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2025 Blue Star High School Invitational Standouts (Jan. 5)

01/05/2025, 9:15pm EST

By CoBL Staff

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The 2025 edition of the Blue Star High School Invitational took place this Sunday at Jefferson University’s Gallagher Athletic Center, with 24 high-level teams from all over the Northeast coming to play on two courts all day long in front of fans, parents, and college coaches.

We didn’t get a chance to watch all 16 games, but here’s who stood out to the CoBL staff in games we saw:

Jezelle 'G.G' Banks attempts a layup against Cardinal O'Hara. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Jezelle ‘G.G.’ Banks (2027 | Ursuline Academy, Del.)
It wasn’t Banks’ most efficient game from the floor, as the five-star sophomore guard missed a number of contested layups against a staunch O’Hara defense. But she made up for it with some sharp shooting from beyond the arc, going 4-of-8 from deep to power her to a 23-point outing. What got her onto this list wasn’t just her scoring and ball-handling, but her five assists, four rebounds and three assists which rounded out her game in a loss to the Lions.

Colleen Besachio (2026 | Archbishop Wood)
Besachio tied for team high scoring in the Vikings’ strong win over Paul VI (Va.) late in Sunday’s slate. The junior, who was out all last season due to an ACL injury, had the free throws that kicked off a 6-0 run to end the second quarter and she had five points in a third quarter that saw Wood stretch its lead to double-figures. Besahcio added four rebounds and two blocks, helping out a defensive effort that limited Paul VI to just 15 second half points.

Gabby Bowes (2025 | Germantown Academy)
Bowes’ super-quick release gave Shipley fits in Saturday morning’s game, as the ball seemed to barely touch her hands before the shot was going up. It also helped that the senior was making them at a high rate too, Bowes connecting on 5-of-7 from long range as her shooting helped the Patriots edge the Gators in a pretty fun opener on Court 2. The Millersville recruit finished with 19 points overall, ironically missing her four attempts inside the arc but hitting 4-of-6 free throws, while adding eight rebounds in a solid all-around effort.

Tamia Clark (2027 | Upper Dublin)
In a game full of athletic, physical players, it was Clark who played at the highest level among them with a sterling 19-point effort. It took the sophomore a few minutes to settle into the hard-nosed game but once she did, Clark had no trouble generating the looks she wanted and just as importantly, converting on them. Whether it was a drive, a quick catch off an inbound or a feathery floater, the forward produced her points in ways that were hard to guard. Clark also had six needed rebounds, her tenacity as apparent on that end as it was in her 8-of-13 effort offensively.

Emily Knouse (2025 | Archbishop Wood)
Knouse came close to a double-double with 10 points and seven rebounds against Paul VI (Va.) and even on a bit of an off shooting day, the St. Joe’s recruit was just solid on both ends. The 6-foot wing had a challenge draw defensively against Paul VI’s Demi Gilliam and more than held her own, even picking up two blocks. She didn’t make a three, but Knouse was strong going to the basket and finishing, also adding two assists as the Vikings picked up a quality win.

Aidan Langley (above) was effective inside and out against Catholic. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Aidan Langley (2025 | Westtown School)
Langley was rock-solid all game long in Westtown’s win over Catholic (Va.), the 6-1 Towson commit complementing 15 points with six rebounds and an assist. It was some of the most versatility we’ve seen from Langley on the offensive end: she knocked down multiple jumpers, including a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, scored on post-ups, and even came off a screen, put the ball on the floor and got to the hoop, creating some of her own offense, then later got to the line and knocked down a pair.

Lauryn Loritts (2028 | Catholic, Va.)
No doubt one of the best individual offensive performances of the day came at the hands of Loritts, the 5-9 left-hander scorching the nets to help Catholic hang with powerhouse Westtown in a losing effort. Loritts knew how to work free for space and wasn’t shy about releasing as soon as she got the ball in her hands, going 6-of-9 from deep to help her to a 27-point outing, adding a team-high seven rebounds as well as she crashed the glass hard. Loritts already has eight Division I offers, including Virginia, George Washington and Fordham, and that list is sure to grow as she gets in front of more coaches.

Emily McDonald (2026 | Long Island Lutheran, N.Y.)
A 6-0 wing from Buffalo (N.Y.), McDonald is in her first year at LuHi, where she’s one of a number of high-major targets on one of the nation’s strongest squads. She made it clear why by showing off one of the purest shooting strokes all day long, knocking down three from deep (on seven attempts); her overall form was picture-perfect, and not one of the four misses was by more than an inch.

Megan Ngo (2026 | Upper Dublin)
Ngo’s line wasn’t overwhelming, the FDU recruit scoring just five points with three rebounds and eight assists, but her impact was undeniable as the Cardinals scored an impressive win over Rutgers Prep. The junior played every second of the game, at least half of it being hounded defensively while trying to get her teammates looks and the other half dug in on defense. Once Ngo really switched on, there wasn’t much Rutgers Prep could do to stop her as she just kept coming after every attempt to turn her back.

Jordyn Palmer (2027 | Westtown School)
We’ve definitely been spoiled by a number of impressive Palmer performances, because watching her go to work against Catholic (Va.) seemed like just another day at the office — and then you look down and she has 19 points, nine rebounds (four offensive), four assists, three steals and two blocks, a typical stat-sheet-stuffing performance from the highly-touted sophomore. Palmer got most of her production near the rim but does it in so many ways, from out-leaping opponents for lob passes, attacking the rim off the bounce, or on a couple put-backs, and (as usual) she crashed the glass hard and made sure opponents never had a chance to rip anything away.

Cearah Parchment (2025 | Fort Erie)
Going up against a Friends’ Central frontcourt that’s one of the best in southeastern PA, Parchment showed there are some strong forwards north of the border as well. The Illinois recruit finished with a game-high 15 as the Ontatrio, Canada side downed FCS in a game packed with high-level players. Parchment, a 6-foot-3 frontcourt player flashed plenty of skills from scoring inside to knocking down high post jumpers and even a three. She also notched three assists and got involved defensively with a couple blocks, a steal and seven rebounds.

Molly Rullo (above) had 20 points and nine rebounds in O'Hara's win. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Molly Rullo (2025 | Cardinal O’Hara)
Rullo paced the Lions to a 54-41 win over Ursuline Academy (Del.) with a strong 20-point, nine-rebound effort. The 5-11 wing and Drexel commit really knows how to get downhill with a head of steam, whether that’s coming off a screen in the half court or in a couple terrific give-and-go plays where she’d receive a pass going at 100 miles an hour and get to the rim before the Ursuline defense could react. She also knocked down a couple 3s, got to the line four separate times and played stronger post defense than her solitary block would imply.

Zaniyah Williams (2026 | Long Island Lutheran, N.Y.)
A skilled 5-7 combo guard, Williams didn’t win MVP honors in LuHi’s win over Red Bank Catholic (N.J.), though she probably deserved to after a quiet double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. Williams was continuously making the right play at the right time, whether that was finding a plunging forward for an open layup or kicking out to a shooter, and when she did create her own offense she was efficient with her dribbles and her shot selection, going 5-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-4 from 3-point range.

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