Battle in the Emerald City: 17U Playmakers

This past weekend I attended the Battle in the [program_tooltip program_id='713343' first='Emerald' last='City'] to watch players from five states (WA, OR, CA, ID, MT) compete at an expansive event at the Auburn Fieldhouse. Here are some of the prominent playmakers who competed in the 17U division.   [player_tooltip player_id='753739' first='Liliana' last='Meissner'] | FBC NW Alliance | 5'10 | Bellevue Christian 2026   Meissner is not your typical playmaker. She's a versatile guard/wing who can fill a lot of spots offensively but is a constant playmaker from wherever she fills in. She was making play after play for her teammates and showed the awareness to find teammates in good spots while driving in from different spots. Her size helped her make plays over defenders and made her an asset on the glass over the weekend.   Tiffany Shaw | Local Hoops | 5'6 | Interlake 2026   Shaw is a quick guard who did some nice work driving and kicking to shooters, drawing in extra defenders, and causing the defense to collapse. She showed she can be an effective facilitator from different levels and with various deliveries while exploiting loose pressure and gaps in the defense.   BriElla Becker | NW Blazers Montana Rise | 5'10 | Denton Geyser Stanford (MT) 2027   Becker's offensive approach was pretty balanced and it kept defenders honoring both her ability to score and dish off of her penetration. She had several slick dishes off her drives both going baseline and back to the middle, and making some feeds back across the paint as help defenders crept over to her. Really played with good pace and control that allowed her to make quick reads in traffic.   [player_tooltip player_id='579810' first='Megan' last='Roberts'] | [program_tooltip program_id='753717' first='WA' last='Premier'] | 5'7 | Eastlake 2026   Roberts had several moments as I watched [program_tooltip program_id='753717' first='WA' last='Premier'] that highlighted how easy she can make the difficult plays look. She's got some serious ability to put a move on a defender, keep her eyes up, and without skipping a beat, go from beating her defender outside into diming up a cutting teammate or a weakside spot-up corner three. She displayed an exceptionally smooth handle that led to buckets inside and quick assists after attacking gaps. She gets a lot of notoriety for her shooting but she's also got some innate playmaking ability that shouldn't go unnoticed.   [player_tooltip player_id='1259664' first='Tenice' last='Waters'] | [program_tooltip program_id='715288' first='Spokane' last='Legacy'] | 5'11 | Reardan 2027   Waters is a taller player at 5-foot-11 who has some legit playmaking skills. She poses a lot of problems for defenses with the ball in her hands, showing extended range from 3-point while also possessing high-level court awareness. She handles the rock with confidence, can make quick extra passes or zip long passes through the defense, and was strong finishing inside. A very dynamic player who can play from different spots.   [player_tooltip player_id='928170' first='Yuki' last='Willis'] | FOH | 5'8 | Redmond 2027   Willis was a great showrunner over the weekend and had an awesome performance against NW Blazers Fire in a tight overtime win. She's an exceptional facilitator and pass-first point guard but she also makes a ton of little plays in other areas that elevate her game and make her an impact player with or without the ball. She made several great cuts behind the defense for buckets, worked her tail off on defense to stay in front of the ball, and showed some quick hands to get pokes on the ball and chasing plays down from behind. Just a player in constant action and worked hard to make plays however she could.   [player_tooltip player_id='928114' first='Isa' last='Garcia'] | NW Blazers GUAA | 5'7 | Davis 2027   One of the top two-way playmakers at the event, Garcia plays with spectacular energy and instincts. She's always working on defense, whether it's harassing ballhandlers, peeling back to get in passing lanes, or chasing down long rebounds. She's also a dynamic threat on offense who can hit the three with the best of them and does a great job with ball fakes and her handle to draw defender's attention and open up space for teammates.   [player_tooltip player_id='1255359' first='Ella' last='Gunderson'] | Team Kidd P24 | 5'10 | San Ramon Valley (CA) 2027   Gunderson was a big-effort playmaker who played with an excellent motor and just looked to make the right play. She was making hustle plays for loose balls, mixing it up on the glass, and was a true gamer. She showed touch from each level and had great decision-making at the helm of their offense.   [player_tooltip player_id='579812' first='Baylee' last='Maldonado'] | Sagebrush | 5'6 | Chiawana 2026   The Sagebrush guard was the engine for their offense and caused fits for opposing defenses with her ability to dart inside and constantly attack gaps. Was a pretty slick finisher around contests inside and also showed the ability to take what the defense gave her by dropping in shots in the midrange and punishing defenders who sagged off outside by nailing threes.   [player_tooltip player_id='928137' first='Avery' last='Hansen'] | Way to Win Gold | 5'6 | Auburn 2027   There is a running theme with some of these playmakers - effort and motor. Hansen played with both to impact the game on all levels; attacking boards, pushing the pace, flying around on defense, and of course, making plays with the rock. She was super effective getting by her defender and attacking downhill, working quick off the catch and keeping her eyes up to make the right play. Showed some good finishing at the rim and good passing on the go.

This past weekend I attended the Battle in the Emerald City to watch players from five states (WA, OR, CA, ID, MT) compete at an expansive event at the Auburn Fieldhouse. Here are some of the prominent playmakers who competed in the 17U division.