-9 spark plug Wilson just does whatever is needed to get her team the W. She started off the Comets’ 51-32 first-round victory over Oklahoma-area Below The Rim by focusing on stalwart defense and setting up teammates. In the second half, she started looking more for her own buckets and the Comets started to pull away. Wilson finished with nine points, five assists, and two rebounds; an all-around statline that’s beginning to become commonplace for the rising junior.

Honorable Mention

Anna Azzara (2024 | Comets | Spring-Ford), Isabella Bacani (2025 | Comets | Perkiomen Valley), Maya Braxton-Young (2024 | Books & Basketball | Audenreid), Brenna Ducatte (2025 | NY Havoc Silver | Saranac, N.Y.), Kyla Fitzgerald (2024 | Western PA Bruins | Armstrong), Reina Green (2023 | Florida Girls Basketball | St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla.), Amelia Pfeiffer (2024 | FBC Reign | Alcoa, Tenn.), Molly Rullo (2025 | Comets | Cardinal O’Hara), Elle Snyder (2024 | Western PA Bruins | Greater Latrobe), Kaylah Turner (2023 | Florida Girls Basketball | Oakleaf, Fla.), Jazmin Williams (2023 | FBC Reign | Knoxville Catholic, Tenn.)


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