Saturday, November 7th

Photos by Sheldon Schell

We gathered at the Voni B. Grimes Gymnasium in York for the second annual PA Girls Middle School Showcase. The York Lady Raiders were the hosts again and the event was sponsored by Scholar Prep and Tutoring in York. Please visit their website and utilize their services as they have an excellent reputation with proven results.

Central PA is loaded with talented players so I always enjoy my trips up I83 to check them out. This year we had players from Philly as well as the DC and Baltimore areas so it was a great mix. This was the third and final GMSS of the season, so players were anxious to impress because invitations for the Girls Middle School All Star Game will go out in January.  That event will take place in March as part of the 695Hoops Senior Shoot Out and you do not want to miss it. Several players in this showcase were selected for last year's all star game and they performed like they intend to return. Several newcomers made their case as well so let's take at look at who did what.

Hope Evans, 2020, Benjamin Tasker Middle School. 

Hope turned in a spectacular performance. The speed is real! Hope has everything you want in a point guard. She recognizes defenses very well and is always in pass first mode. However, when she decides that scoring is necessary she does it easily. Hope is fast with the ball in her hands and her handle is solid so she was a nightmare matchup. She easily got into transition and to the rim for layups. She is also an excellent on ball defender and if she wants to deny her opponent the ball they get shut off. She scored 11 points and dished out several assists.

 Aniya Matthews, 2020 center, York Lady Raiders.

Aniya is a legit 6'4" tall and uses that height very well. She caught the ball at the high post and turned to see over the defense and easily found cutting teammates for lay ups. She is a good passer and made some nice midrange jumpers. She is an excellent shot blocker and I like that she looks to tap the ball to teammates in play instead of punching shots out of bounds. The future is bright for Aniya.

 Alex Sawyers, 2020 guard, MD Belles

Alex has been in several showcases and is steadily improving. She was in attack mode and she displayed an improving handle and ability to get into the lane. Her long range shot looked good too.

 Destiny Stewart, 2021, Harrisburg Baby Cougars

Destiny made a big splash in her GMSS debut. She is long and wiry and likes to push the ball on the fast break. She is a very active player on the boards and in passing lanes. She had the gym buzzing when she drained back to back 3's and a then hit a couple of long 2's. She scored 12 points to help her team win.

Emily Durkee, 2021 Columbia Ravens

Emily is turning into a scoring machine. She has some nice moves off the bounce that help her create space. Once she gets open she knows how to get the ball in the basket. She is very smart and uses hesitation moves to freeze defenders. She is very dangerous in transition because she finishes well at the rim or almost always draws the foul. 

Madison Nimmo, 2022, Baltimore Starz

Madison was one of the three 6th graders in the event. She scored 10 points and more than held her own. She is a dangerous defender that has a knack for coming up with clean strips. By the end of the game dribblers were fearfully picking up their dribbles to avoid being victimized. Madison is very competitive and is never intimidated when playing with older kids. This was a great GMSS debut.

Marissa Sanchez-Henry, 2020, Columbia Ravens

Marissa is one of the highest ranked guards in her class and she showed why in this showcase. She can flat out shoot the ball. There aren't many shots that she can't make during a game. She has a sweet stroke from behind the 3 point line and a nice cache of step back and pull ups. She is a tough competitor on defense and has a great IQ. She was a GMSS all star last year.

Nyceara Pryor, 2022, Baltimore Starz

Nyceara is known as "Lil Mama" in the Baltimore area, but there is nothing little about her game. The diminutive 6th grader sparked her team from opening tap by slicing through the lane and dishing out assists or finishing herself. On defense she was a terror. She disrupted ball handlers and made steals in the passing lanes. She finished with 6 points, 6 assists and 3 steals.

 Janah Jenkins, 2021 guard

Janah is a scrappy and fast guard. She scored 2 points and had 2 steals.

 Alexis Jenkins, 2021 forward

Alexis is a strong offensive rebounder and she set some solid picks to free up her teammates.

Jeanene Collazo, 2021 guard Baltimore Starz. Jeanene had a tough shooting night but she consistently beat defenders off the dribble and got to the hoop. She showed a knack for creating space to get off shots in the lane.

Adriana Finley, 2021 guard

Adriana shot the ball well in her GMSS debut. She showed off some shifty moves on the fast break.

Taryn Woodson, 2021 Center

Taryn showed some decent footwork in the post area and a good basketball IQ. She rebounded well and made some nice passes from the high post.

 Lily Fritz, 2020, Columbia Ravens.

Lily had a good showcase. She was very active on defense and the boards and hit a nice mid range pull up.

Claire Neff, 2020, MD Belles

Claire was off to a good shooting start before a collision cut her night short. She was one of the top performers in the Baltimore GMSS. 

Treasure Johnson, 2021 forward.

Treasure made some slick moves in the paint and was active on the boards.

Anya Walker, 2021, Columbia Ravens

Aniya played aggressively and with confidence. She was disruptive on defense and had three steals. She scored on a nice looking move to the hoop.

Makayli Johnson, Dallastown Intermediate School, 2022

Makayli was the third 6th grader in the showcase. She is quick like a cat and she used that to stay in front of players on defense. She made a few hustle plays and was not afraid to mix it up with the older girls.

Riley Mulder, 2021, York Lady Raiders

Riley was very active on both ends of the court. She showed some skill on offense, scoring 6 points, and came away with a couple of steals and rebounds too.

Lani Batti, 2020

Lani was a late addition to the showcase. She was playing well before a collision ended her night prematurely.

 Kiera Baughman, 2020 York Lady Raiders.

Kiera is a flashy guard but her game is built on substance. She is a great ball handler with a nice passing game. She drained two 3's and finished with 10 points in the game.

Makiah Shaw, 2021, forward.

Makiah had a great showcase. She is long with a nice wing span and handles the ball well for a player her size. She scored from the perimeter and inside too. She finished with 8 points.

Lillian Harris, 2020 Columbia Ravens.

Lillian played big in this showcase. She hit the boards and showed a soft touch with hands. I like that she tried to finish inside with her off hand too.

Zaniah Banks, 2020, Lincoln Middle School.

Zaniah showed off a nice handle and some range on her jumpers. She is solidly built, so she can handle some contact in the paint. This was a good GMSS debut.

Sam Murphy, 2020, Cumberland Valley Middle School.

This was a solid GMSS debut for Sam. She mixed it up on both ends of the court. She grabbed some rebounds, knocked down a 3 pointer and pushed the ball on the fast break. At 5'9" she is a versatile player.

Alayna Harris, 2020, York Lady Raiders

Alayna had a nice all around game. She was effective on the boards with 7 rebounds and she also scored 7 points. She showed the ability to bring the ball up the court which we have not seen before.

Grace Taylor, 2020, MD Belles

Grace had another good showcase. She did not score a lot, but she was tough on defense and helped her team in other ways. She is capable of playing both guard positions and is tough in transition.

Gabrelle Coley, 2020, York Lady Raiders. (last year's photo)

Gabrielle played in last year's PA showcase. She is steadily improving. She is an excellent rebounder and made some good rotations to help out on defense. She has good footwork in the post.

Juliana Bona, 2021

Juliana is a good shooter who runs the floor very well. She has excellent feet which help her on defense. This was a good GMSS debut.