2022 Sunshine State Showdown: 14U-15U Champions

2022 Sunshine State Showdown: 14U-15U Champions By Michael Wholey 4/24/22 7:00 AM EST The 2022 Sunshine State Showdown served as a kickoff event to start the spring/summer travel season hosting 120 teams, 183 games, over 900 players, 2,000 fans and crowned 14 champions across eight divisions from 10U all the way to 17U. We look at the 14U-15U Champions. 10U Champion: Miami Suns 10U 11U Champion: Outsiders 4/5th 12U Champion: CFE 12U 13U Champion: ECU Navy 2027 14U Faith Bracket: Lady Knox Ballers 2026 14U Hope Bracket: Jupiter Jaguars 14U 15U Courage Bracket: Miami Suns Team Kiki 15U EYBL 15U Dream Bracket: Tampa Thunder 2025 16U Peace Bracket: Essence Black 16U 16U Inspire Bracket: Team Knight 2024 3SSB 16U Imagine Bracket: North Tartan 16U EYBL 17U Hope Bracket: East Coast United Navy 2023 17U Dream Bracket: East Coast United Team Richardson 2023 17U Courage Bracket: Essence 17U Purple EYBL 17U Faith Bracket: Essence Black 17U 14U Faith Bracket Miami Suns 14U (12) - Lady Knox Ballers 2026 (47) The Lady Knox Ballers 2026 was dominant all weekend defeating teams by an average of 30 points throughout the event. On Friday they defeated Essence White 14U 47-19, then Saturday they followed that up with a 48-22 win over FGB Future 8th, and finally defeating the Miami Suns 14U in the Faith Bracket finals on Sunday 47-12. Class of 2026 prospects Eryn Griffin and Dakara Merthie were the weekends most consistent scorers both averaging 10+ points per game. While Ashley Knox finished the event strong, dropping 10 points on Saturday and following that up on Sunday with 12 points in the championship game! Aubrey Griffin played up two full age divisions playing as a class of 2028 prospect in the 2026 division and showcased her scoring ability against bigger, stronger, and older players and will definitely be a player to watch for years to come! 14U Hope Bracket Jupiter Jaguars 14U (43) - Essence Black 14U (36) In the other 14U bracket, it was the Jupiter Jaguars 14U squad that took care of business. Pulling out a number of close games, the Jaguars won their 3 games by 4 points, 7 points and 8 points. In the Jaguars first two games, it was Rebecca Witt and Elizabeth Fitzwater who paced the squad, accounting for half of their teams points in both games, dropping 11 points each in both games. The in the finals, Witt did her thing scoring 9 points and with Essence Black doing a good job defensively holding Fitzwater scoreless, it was Elizabeth Lynskey-Lake who stepped up when her squad needed it the most scoring 20 of her teams 43 points and leading them to the 14U Hope Bracket Championship! <img class=" wp-image-417191 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/DSC03359-scaled-e1650426209181-219x300.jpeg" alt="" width="238" height="326" />15U Courage Bracket Miami Suns Team Kiki 15U EYBL (52) – East Coast United Family 2025 (50) The Miami Suns Team Kiki 15U EYBL squad finished the weekend with a perfect 3-0 record, winning one game each day, concluding with a 52-50 OT win in the 15U Courage Bracket Championship! The talented 15U squad played hard and aggressive all weekend, relying on full court pressure and consistent and relentless attacking of the rim. Adaya Motalvo and Alexa Swartz were extremely consistent throughout the weekend from the perimeter, getting to the rim and getting to the free throw line by drawing contact. Class of 2027 prospect [player_tooltip player_id="214184" first="Jalynn" last="Belton"] was a huge bright spot for the 15U squad, playing up two age divisions and will be a player to follow over the years. The young wing/forward played a well-rounded game, doing a great job on the boards, while also finishing well at the rim off, scoring off the dribble and on put backs off offensive rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id="221662" first="Alessandra" last="Bonilla"] stepped up big in the championship game, dropping 17 points, including five 3-pointers, accounting for 15 of her 17 points. The big guard is an extremely skilled offensive player with deep 3-point range and solid handle. 15U Dream Bracket FGB Elite 9th (37) - Tampa Thunder 2025 (43) The Tampa Thunder 2025 squad took home the 15U Dream bracket, defeating Miami Suns South Orange 55-17 on Friday and then pulling out two close victories on Saturday and Sunday by defeating Essence Black 15U 39-34 and then FGB Elite 9th 43-37 in the championship game! The fun part of the teams performance all weekend was that they got equal contributions from a number of players over the course of the event with different players stepping up each game, helping them to pull out victories. In game # 1 [player_tooltip player_id="249388" first="Morgan" last="Walsh"], [player_tooltip player_id="346884" first="Jennie" last="Gutman"], and Natalia Long all reached double digits in the box score. While in game # 2 it was Jatia Markes who stepped, accounting for a third of teams points dropping 13 points. While in the championship game, it was Gutman again who paced the team dropping a team high 14 points and [player_tooltip player_id="346885" first="Mikayla" last="Paschal"] who stepped up and reached double digits scoring 11. Walsh, Gutman, Markes, and Paschall all are 2025 prospects, while Natalia Long is a 2027 prospect who played up two age divisions all weekend!   Michael Wholey is the lead scout for Florida Prep Girls Hoop Florida and a former division one Assistant Coach at American University, University of Memphis, and Georgia Tech. Wholey and the rest of the Prep Girls Hoop staff, seek to cover the entire state of player, keeping subscribers up to date with player evaluations, recruiting info, and statewide news. Our audience often supplies us with some of our best information. If you have any information on players, teams, or statewide news in the state of Florida, emailing Michael Wholey at <a href="mailto:WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com">WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com</a> or DM him through Twitter or Instagram @WholeyPrepHoops.