City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
—

PITMAN, N.J. — The Hoop Group circuit visited South Jersey this weekend with the two-day Mid-Atlantic Showcase, a good local contingent amongst the 50-some teams playing four games each at the five-court Total Turf Experience over the course of Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s who stood out over the course of the weekend; CLICK HERE for a notebook featuring interviews with several local players from throughout the weekend:

~~~

Brielle Alaba (2026 | NJ ShoreShots HGSL 17U)
Alaba’s game can be described in one word: smooth. The 5-foot-10 point guard and junior at Cherokee (N.J.) makes it look easy with the ball in her hands, whether she’s looking for her own shot or creating for others, scoring 15 points with four rebounds, four assists and a steal in a win over Lady Runnin’ Rebels HGSL on Saturday afternoon. Alaba’s got an easy, high-arcing jumper, hitting two of her three 3-pointers in the win, but doesn’t hesitate to put it on the floor and attack the rim, where she can finish with either hand. 

Grace Anderson (2027 | United NJ P24 16U)
Anderson helped United win a shootout over Coastline Hoops on Sunday morning with a 21-point effort to lead all scorers, complementing that with six rebounds, three assists and a steal. The Tottenville (N.J.) guard shot 8-of-13 from the floor overall as she scored in a variety of ways: she showed a super-quick release on a catch-and-shoot corner 3-pointer, knocked down a smooth baseline pull-up, drained a 15-foot stop-and-pop and had a nice finish driving left as she proved tough to stop all game long. 

Callie Decker (2027 | NJ ShoreShots Liggio 17U)
A 5-8 guard from St. Rose (N.J.), Decker impacted the game in all sorts of ways as the ShoreShots beat Total Skills on Saturday afternoon. An athletic combo guard who liked to get airborne to make a play, Decker stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, six rebounds (three offensive), five steals and two assists, leaping for everything from loose balls to errant passes and a couple buckets where she hung in the air, squared up and knocked it down. 

Caroline Dougherty (2027 | PA Royals HGSL 16U)
The PA Royals played a terrific team game on Saturday afternoon in a big win over the LI Renegades, which explains the presence of several of their players on this list. Dougherty, a 5-8 guard from Mt. St. Joseph, played hard and smart and worked her way to a nine-point, four-rebound, three-assist, three-steal game which saw her continually involved in the action. She did a great job of picking her spots to attack, driving on a couple closeouts and coming up with back-to-back reverse layups in the second half, while making a few other good passes on the move. 

Sammie Haws (2027 | PA Royals HGSL 16U)
Coming off a strong sophomore year at Pennsbury, Haws kept it rolling with a 18-point, four-rebound, three-steal outing for the Royals. The 5-9 guard is a strong outside shooter, which she showed by knocking down four triples on six attempts; she also had an and-one on a 10-foot baseline pull-up. A fluid, athletic guard with good strength, Haws can create for herself off the bounce and can hit shots off the catch or the pull-up, and she’s also a quality defender with quick feet and good instincts.

Chloe Hunold (2026 | District One Tague 17U)
Hunold really stuffed the stat sheet in a 53-41 win over the AUF Lady Hawks. The 5-6 guard from Downingtown East racked up 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals as she did a great job with the ball in her hands. Hunold handled press by herself on a number of occasions, not forcing the issue but backing defenders down and then getting past them; once she got downhill, she did a great job of drawing a double-team and then hitting an open cutter, or kicking out to a 3-pointer, or attacking the rim and getting to the line (6-8 FT).

Mackenzie Klatsky (2028 | Coastline Hoops 16U)
Klatsky had herself one heck of a start to Coastline’s game against United NJ on Sunday. The 5-8 guard from Marlboro (N.J.) showed why she’s one of the top young shooters in the Garden State, draining a pair of pull-up 3-pointers…then hitting a catch-and-shoot triple from the left wing, a pull-up from straightaway behind the arc, and finally one more trey — after a picture-perfect floater. And she did it all in the first nine minutes of the game. Those 17 points were all she accounted for in the contest, but it was an eye-opening stretch from the young gunslinger with quite a bit of hoops in her family (see: our notebook).

Sarah Koller (2029 | Next Play 16U)
Playing up two age groups with a bunch of sophomores, many of whom had varsity experience, Koller didn’t miss a beat, as she was the most productive player on the court in a game against District One. The 5-4 guard, who’s going to Agnes Irwin next year, came off the bench and immediately got Next Play’s offense going with a driving bucket and then hit back-to-back 3-pointers before an and-one layup; she had 13 of her game-high 17 points by halftime, adding a couple buckets in the second half along with four rebounds and an assist. Koller’s got a strong handle and picked her spots well, not panicking at pressure and getting the ball out of her hands if a shot wasn’t available. 

Octavia Prado (2026 | District One Tague 17U)
A 5-7 guard and junior at Delaware Military Academy (Del.), Prado had her jump shot working for her in the win over the AUF Lady Hawks on Saturday afternoon. Prado scored 14 points as she hit three 3-pointers (on five attempts) and a mid-range jumper, all with a high-scoring shot and consistent release. A confident ball-handler with quick feet, Prado also did a good job on the glass (five boards) and getting the ball upcourt, adding four assists to her tally. 

Regan Przepioski (2027 | PA Royals HGSL 16U)
Przepioski’s versatility and IQ were on display in the Royals’ big win, as the 5-11 wing forward from Archbishop Wood racked up 10 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Przepioski always seems to be thinking a play ahead, making quick decisions on the court as she’s constantly keeping the ball and herself moving, helping her team create plenty of open shots even if she wasn’t directly responsible for the assist. Przepioski made an impact in the first half without scoring but then hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second half along with a nice spin-and-finish with her right hand. 

Grace Smith (2027 | NJ ShoreShots Liggio 17U)
A 5-11 wing from Rumson-Fair Haven (N.J.), Smith showed her ability as a knockdown shooter in a 16-point game during a win over Total Skills on Saturday afternoon. A right-hander, Smith had a couple great catch-and-finishes with her off-hand, while also knocking down four 3-pointers, all showing off her ability to get a shot off with perfect form in a hurry and knock it down. With good size and mobility at the ‘2’ and ‘3’ she also showed she can guard multiple positions and play inside and out offensively.

Morgan Seagreaves (2026 | Team Outcasts 17U)
Seagreaves was juuuust about flawless from the floor in a win over District One on Sunday afternoon. The 5-11 lefty from Allentown Central Catholic shot 11-for-12 for 22 points, going without a miss until an errant jumper in the game’s closing minutes; she connected on the first 10 shots she took, including a couple face-up jumpers and a strong drive-and-score, though she also showed a great ability to move without the ball and find space for a teammate to feed her the ball, and she could catch and finish well with both hands. She also added four rebounds (two offensive) and an assist. Special mention to her teammate, ACC 2028 F/C Skylar Taylor, who grabbed 20 rebounds (nine offensive) in the win. 

Tatum Sharpe (2027 | United NJ P24 16U)
A lanky, versatile 5-11 forward, Sharpe put together an impressive performance in the win over Coastline Hoops as she racked up 18 points (8-13 FG, 2-3 3PT) and grabbed nine rebounds. Sharpe scored inside and out — she hit two 3-pointers on smooth catch-and-shoot opportunities in the second half, but otherwise showed great post footwork and ability with both left-hand and right-hand hook shots, along with another catch-and-finish, her quality hands and timing popping through all game. Defensively, she used her length well, preventing a number of easy looks around the rim even if she didn’t block a shot. 

Jordyn Williams (2027 | Delco Goats HGSL 17U)
Williams and the Goats put on a lock-down defensive clinic against Her Time in a Saturday morning game, racking up 18 steals in a 39-22 finish. Williams had four of them — both by taking it off her mark and also by playing the passing lanes in the press — which she helped turn into 12 points at the other end, the 5-7 guard from York Suburban fearlessly attacking the rim over and over after she opened up with a knockdown 3-pointer; she got to the line three times (5-6 FT) and had a couple nice finishes, including a spin-and-finish with her off hand. 

~~~

Honorable Mention
Lillie Alston (2026 | AUF Lady Hawks 17U), Kylee Beam (2027 | NJ ShoreShots Liggio 17U), Sadie Birdsall (2027 | PA Royals HGSL 16U), Luci D’Amico (2026 | Delco Goats HGSL 17U), Samantha Grella (2026 | NJ ShoreShots HGSL 17U), Alia Johnson (2027 | United NJ HGPL 16U), Natalie Keefer (2026 | District One Lyons 17U), Delaney Long (2027 | Total Skills 16U), Kiera Longo (2027 | 10 Strong KF 16U), Elisabeth Lyons (2027 | United NJ P24 16U), Grace Maloney (2028 | Delco Goats HGSL 16U), Abigail Masotta (2027 | District One 16U), Shamiya Roberts (2026 | Team Outcasts 17U), Sariah Sanon (2026 | Her Time 17U), Sophia Tannuru (2027 | 10 Strong KF 16U), Skylar Taylor (2028 | Team Outcasts 17U), Alyssa Thomas (2028 | Mid-Atlantic Magic HGSL 15U), Auslyn Wilkins (2027 | Total Skills 16U), Emma Yogis (2026 | Total Skills HGPL 17U), Megan Zane (2027 | Delco Goats HGSL 17U)