City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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MANHEIM — The 2025 Girls’ Under Armour Association circuit wrapped up play with the GUAA championships at Spooky Nook this past weekend, with pool and bracket play culminating in Monday morning’s 15U, 16U and 17U GUAA title games. CoBL had writers in attendance on Saturday, Sunday and Monday for games at various levels.

Here’s who stood out to the staff during competition on Sunday and Monday:

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Jacy Abii (2026 | IFN GUAA 17U)
If not for a brace on her left knee, it’d be hard to tell the 6-foot-2 guard has only jusStet recently returned to the court following an injury. A member of USA Basketball’s youth pool, the five-star prospect brought a blend of athleticism and skill to the floor all weekend and she put together a strong performance in a highlight matchup against WV Thunder on Saturday morning with 16 points, three assists and three steals. Abii, who counts UConn, South Carolina, UCLA and LSU among her top 10, can take defenders off the dribble or shoot from the perimeter. She is also a strong rebounder and was a key piece in IFN’s strong open floor style of play.

Laney Arredondo (2026 | SA Finest GUAA 17U)
The fiery point guard went on an absolute heater in the first half of Sunday’s win over Northwest Blazers. Arredondo, a McNeese State recruit, erupted for 22 points in the half, nailing six three-pointers in a scorching effort. While she’s listed at 5-foot-6, Arredondo leaves a sizable imprint with her play, the point guard a high-energy force on both ends of the floor. In the midst of her deluge offensively, she didn’t hesitate to step in and take a charge Sunday, plus handled the ball against an aggressive defense and flew around defensively.

Olive Brandt (2026 | Comets UA Rise 17U)
One of the few local players in the GUAA/UA Rise field, the Lebanon rising senior guard put on for District 3 on Sunday night as the Comets beat the Northwest Blazers Montana in overtime. The 5-5 sharpshooter went for 22 points, burning three 3-pointers and going a perfect 9-of-9 from the foul line as she showed she can be more than just a gunner, throwing in a picture-perfect spin to a layup, and picking up a three-point play as well. A quality ball-handler with good court vision, Brandt has been getting more assertive at looking for her own shot off the bounce. 

Janyia Cunningham (2027 | FBC United The Family GUAA 16U)
A 6-1 forward from South Pointe (Fl.), Cunningham has the strength and size needed to play the ‘4’ but what really impressed about her was how light and quick she was on her feet, spending much of her time defensively on the perimeter and doing so successfully, keeping one Comets guard after another in front of her and forcing them to give it up during a 16U GUAA semifinal. Offensively, she showed her guard skills by popping out and knocking down a first-half triple, her only 3-point attempt, but then got busy in the post to put up 16 points while grabbing six of her nine rebounds on the offensive end.

C’India ‘CeCe’ Dennis (2027 | FBC United GUAA 17U)
A confident, talented lead guard with flair, Dennis pulled quite a few tricks out of her bag on Sunday as FBC United battled the Wisconsin Lakers in a 17U semifinal. The 5-5 guard from Creekside (Ga.), playing up a year on the oldest circuit in the GUAA, uncorked back-to-back deep splashdown 3’s from the wing, handled the ball with aplomb against tough defense, and had a few impressive takes to the hoop, including one move where she spun and put up a fadeaway from about 12 feet. She finished with 15 points, four assists, and several other assorted stats, showing why she’s pulled in offers from Florida, Clemon, Louisville, Auburn, and more. 

Alexis Eberz (2026 | Comets GUAA 17U)
The Comets and Northwest Blazers played one really enjoyable 17U consolation game Monday morning, the teams combining for 22 3-pointers as the Blazers won by three. Eberz certainly played well in her final game in a Comets uniform, the future Villanova guard going for 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 6-of-10 from the 3-point arc. The Archbishop Carroll standout and high-scoring 5-9 guard makes it look easy when she’s on like this — which we’ve certainly seen with good frequency — whether it’s deep-arcing 3s from well beyond the arc or an all-too-casual flick of a wrist for a layup when attacking the rim. And sometimes it is pretty easy, like when an offensive rebound fell to her open on the baseline for a knockdown 12-footer. 

Kayla Eberz (2028 | Comets GUAA 15U)
The Comets’ 15s fell just short of the championship game, losing by a point in the GUAA semifinals, and Eberz certainly left it all on the court. The 5-10 wing guard from Archbishop Carroll, one of the area’s top players in her grade, was the Comets’ offensive motor in the quarterfinals (22 points, nine rebounds, four assists) and semifinals (28 points, 11 rebounds, three assists), proving to be a one-girl wrecking ball at points. Eberz has a well-rounded offensive game as she can bang home 3s, score around the rim with both hands, and she loves the one-legged fadeaway in the mid-range, hitting multiple of those, while also defending well inside and out and hitting the glass hard.

Kimora Fields (2026 | FBC United GUAA 17U)
Clemson’s got a good one in the Bradley Central (Tenn.) wing forward, a versatile talent who can play just about every position on the court. The 6-0 wing has the strength and footwork to play in the post, doing a fantastic job on the weakside glass as she grabbed 11 rebounds in a game against the Wisconsin Lakers, with six of those boards coming on the offensive end. She’s also got guard skills and easy range out to the 3-point arc, all of which she showed as she added 15 points, three rebounds and two steals in the close semifinal loss, displaying terrific body control around the rim and the ability to finish through contact.

Bella Flemings (2026 | SA Finest GUAA 17U)
The highly-touted combo guard gave the feeling she could off at any second and seemed to get stronger the later into a game she got. In a loss to Wisconsin Lakers on Saturday, Flemings shook off a quiet first half to net 14 second half points as her team made a late charge, then had 10 second half points Sunday to help fend off a comeback effort by Northwest Blazers. The 6-foot guard from San Antonio (Tx.) has an effortless long-distance shot and plenty of range to go with it, but she looked just as comfortable attacking the rim, getting into the paint and using her size and physicality as an asset to keep defenses guessing.

Janiyah Hargrave (2028 | FBC We Trust GUAA 16U)
Hargrave is relentless on the court, the 5-foot-9 guard playing with a determination that nothing will get between her and the basket. Sunday morning, she caused plenty of problems for the Comets in a 16U quarterfinal game in an 18 point effort with an attacking mindset but also playing under control. She’s already racked up some Big Ten and ACC offers and is a good athlete with a sound sense of where she is and doesn’t have to force shots. Defensively, Hargrave is also an energizer with her length and hustle impacting the game on both sides of the ball.

Cheyenne Hull (2027 | Northwest Blazers GUAA 17U)
The Blazers as a group were clicking in a Monday win over the Comets, hitting 11 3-pointers as eight different players scored at least four points in a balanced showing. Hull was one of two who really elevated themselves, as the rising junior at AC Davis (Wa.) contributed 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals to the effort. Hull was continuously making the extra pass without thinking, the ball touching her hands on the wing and instantly popping into the corner or to a cutter, the 6-0 wing finding one open shooter after another. When she did let it fly, she knocked down a pair of 3-pointers of her own and had a nice one-dribble pull-up in the 12-foot range, and she always was in on rebounds. 

Ryann Jennings (2026 | Comets GUAA 17U)
Jennings also had a strong final game in a Comets uniform, going for 13 points with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in the game against the Northwest Blazers. The 5-10 guard and Lehigh commit knocked down two of her three 3-point attempts, both on catch-and-shoots, as she went 5-of-7 from the floor and 1-of-2 from the foul line. The Blazers had good size across the board but Jennings crashed the glass hard and did a good job of getting the break going either with a pass or with the ball in her hands, and never once forced anything in a game with plenty of offensive flow. 

Natalie Kussow (2026 | Wisconsin Lakers GUAA 17U)
Kussow put on a show in multiple watches this weekend, the ESPN No. 16 player in the 2026 class showing why she’s one of the best pure scorers around. First, we saw her drop 38 points including six 3’s and four and-ones against SA Finest on Saturday, before she scored 21 of her game-high 30 points in a thrilling win over FBC United on Sunday in the semifinals. A 5-10 lefty, Kussow is uber-confident with the ball in her hands, unleashing jumpers from all over the court whenever she had an inch of space, hitting six more triples against FBC United, doing them in all sorts of ways — including one where she caught a rebound on the baseline, took two dribbles as she was backing up and then immediately launching and draining from the corner. 

Abbie McFillin (2027 | Comets GUAA 16U)
McFillin scored her team’s first six points Sunday morning and that was only a precursor of what was to come. The Archbishop Carroll junior, who assumed point guard duties this past season, has put together a strong summer and she made a statement in the GUAA 16U quarterfinals with a 36-point effort that propelled her team onward. It wasn’t just that McFillin had a huge game, it was that she did it efficiently and playing at her pace. The 5-foot-9 guard made 16 baskets, 13 of them inside the arc, and every shot she took was either open or in a spot she’s comfortable converting from. McFillin added six rebounds, a couple assists and two steals in one of the weekend’s top breakout performances.

Sydney Mobley (2027 | WV Thunder Johnson 17U)
Mobley has been racking up offers all summer and it’s easy to see why within a few minutes of watching her on the court. The 6-foot-2 forward, a four-star and in ESPN’s top 25 for the 2027 class, is an obvious force on the interior but she’s expanded her game to the point she was going behind-the-back on the dribble bringing the ball up. Mobley was clutch in a hard-fought win over IFN on Saturday, netting 20 points that included the game-winner with a few seconds left. She was strong and decisive with the ball, drawing a few shooting fouls and holding her own on the glass against an athletic IFN team. Mobley’s offer sheet is pretty long, with South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Florida State some of the recent adds, and it seems like there’s even more she can unlock in her game.

Haylee Noel (2027 | WV Thunder Johnson 16U)
Noel was outstanding in the Thunder’s 16U championship win, dropping 20 points with five rebounds and two assists to pace a balanced-and-deadly offensive attack. The 5-11 wing from Cooper High (Ky.) started things off by making her first three 3-pointers, all with terrific mechanics and no hesitation at pulling from deep, but that was just getting her started. She finished off 6-of-8 from deep, throwing in one driving layup as the Thunder hit 14 3’s as a team. Noel is also a strong playmaker who never forced the action, taking what the defense gave her while otherwise moving the ball. 

Jo Owens (2027 | Comets GUAA 16U)
The Comets wouldn’t have made it past the 16U bracket quarterfinals without Owens, whose impact was felt heavily on the defensive end. As her team’s only available “big,” the 6-foot forward held down the interior against a sizable FBC We Trust frontcourt. Owens had five blocks while altering plenty of other shots and grabbed seven boards, including a pair of offensive rebounds she immediately turned into assists by passing out to a teammate. While she only had one basket and scored two points, it’s certainly possible to change a game on the defensive end and the amount of congratulations Owens got from the Comets’ supporters said plenty about the way she did.

Kylee Paben (2026 | Nebraska Attack 17U)
Paben served as a walking tiebreaker as the Attack downed the Minnesota Fury late Sunday afternoon. With the score tied 28-28 at half, Paben made her first four shots of the third quarter totalling 11 points and giving her team a lead it wouldn’t give back although it did get close late. The 6-foot-1 wing can shoot the ball effortlessly and she nailed seven total threes in a 35 point effort against the Fury showing an ability to shoot on the move, off the catch and even used a pump-fake on the perimeter to tee up another trey. Paben also moved well off the ball and got some easy looks off cuts and sank four straight free throws to ice the game. Defensively, her length is an asset and she didn’t hesitate to box out on rebounds to let her guards get the ball and go.

Finley Parcher (2027 | Northwest Blazers GUAA 17U)
A 6-1 wing from Lynden (Wa.) and already a two-time state champion, Parcher played tough for the Blazers in their win over the Comets. She opened the game by gobbling up offensive rebounds, with her first six of her 11 rebounds coming on that end of the floor; she finished with eight offensive boards as she was constantly in the right place to nab an off-kilter jumper, a couple of which were her own doing. She complemented that effort on the glass with 12 points and two assists, hitting one 3-pointer and a couple interior buckets, absorbing contact over and over again without it bothering her once.

Maci Pringle (2026 | IFN 17U)
Football rules in Texas and Pringle looked the part of a star wide receiver in Saturday’s tight loss to WV Thunder. The 6-foot-1 forward - who has plenty of high-major interest - put on a superb display of athleticism in front of a packed coaches’ row, running the floor and hauling in everything thrown her way during a 20-point effort. Her best play was a one-handed grab of a pass under the hoop she turned into a finish in a pretty fluid sequence. Pringle continued to nearly jump out of the gym all weekend, she was aggressive on the offensive glass and covered a lot of ground on both ends. She didn’t just get it done as a leaper however, showing an ability to hit the three but also score from the high post and of course, around the basket while drawing plenty of contact.

Stella Sakalas (2026 | Wisconsin Lakers GUAA 17U)
Stella was stellar for the Lakers in their semifinal win over FBC United on Sunday afternoon, putting up 21 points and six rebounds as a terrific supporting act to Kussow on the offensive end. The 6-0 guard from Nazareth Academy (Ill.) excelled at attacking the bucket, where she knew how to finish in a variety of ways with either hand, getting up through contact or throwing in a couple spins into floaters, knocking down one of her two 3-point attempts and 4-of-5 from the foul line. Defensively, she’s got great length and used it to her advantage, getting a number of deflections, and her ability to guard inside and out helped the Lakers pull out a win as much as her scoring.

Dasia Scott (2027 | Mavs Elite GUAA 17U)
A 6-2 forward and rising junior at the Principia School (Mo.), Scott bulldozed her way to 15 points and seven rebounds in a Monday morning consolation win, and did it with style. Strong in the post and with quality hands and footwork, Scott took numerous feeds from her teammates down low, took a bump, adjusted, and finished, as she ultimately was 5-of-7 from the floor. That included a pop-out 3-pointer, an unexpected flash of range in the second half, and the way she did it suggested with ease that it could be a significant part of her offensive repertoire. But in this game, it was her work around the bucket that really stood out.

Brooke Stagliano (2027 | Comets GUAA 16U)
Stagliano’s shooting is certainly a big reason why the 5-8 guard has been pulling in Division I offers left and right this summer, and it brought the Comets into the 16U championship game with a standout showing on Sunday afternoon. The Paul VI (N.J.) rising junior knocked down five triples on eight attempts to get to a game-high 21 points in a win over a terrific FBC United the Family squad, even with the defense throwing everything it could at her. Stagliano’s makes kept coming from deeper and deeper, on the catch and in pull-ups, and she also hit a nice pull-up from the baseline while handling the ball well against some intense pressure defense. 

Annsley Trivette (2026 | WV Thunder Johnson 17U)
Trivette lists herself as a 6-2 power forward on social media, but the way she played against Team Thrill in a semifinal win, she looked more like a wing. Her offensive game was in full display as she scored 17 points, knocking down her only two 3-point attempts on quick-trigger, catch-and-shoot bombs that looked picture-perfect; she also had a strong catch-and-shoot with her left (off) hand, and perhaps her best move was a spin into a 10-foot fadeaway that was nothing but net; all-in-all, she was 7-of-8 from the field, her only blemish the 1-of-3 mark from the foul line. Defensively, she uses her strong frame well around the bucket but has the foot speed and athleticism to guard the perimeter well.

Samaya Wilkins (2027 | WV Thunder Johnson 16U)
In a dominant showing by WV Thunder Johnson in the 16U semifinals, Wilkins only played about half the game, but that was enough to show what she can do with a 14-point, seven-rebound outing. A solidly-built 6-4 forward, Wilkins knows how to establish position down low and has fantastic hands and feet, allowing her to grab whatever’s thrown to her, adjust and lay it in with ease, with her right hand or her left. Mobile and athletic, Wilkins elevated well to grab rebounds and even flashed a jump shot, taking one 3-pointer; she didn’t hit it, but clearly has the ability to stretch the floor when left open, with a clean and smooth shooting form on the catch.

Taylor Williams (2027 | WV Thunder Johnson 16U)
Williams is, in a word: quick. In another word: fast. The 5-9 guard from Bullis School (Md.) was blowing past defenders all game long in a 16U GUAA semifinal, liking to go baseline and kick out to shooters, or attacking straight down the middle for a layup or floater. She contributed a team-high 14 points, plus five rebounds, four assists and two steals, knocking down two 3-pointers (on four attempts), including a deep pull-up trey from straightaway, and her bounciness makes her pull-up shot almost impossible to block. She was on fire in the 16U championship game, knocking down her first five 3-pointers as she finished with 17 points, hitting deep pull-up 3’s from all over the court, and dishing out three assists as well.

Ivanna Wilson Manyacka (2027 | WV Thunder Johnson 17U)
Wilson Manyack is the No. 2 player in her class according to ESPN, and it isn’t tough to see why. The 6-1 wing is powerful, athletic, and super-skilled, all of which she showed as WV Thunder Johnson beat Team Thrill by 38 in a semifinal on Sunday afternoon. Going for 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, Wilson Manyacka hit five 3-pointers (on eight attempts), with a smooth rhythm to her catch-and-shoot form — including a couple from deep — and also hit a tough one-footer on the baseline, with a couple takes to the rim where she got from the arc to the hole in just a step or two. 

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Honorable Mention
Sabrina Anderson (2027 | WV Thunder GUAA 17U), Josie Christian (2028 | Wisconsin Lakers GUAA 15U), Payton Day (2030 | FB United We Trust 15U), Lamyiah Jarrett (2027 | FBC United The Family GUAA 16U), Jane Marshall (2027 | WV Thunder Johnson 16U), Anna Miller (2027 | Wisconsin Lakers GUAA 17U), Vienna Murray (2026 | Minnesota Fury GUAA 17U), Sophia Prins (2026 | MBA GUAA 17U), Macie Reiner (2028 | Nebraska Attack GUAA 17U), Elliana Robak (2026 | Michigan Storm GUAA 17U), Yasmeen Schmidt (2026 | SA Finest GUAA 17U), Maggie Spell (2026 | WPA Bruns GUAA 17U), Ishana Sundararajan (2028 | Comets GUAA 15U), Audriana Williams (2026 | Team Thrill GUAA 17U), Ava Womack (2026 | IFN GUAA 17U)