7 Underrated Girls In Southern New England This HS Season
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The 2023-2024 high school season in New England has been amazing to watch from the sidelines. The young ladies of New England have been playing some of the best basketball in the land. Astounding prospects have made headlines with staggering…
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Continue ReadingThe 2023-2024 high school season in New England has been amazing to watch from the sidelines. The young ladies of New England have been playing some of the best basketball in the land. Astounding prospects have made headlines with staggering numbers and plenty of great performances this season. The high intensity is hard to miss and a part of the reason why New England has been gaining nation-wide attention. These are seven girls in the southern area of the region who deserve more recognition for their stellar play and talents.
Tatiana Bell Tatiana Bell 5’11” | PF Wilbraham & Monson | 2025 New E (2025) | 5’11 F| Putnam Science Academy
A real competitor out of Shelton, CT at the forward position with a tough all-around game. She is a pivotal piece on a very well coached Putnam Science Academy squad. Bell is extremely effective in her spots at the high post and under the rim. Bell uses her strong base to gather off two feet and go up and through contact. Tatiana is in the conversation for a double-double every time she hits the floor, causing havoc in the low and mid-post. She’s been right around 10 rebounds a game and consistently hitting double digits in points over the last month. Bell plays with a high IQ that naturally pushes her to be in the proper position on the floor, simplifying and making the game straight forward for her. Tatiana is an advanced prospect with a well composed game. rn
Tiyara Gonzalez Tiyara Gonzalez 5'0" | PG St. Raphael Academy | 2026 State New E
Tiyara Gonzalez Tiyara Gonzalez 5'0" | PG St. Raphael Academy | 2026 State New E
Tiyara Gonzalez Tiyara Gonzalez 5’0″ | PG St. Raphael Academy | 2026 State New E (2026) | PG| Shea/Tolan (Pawtucket)
rnSometimes overshadowed, playing the backcourt with one of the best guards in Rhode Island, Gonzalez is essential in her team’s successful year. Small in stature, but she packs a big punch as a top tier point guard. She is best pushing the pace and getting out in transition. She loves feeding her teammates and gets the whole team rolling. Going into the year, many thought she wasn’t a shooter, but she quickly proved that wrong. Tiyara has been in the gym and made it a point of emphasis to add a consistent 3-point shot to her bag. You can tell she has been working by the improvement in her release, getting her shot off exceptionally fast. She gets her feet set beneath her and minimal motion from the shot-pocket to the release, which allow her silky jumper to become that much more reliable. Tiyara is confidently letting the 3-pointers go, she is just outside the top ten in 3-point field goals made for the state, shy of 50 on the year. Seeing Gonzalez recently hit back-to-back 3-point daggers in the Cumberland game to help advance her team in the post season showed just how confident she really is in her game. The lack of hesitation proved she isn’t afraid of the big moment. Tiyara is shooting an upwards of 80% from the free throw line this season, proving she can truly shoot the rock.
Gonzalez is averaging 16 ppg and just under 4 assists on the year for Pawtucket.
Alex Watson
Alex Watson
Alex Watson (2026) | CG| Portsmouth Abbey School
A tenacious and physically strong combo guard for PAS. She loves to play downhill and take advantage of the transition game. Alex played through multiple injuries throughout the season, but that didn’t stop her from making an impact on the season. Watson is active on the defensive end, getting multiple steals a game which lead to her easy offense at the rim. Alex is playing the passing lanes and is always in help position acting as a defensive roamer on the floor. Alex loves using her quick strides to get out in transition, she is swiftly getting out wide and hitting the break at full speed. She naturally puts pressure on the backline as they are backpedaling and unsettled. As an outlet in the open floor, Alex makes it her point to get through the lane and imposes herself on any defender in her way, absorbing the contact to make for some tough finishes.
Watson put up just over 14 ppg, 6 rebounds and 6 assists over the last month for Portsmouth Abbey.
Kate Lipatova
Kate Lipatova
Kate Lipatova (2025) | 6’3 C| Putnam Science Academy| Russia
Lipatova is one of the best “traditional” bigs in New England. Although she has the fundamentals down, Kate has the ability to play both in the half court and is effective when her team is moving in transition. Usually starting the break with her impressive defensive capabilities, Kate is one of the premier defenders in the region. Her size and length are troubling for most defenders trying to cover her. Kate has quick feet for her size and runs the floor well. Kate has some post moves and counters to round out her offensive game, making her a tough cover when she posts up. Defensively Kate alters a bunch of shots that come in the lane. Her long arms allow her to play vertically on her matchup, but also the ideal shot blocker from the help position.
Over the past couple games this month, Lipatova has been averaging over 17 ppg, including a 20-point double-double performance vs. St Andrew’s. Kate has so much more potential in her game, she has a very high ceiling and is true game changer.
Lily Sokol Lily Sokol 5’8″ | SF Rocky Hill Country Day | 2025 State New E (2026) | 5’10 W/F| Rocky Hill Country Day
Lilly is an outstanding wing prospect who led her very talented Rocky Hill squad in scoring this season with just over 13 ppg. A silky-smooth player who has three level scoring capabilities and doesn’t appear to have many weaknesses. Sokol has a pretty jump shot and makes the right decision with the ball in her hands. Lily can score off iso action and uses the screen properly to make easy plays to her star bigs. What is most impressive is how efficient she is as a scorer, even with limited space out there, Sokol is ranked second in the state in points per 32 mins at just over 20 ppg.
Gyselle Mair
Gyselle Mair
Gyselle Mair (2027) | PG| Portsmouth
Mair is one of the most elite players from New England in her class. A super talented playmaker and scorer who uses her quickness and crafty moves to her advantage. Mairs can play any style of basketball, as a shooter, a driver and she also can push the pace. Mairs has the ball on a string, not over dribbling the ball, but controlling the pace for what she needs to be successful. Gyselle is in the top five for scoring in her division and she puts on a show most games with some flair. Although being a young point guard, her team leaned on her all season to make plays to keep them afloat. Mair also plays very good defense, pressuring the ball, getting roughly 2 steals a game and taking a bunch of charges. She is actually top 5 in the RIIL for charges taken. What’s also impressive is a point guard she averages nearly 4 rebounds a game. This just shows how Mairs can affect the game in so many ways. Gyselle’s electric play make her one of the best prospects you can find.
Lusine Hagopian
Lusine Hagopian
Lusine Hagopian (2025) | 5’7 CG | North Providence
Lusine is a super talented guard who averaged just over 16 ppg on the season leading North Providence. Hagopian is also the 2023-2024 assist leader in the RIIL. Lusine is a premier playmaking guard that plays with a high level of confidence. She has some quick moves off the catch and a very good pull up jump shot. She applies pressure on defensives by being a stellar shooter, dropping tough dimes to her teammates and dicing through the lane finishing at the basket using both hands. Hagopian loves scoring going to her left, using a screen to shoot and driving hard to score over the backline defenders. Lusine is super quick off the dribble, but uses change of speed to slow the game down in the moment to allow her to make tough playmaking decisions. She is one of the most exciting guards to watch in the area.