TNE Girls Prep Showcase: Middle School Standouts
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On Friday night, I attended Team New England’s Prep Girls Showcase in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and there was an impressive showing of middle school talent that filled the gym. Below are 5 of the players who stood out. Photo: [player_tooltip…
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Continue ReadingOn Friday night, I attended Team New England’s Prep Girls Showcase in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and there was an impressive showing of middle school talent that filled the gym. Below are 5 of the players who stood out.
Story Victory Moore Story Victory Moore 5'6" | CG Tilton | 2026 State New E – Brookwood School/Lady Rivals – 5’6’’ – CG – ’26
Moore is a big, strong combo guard who can impact the game in more ways than one. When I see a guard built like Moore, I look for how aggressive they are on the glass. Someone with Moore’s toughness and upper body strength should dominate the glass for her position, and she did just that Friday night. I also liked how aggressive Moore came off of screens looking for her shot. She hit a couple of tough long-range shots off the pick and roll, one of them highly contested. As a scorer, Moore has a very high ceiling due to her limitless shooting range, mixed with her power and explosion when driving.
Tiyara Gonzalez Tiyara Gonzalez 5'0" | PG St. Raphael Academy | 2026 State New E – St. Theresa/Team Providence – 5’2’’ – PG – ’26
Gonzalez was one of the most fun players to watch at the showcase and, despite her size, still showed everyone that she was in the conversation for best floor general in the whole ’26 class. Her approach to the game is what draws your attention, specifically on defense. Gonzalez was completely locked in and gave the opposing guards fits. She makes up for her lack of height with unreal east to west quickness. On offense, her change of pace and direction is impressive. She is deceptively quick and consistently keeps the defense on their heels with her tight ball-handling as she makes winning play after winning play.
Hannah Murphy Hannah Murphy 5'4" | PG Carlton Middle | 2027 New E – Charlton Middle/Bay State Jaguars – 5’3’’ – PG – ’27
Murray was another strongly built point guard who understood the importance of rebounding at her position. The relentlessness and toughness she showed to secure boards stuck out to me because not many players her size were willing to bang down low and fight for the ball. I thought Murphy set the tone for the team with her hustle and commitment to the glass, which made her my biggest sleeper prospect of the event.
Ava Dwyer Ava Dwyer 5'7" | PG Groton School | 2026 State New E – Medford/Lady Rivals – 5’6’’ – CG – ’26
I’ve seen Dwyer a few times prior to the Team New England Prep Girls Showcase, and she has always been high on my list of ’26 prospects. She controls the game’s tempo well in the halfcourt. Her ball handling is as good as any guard in her class, and although a flashy point guard, Dwyer never seems out of control or over-dribbling. Dwyer’s shot-creating and shotmaking ability are one of a kind too. The degree of difficulty of her shot attempts are high, and Dwyer looked almost too comfortable drilling long range bombs all night.
Alannah Morantus Alannah Morantus 5'9" | CG Foxborough Charter | 2027 New E – Foxborough Charter/ Team Providence – 5’9’’ – CG – ’27
Morantus stole the show Friday night mainly because a combo guard with her size, length, and basketball skill for a ’27 prospect is rare to find. Morantus is very coordinated, and she proved that early on with picture-perfect footwork on her basket penetration. The number of pivots, step throughs, and spin moves Morantus pulled off throughout the night was jaw-dropping. Her explosiveness going downhill and being able to stop on a dime and change direction was something I haven’t seen from a middle school prospect thus far, never mind one who has Morantus’ height. She can defend multiple positions at a high level, making Morantus one of the highest ceiling prospects in her class.