City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The 2024 summer of grassroots hoops got underway this weekend with events across the country, boys and girls’ teams alike getting ready for the upcoming live recruiting periods and the weeks and months that will follow.

CoBL had writers at the Ohio Basketball Philly Takedown this weekend, focusing on the 16U and 17U games at the Westtown School. Here’s who stood out to the CoBL staff in games we watched on Sunday; CLICK HERE for Saturday's standouts:

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Reginna Baker (2027 | Philly Belles 16U)
Baker looks plenty ready to play an age group up this summer after earning first team All-PCL honors this winter. The Neumann-Goretti left-handed guard had 13 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals in a 53-39 win over BBA on Sunday. Baker has a great burst to blow by defenders and does a great job getting into the lane and to the hoop, where she can finish. She has some bounce to her game too, which helped her stay aggressive and active on the boards. 

Cherish Bryant (2025 | WeR1 Lady Sharks 17U)
A 5-7 point guard out of the Tatnall School (Del.), Bryant got better and better as the game went on, albeit in a losing effort as the Lady Sharks fell to K-Low Elite in a 17U platinum bracket game. She finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block, showing some nifty finishing skills at a high speed, including a couple smooth reverse layups and a few others around the rim. 

Taylor Brown (2027 | Philly Rise EYBL 16U)
Known as “The Glove,” Brown showed why in the Rise’s championship win over the Comets in the 16U platinum bracket, her steal-and-feed to Rachel Thatcher for a three-point play the deciding points in the 60-59 win. That capped a 15-point, four-assist, five-steal game for the 5-8 lead guard, who’s been playing up a year for the Rise for the last few summers, after a 16-point effort in the semifinals. Fleet afoot, Brown ended up with a number of open layups just by being faster than her defender; she also had an and-one as she hit all seven of her two-point attempts.

Layla Coogen (2026 | Team Durant EYBL 17U)
It was tough to pick standouts from a balanced Durant squad which made it all the way to the 17U platinum championship game before getting outgunned by Rise. Coogan, a 6-2 sophomore, caught our eye with her ability to stretch the floor from the ‘4’ position with ease, while showing good strength and mobility running the floor and on the defensive end. She knocked down three 3-pointers in their semifinal win over the Lady Runnin’ Rebels with a smooth, high-arcing shot.

Carryn Easley (2025 | K-Low Elite Scott 17U)
The Neumann-Goretti All-Catholic pick showed out in K-Low’s win over the Lady Sharks in a 17U platinum bracket win, scoring 14 points with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. The 5-5 guard has a great feel for how to get by an opponent with the ball in her hands, whether that’s a hesitation into a crossover or a spin move, or just a straight-up blow-by, getting to the rim where she’s an excellent finisher with either hand; she also knows how to find shooters when she’s on the move, and made a few nice long passes in transition for easy layups.

Alexis Eberz (2026 | Comets GUAA 16U)
The Comets, playing with just six healthy girls and in the second of back-to-back games in the championship, led Rise right up until the final seconds, with several girls playing outstanding for all 32 minutes. That included Eberz, the 5-9 guard from Archbishop Carroll finding the bottom of the net over and over as she shot her way to a 21-point outing on 8-of-12 from the floor, 3-of-4 from deep, with a couple boards, an assist and a steal as well. She hit from deep beyond the arc, showed off a one-dribble pull-up, and a floater off the glass when attacking the hoop.

Mallory Farr (2025 | K-Low Elite Scott 17U)
Farr came out en fuego in K-Low’s win over the Lady Sharks, knocking down her first three 3-pointers within the game’s first four minutes, from all around the arc, to get her squad off to a hot start. That was the beginning salvo of a contest that saw the 5-9 guard from Shipley go for a team-high 18 points, adding a fourth 3-pointer later in the first half before she got the rest closer to the rim; she had a right-handed finish through contact and also had a strong left-handed taken, and drew a charge as well as four rebounds and a couple of blocks on her stat line.

Jahzara Green (2026 | Philly Rise EYBL 16U)
Green capped off a strong overall weekend with a 12-point, four-rebound, two-assist effort in the Rise’s championship win over Comets. The 6-0 wing forward from Gloucester Catholic (N.J.) doesn’t mind in the slightest tangling it up on the inside, playing physical in the post as she fights for rebounds and excels at put-backs and finishing through contact, which helps her out as she attacks the bucket from the perimeter, too. Green plays the game with a great motor and her versatility stands out on the defensive end.

Kyla Hayes (2025 | XGen Elite 17U)
Hayes was one of the stars of the show during XGen’s 67-41 win over Books and Basketball, she finished the game with 17 points and hauled in a ton of rebounds. The 6-foot forward was a menace in the paint all game long. Hayes did a great job of finishing in the paint, rarely there were times when she missed but on those few occasions Hayes would fight to come up for the offensive rebound and attempt a putback. Hayes’ game is mostly an inside presence but when she got sent to the foul line Hayes did a great job, making most of her free throws.

Emily Knouse (2025 | Comets GUAA 17U)
Knouse, a St. Joe’s commit, tallied 15 points, four assists, five rebounds and a block in a 79-53 win over NY Extreme. The 5-foot-11 forward/wing showed off her range with a pair of threes early and then worked her way inside in an efficient outing. She added an and-one in transition and her teammates spaced the floor on one possession allowing her to back down her smaller defender for an easy paint bucket.

Jess Lockwood (2026 | Comets GUAA 16U)
Lockwood almost played hero for the Comets, her back-to-back 3-pointers with under two minutes left putting her team up seven before the Rise’s last-minute comeback, capping off a terrific game for the Central Bucks East sophomore. A 5-9 guard, Lockwood contributed 17 points, three rebounds and two steals to her side, including four 3-pointers on five attempts, hitting a few from well beyond the arc; she also was strong with the ball in her hands and got to the rim for an and-one, while also grabbing a couple offensive boards.

Jona Kabashi (2025 | NY Extreme Red 17U)
Kabashi is a 6-foot stretch forward from Putnam Valley High School (N.Y.). She spaced the floor for her team with a trio of triples in a loss to the Comets’ GUAA squad. Kabashi can also put the ball on the deck and is comfortable working inside. She did her best to alter shots inside on the defensive end as well, picking up a block.

Alivia Mauz (2025 | Lady Runnin’ Rebels HGSL 17U)
Mauz almost single-handedly kept the Runnin’ Rebels in a tough 17U semifinal matchup against Team Durant. The 5-9 guard was hot early, knocking down three first-half 3-pointers as she scored all 13 of her points before halftime; Durant shut the door out of the break and didn’t let her get another shot off. Mauz was connecting from deep, including a side-step 3-pointer, catch-and-shoot and a one-dribble pull-up, and she also attacked the bucket a couple times successfully.

Emily McDonald (2026 | XGen Elite 17U)
Whatever you do, don’t leave McDonald open from three. The 5-11 guard is a sniper from beyond the arc but when teams run her off the line she showed the ability to get by someone and make other plays. McDonald had plenty of different finishes around the rim, using both hands on both sides and jumping off of different feet each time she got in the lane. McDonald’s versatility was overwhelming for Books and Basketball on Sunday evening, she finished with a game high of 18 points in the championship. 

Jessie Moses (2027 | Philly Rise EYBL 17U)
Moses doesn’t look like someone who is playing 2 age groups up. Moses was back playing at her school on Sunday except this time it was for AAU. The 5-10 guard is super skilled but the best facet of her game on Sunday was her shooting ability. Moses hit five three-pointers in the championship game against Team Durant, finishing with a game high 19 points. She continues to enhance her play everytime steps on the court, the ESPN top 25 sharpshooter is someone to look out for throughout the rest of spring and over the summer. 

Megan Rullo (2026 | Comets GUAA 16U)
It was a good day for the Rullo sisters; the younger of the two O’Hara standouts impressed with her play on the ball in the 16U championship, racking up eight assists to go along with eight points and three steals. Her steadiness at point under the tempo of the shot clock was notable, as she rarely turned it over and managed to handle the Rise press while not getting sped up; she had a few good feeds to shooters in the half court and also made plays in the open court with some quality hit-aheads for layups to beat the Rise defense. 

Molly Rullo (2025 | Comets GUAA 17U)
The Drexel commit practiced patience in a win over NY Extreme Red, taking her time to survey the defense before making the right read. She finished with 14 points and five assists in the victory, tossing some fullcourt dimes, mixing in a touch pass in transition and taking the easy plays when they came. She did most of her offensive damage inside and at the line before burying a corner three off a terrific pass from Grace Galbavy late in the outing.

Shayla Smith (2025 | Philly Rise EYBL 17U)
Smith, a 5-foot-9 guard packed with energy and athleticism, made things happen as soon as she checked into Sunday’s championship game win over Team Durant. She buzzed around the court picking up steals and crashing the glass, ultimately finishing with 12 points as well. Smith, he back-to-back PPL Player of the Year at Audenried this season, knocked down a pair of threes, added two steals, four rebounds and two assists as well. She was in attack mode throughout, putting pressure on Team Durant whether she was on offense or defense.

Olivia Voshell (2025 | LGB Select 17U)
The 5-foot-9 guard/wing plays her high school hoops at Strath Haven. Voshell tallied 12 points and collected six rebounds in a 51-36 win over Keystone Karma on Sunday morning. She’s aggressive getting to the basket and fighting on the glass, able to play a little both out on the perimeter and inside. Her defense stood out, knowing where to position herself as the help defender and showing the ability to switch onto larger offensive players and fight for position down low.

Honorable Mention
Nal’la Bennett (2025 | BBA GUAA 17U), Quinn Boettinger (2025 | Comets GUAA 17U), Kezia Brackett (2025 | BBA GUAA 16U), Lily Brown (2027 | K-Low Elite-Santora 16U), Caroline Brennan (2027 | Lady Runnin’ Rebels HGSL 16U), Emma Cleland (2026 | Mid-Penn Motion HGSL 16U), Emilia Coleman (2026 | Comets GUAA 16U), Kailah Correa (2025 | Philly Rise EYBL 17U), Grace Galbavy (2025 | Comets GUAA 17U), Bridget Grant (2026 | Comets Select 16U), Olivia Green (2026 | Mid-Penn Motion HGSL 16U), Chloe Mamera (2028 | Keystone Karma 17U), Olivia Moore (2026 | BBA GUAA 16U), Addy Nyemchek (2026 | Philly Rise EYBL 16U), Jordyn Palmer (2027 | Philly Rise EYBL 17U), Maya Simmons (2026 | Philly Belles 16U), Daphna Steinmetz (2025 | NY Extreme Red 17U), Jordin Tate (2025 | WeR1 Lady Sharks 17U), Mikayla Taylor (2025 | K-Low Elite Scott 17U), Carrington ‘C.J.’ Thomas (2025 | K-Low Elite Scott 17U), Peyton White (2025 | Team Durant EYBL 17U), Kenna Winland (2026 | LGB Select 17U), Heidi Williams (2025 | Team Durant EYBL 17U), Rayne Wright (2025 | Team Durant EYBL 17U)