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GUAA Championships Day Two and Three Standouts (July 24-25)

07/26/2022, 4:15pm EDT
By Owen McCue and Sean McBryan

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) & Sean McBryan (@SeanMcBryan)
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MANHEIM, Pa. — The Girls’ Under Armour Association Championships continued Sunday and concluded Monday with 15U, 16U and 17U title games at Spooky Nook. College coaches and others in attendance surrounded the court for three contests that came down to the wire.

CoBL was in attendance on Sunday and caught the action of all three of Monday’s title games. Here are a few standouts from both days:

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More GUAA Championships Coverage: GUAA Championships Day One Standouts (Pt.1), GUAA Championships Day One Standouts (Pt. 2)

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Darrianna Alexander (2025 | West Virginia Thunder 17U | Purcell Marian, Ohio)

Alexander’s go-ahead bucket in the fourth overtime proved to be the game-winner to a marathon 17U championship game win over FBC United. The 6-foot-1 forward, Hoop Gurlz’ No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2025, is a tremendous athlete (the Thunder ran an alley-oop play for her with one second left in the second overtime) and used that to her advantage often on the fastbreak and offensive glass. She put together a double with 16 points and 10 boards.

Jaloni Cambridge (2024 | FBC United 17U | The Ensworth School, Tenn.)

Cambridge, the No. 2 player in Hoop Gurlz’ 2024 rankings, dazzled throughout Monday’s 17U title game. The 5-6 point guard uses her quickness to create separation and also has straight-line speed to attack the basket, which she did during a huge and-one in the third overtime. Cambridge finished with 17 points and added in a handful of helpers and steals as well to round out a terrific game that featured her speeding all over the floor.


Danielle Ceseretti, Bay State Jags (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Danielle Ceseretti (2024 | Bay State Jags 16U | Northfield Mount Hermon, Mass.)

As a 6-foot point guard, Ceseretti can be a matchup nightmare for opponents. She’s comfortable driving by defenders both on the right and left side of the lanes. When she got to the hoop on Monday, her length helped her finish with both hands as well. Ceseretti exploded with eight straight for her team to conclude the third quarter, helping the Jags back into the 16U title game before eventually falling to the Northwest Blazers. 

Taylee Chirrick (2024 | Northwest Blazers 16U | Billings West, Mont.)

Chirrick changed the game for the Blazers, helping her team turn a halftime deficit into a double-digit lead in the third quarter of Monday’s 16U championship win over the Bay State Jags. Chirrick got hot from deep in the quarter, knocking down a trio of triples on three straight possessions. The 5-11 guard also helped the Blazers on the glass throughout the contest, coming up with a clutch rebound in the last minute of the game.

London Creach (2025 | Western PA Bruins 15U | Woodland Hills)

Creach was an absolute flamethrower off the bench in the WPA Bruins 15Us’ 46-43 entertaining loss to the Comets with a spot in the final on the line Sunday. In a battle between east and west PA, Creach scored 26 points after making an immediate impact when she came into the game. After trailing by eight at halftime and all of the third quarter, Creach scored six straight buckets off tough, driving layups to pull the Bruins within one point going into the fourth quarter. Everyone knew she was going to attack the rim, but she still couldn’t be stopped. Her active defense also caused issues and it almost led to a dramatic comeback win for the western PA side.

Joyce Edwards goes up for a shot on ZaKiyah Johnson. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Joyce Edwards, left, goes up for a shot on ZaKiyah Johnson. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Joyce Edwards (2024 | FBC United 17U | Camden High, S.C.)

The 6-3 power forward holds the title of No. 1 2024 recruit in the nation for good reason. Edwards made it look effortless in FBC United’s 57-45 victory over the Germantown Lady Panthers in a 17U quarterfinal Sunday, scoring 20 points and securing nine rebounds. She had another big day in Monday’s title game loss, scoring 14 points and adding 10 rebounds and three blocks. She seals incredibly well when posting up in the paint and has a ton of effective post moves already in her arsenal. Her soft hands allow her to catch off pick-and-roll action, where her screens are deadly. If she catches the ball around the basket, it’s rare that she doesn’t score. Edwards is also a good foul shooter and can guard any position on the court defensively.

ZaKiyah Johnson (2025 | West Virginia Thunder | Sacred Heart Acad., Ky.)

Johnson completely took over the game in the second half, scoring 18 of her game-high 30 points in the third and fourth quarters of the Thunder’s 4OT championship win. The 6-foot wing, who is ranked the No.4 2025 recruit by Hoop Gurlz, was hard to stop when she had just one defender between her and the basket. She consistently took the ball strong to the basket and finished through contact, probably deserving a few more trips to the line. She also knocked down a pair of shots from deep that helped swing momentum the Thunder’s way and was a constant presence on the offensive and defensive glass.

Zamareya Jones (2024 | FBC United 17U | North Pitt, N.C.)

Part of a very fun FBC backcourt, the 5-6 guard scored 11 points and grabbed five boards in Monday’s 17U title game. Jones, the No. 17 player in Hoop Gurlz’ 2024 rankings didn’t pile up assists but a no-look dime on the fastbreak drew one of the biggest reactions from the crowd during the four-overtime contest. Though they didn’t directly lead to baskets she had a number of other impressive passes during the contest as well, whipping the rock around the floor.


Kymora Johnson, right, goes up for a shot as Jaloni Cambridge defends. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Kymora Johnson (2023 | West Virginia Thunder 17U | St. Anne's-Belfield, Va.)

Johnson celebrated her birthday with a 17U GUAA title on Monday. Johnson was the star for her team early in the championship game before the Thunder's 2025 stars ZaKiyah Johnson and Darriana Alexander took over late. She finished with 14 points and ran the show for WV at the point. The 5-9 guard is really smooth and has a good feel for the floor (no surprise she's also a standout soccer player). She had a few finishes in the lane that had those on the floor and in the crowd shaking their heads.

Molly Ladwig (2025 | Nebraska Attack | Blair, Neb.)

Ladwig led the way with 19 points for the Attack on the way to the 15U title. A chunk of those points came in the game’s final minute and a half as she helped put away the contest at the free throw line. Ladwig knocked down a triple and showed off a good shooting stroke in the midrange as well. Her strength and finishing ability was displayed on a drive late in the first half where she carved just enough space out for herself to finish with a defender on her back.

Courtney Ogden (2023 | FBC United 17U | Westminster, Ga.)

Alongside Joyce Edwards on FBC United’s 17Us, Ogden is another high-profile recruit (No. 12 in 2023) who demonstrated her skills at Spooky Nook Sunday. The 6-1 guard and Stanford commit did it all, accumulating nine points, seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block in Saturday’s win over Germantown Lady Panthers. She added 14 points (two threes) in Monday’s championship. Ogden was listed as a shooting guard, but showed the ability to get teammates involved as the lead ball handler. Her versatile defense, rebounding, and perimeter shooting were also notably polished.

Olivia Olson (2024 | Minnesota Fury 16U | Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Minn.)

There’s been a bit of a renaissance with Minnesota girls basketball, largely behind UConn maestro Paige Bueckers, and Olson just might be the next big thing. The 6-1 guard has been playing varsity basketball since the eighth grade and is the No. 3 recruit in the 2024 class. She averaged 22.8 points per game for Benilde-St. Margaret’s last season as a sophomore. In Minnesota Fury’s quarterfinal victory over the Comets 16Us Sunday, Olson showed great control, handle, and passing ability. Her height allows her to see over defenders and make the right read. She also has a smooth jumper that she can easily get off over smaller guards. Olson is definitely a name to continue monitoring as her high school career continues; she already has offers from 40-plus schools and interest from seemingly everyone else.

Jamison Philip (2025 | Northwest Blazers 16U | Ellensburg, Wash.)

Philip seemed in control with the ball in her hands, which was a huge asset as the Blazers played with the lead late in the game. She played unselfishly but also showed off her ability to score as well, using her jump shot and driving ability to put points on the board. A pair of crafty finishes inside highlighted her day. Like her backcourt mate Chirrick, Philip also wasn’t afraid to help out the rebounding effort from the guard spot as well. She also made a few clutch free throws late.


Molly Rullo, Comets (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Molly Rullo (2025 | Comets 15U | Cardinal O’Hara)

After a slow offensive start for the Comets, Rullo spearheaded a comeback charge in Monday’s 15U title game. She finished with 23 points, reaching double digits before half, and also leading a late-game push alongside Lena Girardi (17 points) that fell just short. Rullo, a 6-foot wing, did most of her damage driving to the hoop, also hitting a three. In Sunday’s semifinal, Rullo and the Comets controlled the first half and went into the break with an eight-point advantage. The wheels started to come off in the second half as the Comets showed signs of fatigue. They kept it together enough to force overtime, and that’s when Rullo decided she was going to take the game over defensively. She got three steals in a row in the overtime period and the Comets eventually grinded out a 46-43 victory to make it to the title game. Rullo finished with a team-high 16 points and had four rebounds, two assists, and six steals.

Cameron Rust (2024 | Bay State Jags 16U | Worcester Acad., Mass.)

Rust is a 6-2 small forward who looks equally effective showing off a bevy of post moves inside or stepping out and knocking down jumpers. The high major recruit, who took an unofficial visit to Penn State last month, battled inside with the Blazers’ Breanna Williams throughout the contest taking advantage of any space she could carve out. Rust played tough and physical but let her deep skillset shine through too in a tight loss to the Blazers in the 16U title game.


Avril Smith, Nebraska Attack (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Avril Smith (2025 | Nebraska Attack | Millard North, Neb.)

As a 5-foot-11 forward, Smith gave up some inches to the Comets’ front court in the 15U championship, but she used her quickness to her advantage to help the Attack get out to an early lead that proved crucial. Smith scored 13 points and added six boards, two steals and a block to her stat line. She posted up inside but did her most damage driving to the basket.

Honorable Mention

Ava Black (2025 | Bay State Jags | Tabor Acad., Mass.), Essence Cody (2023 | FBC United | Valdosta, Ga.), Lena Girardi (2025 | Comets | Westminster Acad., Fla.), Mary Hollensteiner (2023 | Germantown Panthers | Stone Ridge, Md.), Kymora Johnson (2023 | West Virginia Thunder | St. Anne’s-Belfield, Va.), Madison Knier (2023 | Comets | Manheim Central), Khamil Pierre (2023 | Arizona Elite | Perry, Ariz.), Olivia Rodrigues (2025 | Bay State Jags | Tabor Acad., Mass.), Nia Scott (2023 | Comets | Shawnee, N.J.), Elsa Vedral (2025 | Nebraska Attack | Bishop Neumann, Neb.), Miyah Verse (2023 | Arizona Elite | Mountain Ridge, Ariz.) Breanna Williams (2024 | Northwest Blazers | Skyview, Wash.), Jaeda Wilson (2025 | Germantown Panthers | Connelly School, Md.), Timberlynn Yeast (2023 | West Virginia Thunder | Mercer County, Ky.)


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