City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The area’s private schools might be small, but boy are they mighty.

The amount of talent stacked into programs in the Friends’ Schools League, Inter-Academic League and several other independent and boarding schools in the five-county CoBL coverage region is hard to believe, and it just seems to be getting better every year. 

Without further ado, the girls Non-PIAA All-CoBL selections for the 2023-24 season:

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2023-24 All-CoBL Awards
PIAA (Boys) | PIAA (Girls) | Non-PIAA (Boys) | Non-PIAA (Girls)

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Player of the Year: Jordyn Palmer, Fr., Westtown School
Palmer deservedly earned this honor as an eighth grader last year and improved her stats across the board, averaging 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals per game in her second season at Westtown. The 6-foot-1 wing forward, one of the top players in her class nationally, helped the Moose (25-2) to Friends Schools League and Pennsylvania Independent Schools championships, earning first team all-state honors and also being named the PA Gatorade State Player of the Year.

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First Team
Ryan Carter, Fr., Penn Charter
The 5-foot-11 guard was a first team All-Inter Ac selection in her second varsity season. She averaged 17.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.7 apg and 3.1 spg for Penn Charter, which finished this season as one of three co-champions in the Inter-Ac.

Isabella Casey, Sr., Germantown Academy
Casey is a 5-foot-9 wing headed to continue her career at Bucknell a preferred walk-on. The 1,000-point scorer averaged 15.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.1 apg and 3.1 to earn first team All-Inter-Ac and league MVP honors. She helped the Patriots earn a piece of a three-way for the Inter-Ac title.

Savannah Curry, Sr., Westtown School
The 5-foot-11 wing helped Westtown to another Friends Schools League and PAISAA title in her second season with the Moose. Curry, a sharpshooter headed to Temple next season, averaged 13 ppg, 3 apg, 5 rpg and 3 spg.

Logyn Greer, Jr., Friends’ Central
Greer averaged 14.8 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.0 bpg — a true two-way force — for Friends’ Central (26-8), which finished as the Friends Schools League and Pennsylvania Independent Schools runner-up. The 6-foot-3 wing/forward was a first team All-Friends Schools League selection. 

Jessie Moses, Fr., Westtown School
The 5-foot-10 guard played an even bigger role as a freshman this past season for the Moose. She averaged 14 ppg, 4 apg, 4 rpg and 4 spg, for Westtown (25-2), which won the Friends Schools League and Pennsylvania Independent Schools championship. She was a first team All-Friends Schools League selection. 

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Second Team
Nal’La Bennett, Jr., Friends’ Central
Bennett, a sharpshooting guard, averaged 13.1 ppg and 4.0 apg for Friends’ Central (26-8), which finished as the Friends Schools League and Pennsylvania Independent Schools runner-up. She was a first team All-Friends Schools League selection. She has offers from Delaware State, Long Island, Coppin State and Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Kaylinn Bethea, Jr., Penn Charter
Bethea averaged 17.3 ppg 5.1 rpg 3.7 apg 3.7 spg for the Inter-Ac co-champions. The 5-foot-9 guard, who has 1,017 career points, earned first team All-Inter Ac honors for the second straight season.

Riley Davis, Fr., Notre Dame
Davis made an immediate impact in her first season at Notre Dame, averaging 13 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg, 4 spg and 2 bpg. She earned first team All-Inter Ac honors as she helped the Irish to a three-way split for the league title.

Olivia Jones, Jr., Westtown School
Jones averaged 10 ppg, 9 rpg, 5 apg and 3 spg for Westtown (25-2), which won the Friends Schools League and Pennsylvania Independent Schools championship. She was a first team All-Friends Schools League selection. She has 10+ Division I offers. Jones was the Class 6A Player of the Year last season. Coach noted that starters rarely played the fourth quarter.

Kaiya Rain Tucker, Jr., Friends’ Central
Tucker, a versatile forward, averaged 12.6 ppg, 2.0 apg and 9.2 rpg for Friends’ Central (26-8), which finished as the Friends Schools League and Pennsylvania Independent Schools runner-up. She was a first team All-Friends Schools League selection. She has offers from UMass-Lowell Coppin State and Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Atlee Vanesko, Soph., Westtown School
Vanesko averaged around nine points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals per game for Westtown (25-2), which won the Friends Schools League and Pennsylvania Independent Schools championships; she often didn’t play in the fourth quarter as the Moose won many of their games by large margins. A first team All-Friends Schools League selection, Vanesko has around a dozen Division I offers. 

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Third Team
Jess Aponik, Sr., Germantown Academy
A versatile threat who played the ‘2’ through ‘4’ for the Patriots, Aponik averaged 10.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 1.7 apg for the Patriots, earning her a First Team All-Inter-Ac nod. The sharpshooting wing is headed to Kutztown University this fall.

Lizzie Halligan, Sr., Notre Dame
A Scranton recruit named First Team All Inter-Ac for the second straight year, Halligan averaged 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals per game while leading a young Irish squad. Chose D-III power Scranton from interest from all three levels of NCAA basketball.

Gianna Johnson, Sr., George School
Johnson averaged 17.3 ppg, 11.6 rpg and 1.0 bpg for George School. She was an All-Friends Schools League honorable mention selection. Johnson is committed to Delaware.

Lauren Patnode, Sr., Perkiomen School
Patnode averaged 15.4 ppg, 4.0 apg and 7.8 rpg for the Panthers, who reached the second round of the PAISAA playoffs. She is a La Salle commit.

Saniyah Washington, Jr., Friends’ Central
Washington, the team’s point guard, averaged 12.0 ppg and 5.0 apg for Friends’ Central (26-8), which finished as the Friends Schools League and Pennsylvania Independent Schools runner-up. She was a first team All-Friends Schools League selection. She has offers from Coppin State and Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Lily Soller, Jr., Hill School
The Hill School’s starting center, Soller averaged 12.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 1.4 bpg for the Blues, who qualified for the PAISAA tournament. A First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Prep League selection, she shot nearly 50% from the floor in her first year at Hill after transferring from Pocono Mt. East.

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Honorable Mention
Sammie Faella, Soph., Hill School
Mallory Farr, Jr., Shipley
Zahkiyyah Frazier, Sr., Springside-Chestnut Hill
Simone Harvey, Fr., Agnes Irwin
Jess Kolecki, Jr., Germantown Academy
Natalie Magnotta, Sr., Episcopal Academy
Cidney Stanfield, 8th, Shipley
Xola Wade, Sr., Academy New Church
Rikai Williford, Soph., Shipley