PGH State Tourney: Saturday 17U Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='884487' first='Aniyah' last='Anthony'] (2026) of Tri-West High School and [program_tooltip program_id='713092' first='Indiana' last='Showcase Black'] 17U.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday marked the first day of the 2025 PGH Indiana State Tournament. There are 28 teams on hand for the event, with a number of nice small college prospects in attendance in the upper age groups, along with some very intriguing youngsters making some noise as well. Below is a quick recap of a few 17U performers who stood out when I was able to see them throughout Saturday's action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='884487' first='Aniyah' last='Anthony'], 2026, 5-3 PG, Tri-West H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='713092' first='Indiana' last='Showcase Black'] 17U</strong><br>- Aniyah has been a favorite of mine for the last year to 18 months, and she continued her strong play Saturday. She started the game a little out of rhythm, but she battled back and was instrumental in them closing the gap against a formidable opponent. She knocked down a couple of 3-pointers, she got to the rim for a couple of off-balance finishes, and she was critical applying defensive pressure 84-feet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='761179' first='Carley' last='Moellering'], 2026, 5-9 CG, Homestead H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='714264' first='OPS' last=''] UA Rise 17U</strong><br>- Carley is an Indiana Wesleyan University commit, but she's still out there performing at a high level. She is handling the ball quite a bit right now, doing a nice job of breaking down her defender and either making a variety of runners/pull-ups, or finding open teammates with assists. She has such nice length, great touch from the perimeter, and she is an effortful defender who doesn't mind rebounding her position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1228842' first='Jessica' last='Thornton'], 2026, 5-3 PG, Niles H.S. (MI), SOIL 17U</strong><br>- Jessica is our neighbor to the North, and this smallish point guard prospect plays anything but. She has solid strength at her size, speed &amp; quickness, plus she has a little length. She works extremely hard, flies around the floor defensively causing havoc, but she's also a skillful lead guard. She has good ball skill, can attack either direction, and she gets gaps pretty easily and can collapse defenses. She also shot it fairly well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1238562' first='Alana' last='Orr'], 2027, 5-3 CG, New Castle H.S., Lady Jr. Legends 17U</strong><br>- This was my first time seeing Alana, and she is a very intriguing prospect. First, what stood out the most was her ability to make shots from the perimeter. Whether she is in rhythm or not, if she has any space she is flinging it, and it's usually going in. She has a strong frame, nice lateral quickness, and the ball skill to create space. She'll also initiate the offense, find open teammates, and she rarely turns it over.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231857' first='Gabby' last='Carson'], 2029, 6-1 C, Buchanan H.S. (MI), SOIL 17U</strong><br>- A regular on the 14U SOIL team, Gabby filled in with the 17U squad during the game I saw. She has good size and strength, nice length, and she runs the floor well North/South. When she catches the ball around the block, she looks like she has been coached and already has a nice set of post moves. She is physical defensively, she seeks contact first, and she's a pursuing rebounder as well. She has a great deal of upside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->