PGH MI State Tournament: Ten 15U Sunday Standouts

The PGH Michigan State Tournament was a slam dunk again this year, and that's a testament to so many great prospects giving their all throughout the tournament. Seeing new prospects stand out, while having the opportunity to further evaluate familiar prospects, has been an absolute blast throughout the spring during PGH Circuit competition. Many clubs featuring talented prospects from Michigan and states across the Midwest competed at the PGH Michigan State Tournament. Here's how the brackets shook out:   Champions:   17U-MBA UAA 16U   16U-MBA UAA 15U   15U Gold-MBA UA Rise 15U   15U Silver- B Edwards Elite 15U   14U-MBA 14U UA Future   13U-[program_tooltip program_id='715753' first='Michigan' last='Mystics'] 13U Select   12U-[program_tooltip program_id='715753' first='Michigan' last='Mystics'] 12U Select   11U-[program_tooltip program_id='715753' first='Michigan' last='Mystics'] 11U Select   Dozens of prospects impressed our scouts throughout the tournament, and these are ten 15U standouts who grabbed my attention on Championship Sunday.    Sofia had a breakout weekend for MBA UA Rise 15U at the PGH Michigan State Tournament and she was an integral part of their Gold Championship run. Sofia finished full speed layups with both hands, created turnovers with her active pressure on defense, attacked with an extra gear off the dribble to score multiple and-one layups, and poured in many shots from beyond the arc. One of her statement plays from the tournament happened when she used a filthy inside out dribble with a hard jab step head fake to lose her defender, then crossed over and buried the open triple from the slot. Sofia maintains balance and a wide athletic stance while she changes hands. Her length and quickness causes matchup problems whether she's slashing to the hoop or shooting from the perimeter. Her outstanding play earned an All-Tournament First Team selection.     Lilly delivered a big-time performance for KBA 15U in the semifinals and finals during the PGH Michigan State Tournament. Her ability to sink shots from the perimeter, attack and finish off the dribble, rebound, and defend was crucial to the team's success. Lilly drained threes from the corners, slot, and wing. She scored a strong and-one layup, added the free throw, and displayed quickness on both ends of the court. Lilly used a crossover to get by, switched hands to her left, and scored the layup. She met the ball in the air, ran through the pass, then drove straight downhill to score a soft floater over the help. Lilly used her quick hands to poke the ball away on defense and dropped in another floater after ripping by with a dribble burst down the baseline.     Abrie gave KBA 15U a jolt of energy with her determined effort in the PGH Michigan State Tournament Silver Championship Game. She went into a full sprint to steal the ball on a breakaway and drove hard to the basket at key moments to earn free throws. Abrie used a quick, low crossover move to create a driving lane, accelerated to the basket, and finished with her left hand for a stretch layup around a contesting defender. Abrie crashed the glass to secure offensive rebounds and used a sweet pocket dribble hesitation combination move to drive by for a lean-around contested layup, then scored another drive-by bucket with her left.     Emma has length and skill that immediately grab your attention. She has the versatility to defend and rebound inside, while providing a dangerous perimeter threat. Emma caught my eye on Saturday when she drove hard to the basket for a strong and-one layup and buried a smooth pull-up jumper from the free throw line off a crossover dribble. Her performance on Sunday helped guide B Edwards Elite 15U to a Silver Championship. Emma used her length to block shots in the paint, pushed the ball up the court with both hands, made the hustle plays, and knocked down key threes from up top, in the slot, and from the corners. She jumped a pass at half court and drove hard to the rim to cause a foul. Emma crashed the boards to secure offensive rebounds, and used a sweet behind the back, step-back dribble with long strides to create space on the offensive end. Her clutch three-point shooting sparked the offense and Emma received recognition as Silver Championship Game MVP.     Lillian was a key playmaker in the 15U Silver Championship Game for B Edward Elite. She was queen of the assist, penetrating off the dribble and dishing out unselfish passes after drawing extra defenders, leading to many assists on open looks for teammates. Lillian used effective pocket dribbles and crossovers to drive by defenders. She knocked down a smooth pull-up jumper in the paint, and zipped a great entry pass to a cutter through a small window. Lillian attacked down the baseline and threw a strong kickout to the corner for an assist on a corner three and made a great dump-off pass to a teammate at the rim for an easy bucket. She created steals on the defensive end and battled hard to secure rebounds.     Evelyn used a strong rip move to beat her defender for a baseline drive and finished the layup off two feet. She side-stepped a defender in the lane to cause a foul and crashed hard to secure offensive rebounds. Evelyn competes with a high motor on both ends, gets downhill, and was an important contributor to MBA UA Rise 15U's Championship run.     Ava was a two-way difference maker in the B Edwards Elite 15U backcourt all weekend, and she helped guide the squad to a PGH Michigan State Showcase Championship. Ava had a burst when she drove downhill and used fancy eurostep moves to get open looks at the basket in traffic. She drained a step back jumper, side-stepped a defender to score a layup, knocked down free throws at the line, and took a steal the other way with pace for a layup. Ava's pesky pressure, quickness, and sharp instincts on the defensive end resulted in many steals that led to transition scoring opportunities. In the semifinals, she scored a clutch layup after swiping the ball away for a steal late to take back the lead and ensure victory.     The youngest player on B Edwards Elite 15U consistently made the plays that helped lead the team to a Silver Bracket Championship. She caught fire from beyond the arc in the semifinals, sinking threes off the dribble from the wing and off the catch with a confident stroke in the corner. Gianna handled the ball with poise under pressure, comfortably creating space and reversing the court. Her pressure on defense created steals, and she attacked hard downhill to score layups or earn trips to the free-throw line. Gianna knocked down many free throws, including several in the Championship Game. She dropped in floaters, deflected entry passes, chased down rebounds, and scored a strong and-one layup with her left. Gianna received recognition as a PGH Michigan State Tournament 15U All-Tournament First Team selection.     Alexis had a phenomenal weekend for KBA 15U at the PGH Michigan State Tournament, and her efforts helped her team finish as runner-ups in the Silver bracket. Alexis is a three-level scorer who competes with an endless supply of energy and hustle. She doesn't stop defending, rebounding, or making plays on either end. Alexis sprinted in to secure offensive rebounds and score full-speed layups comfortably with either hand at the rim. She picked off passes and stripped the ball away on defense to score breakaway layups. One of my favorite plays was when she jumped up to deflect a pass, chased down the loose ball, quickly accelerated towards the basket, switched to her left, then scored the and-one layup through contact. Alexis has another gear off the dribble, drained catch-and-shoot threes off the hop, and got to the rim whenever she needed to. She averaged 19 points throughout the tournament and made a huge statement over the weekend.     Katie gave MBA UA Rise 15U an edge in the paint throughout the PGH Michigan State Tournament with her fierce effort, physicality, tough finishes, stout defense, and rebounding presence. She made strong catches in the paint, finished off two feet, and cut to the basket for catch-and-finish layups. Katie worked hard to deny entry passes into the post and sealed her defender with a strong stance to win her one-on-one matchups. Katie muscled her way to the doorstep, leading to many offensive rebound putbacks. In the Championship Game, Katie led the team in scoring. She powered through contact to score contested buckets and earned trips to the foul line. Katie's interior play on the offensive and defensive end was crucial to the victory, leading to a 15U Gold Championship Game MVP selection in addition to All-Tournament First Team honors.

The PGH Michigan State Tournament was a slam dunk again this year, and that's a testament to so many great prospects giving their all throughout the tournament. Seeing new prospects stand out, while having the opportunity to further evaluate familiar prospects, has been an absolute blast throughout the spring during PGH Circuit competition. Many clubs featuring talented prospects from Michigan and states across the Midwest competed at the PGH Michigan State Tournament. Here's how the brackets shook out: