PGH Great Lakes Region Finals: 17U Saturday Impact Players

Day One of the Great Lakes Region Finals featured a full slate of games. Every play counts when you're fighting for a chance to win a circuit championship. Teams emptied their tanks to win and advance in the brackets, with every 17U team opening the tournament with an opportunity to take home a Gold or Silver bracket Championship title. My coverage over the weekend focused on 17U prospects, and here are a few prospects who made an impact for their teams on Saturday.    Kaydence was a leader for [program_tooltip program_id='715993' first='NWI' last='Select'] 17U all weekend at the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals. Her comprehensive impact on the floor instantly caught my attention on Saturday. She worked hard to secure rebounds on both ends of the court and showed off her vertical high jump as a shot blocker. Kaydence caught a pass in the corner, split the gap with a burst off the dribble, and finished with a smooth left-handed layup. She penetrated off the dribble and knocked down a smooth pull-up jumper from the free-throw line. Kaydence continued to stand out on Sunday. She used an effective pivot to kick the ball out to an open shooter in the corner for the assist, then attacked downhill to score a speedy layup. Kaydence intercepted a pass in the backcourt, used a shifty inside-out dribble to create space, and buried the mid-range jumper. She's a 4.0 student and accomplished multisport athlete with an impressive high jump in track.     Zoe had an impressive weekend for [program_tooltip program_id='712517' first='Full' last='Package'] 17U 3SSB, and she played a major role in the teams Gold Bracket Semifinal run. Her complete impact on Saturday stood out. She hustled after 50/50 balls and boxed out with a fierce determination to secure rebounds. Zoe pushed the ball out with long strides and pace in transition after grabbing a defensive rebound, then dished out a fluttering touch entry pass on the money to a teammate in stride for the assist. As soon as she touches the ball, she's looking to score. Zoe took a rebound coast-to-coast for a layup and swiped the ball away for a steal, then took it all the way to the rim, earning a trip to the free throw line. Her length, pressure, and quick hands created many steals on the perimeter, and she ripped rebounds away with tenacity from opposing players to keep it from being tied up. Zoe gave the offense a spark with her three-point shooting and knocked down multiple from the corner and the slot. In the semifinals on Sunday, she drilled threes, created steals, crashed the glass to secure rebounds on both ends, and swatted a shot away on a drive.     Paris doesn't play at all like an 8th grader. She competed up with Angels 17U and was extremely impactful for the team throughout the weekend, starting on Saturday. Paris operated at full speed with maximum effort throughout the games. She took a steal coast-to-coast for a layup, slashed through gaps on hard drives to the basket, and knocked down free throws confidently from the line after getting fouled. Paris scored a strong and-one layup through contact, handled the ball comfortably with both hands, created steals with her aggressive defense, and made smart backdoor cuts. She switched hands in the lane to cruise by defenders for a layup and changed directions with twitchy quickness and shiftiness in the open court. Paris was a persistent rebounding presence on both ends of the court.     Anais was one of the most impactful rebounders and defenders in the gym during the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals. She was absolutely relentless for [program_tooltip program_id='712446' first='Chicago' last='Hoops Express'] 17U, and that determination helped the team reach the Gold bracket semifinals. I wrote down in my notes that she defended the ball on the perimeter with all-out effort. Anais battled for inside positioning and secured several offensive rebounds. She sealed a defender for a catch and finish off two feet through contact...and one, snatched an entry pass with soft hands, pivoted, swished a jumper in the low post...and one (plus the free throw), attacked down the baseline on a fierce drive to score a reverse finish...and one, then tacked on the free throw. Three and one finishes in one game, now that's a way to catch a scout's attention! Anais caught a pass inside, pivoted, transferred to her right, and scored off two feet. She kept scoring off two feet effectively throughout the game, dished out assists, and didn't force shots that weren't there. One of her greatest moments was displaying humility and receptiveness to tough coaching, which is a character trait every prospect needs to possess to be successful at the college level. Very impressive and unselfish team basketball player who makes the winning plays and works equally hard on both ends.     Makenzie was a very impactful player for [program_tooltip program_id='712563' first='Illinois' last='Rockets'] 17U E40 at the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals. She turned in a complete effort to help the team earn an opening win on Saturday. Makenzie accelerated past defenders on a straight-line drive from the top of the key for a layup and showed her outside range by draining a corner three. She protected the rim as a shot blocker, dished out a nice bounce assist inside to an open teammate, and outworked the opponent to secure three offensive rebounds on the same possession before causing a foul. Makenzie knocked down both free throws from the charity stripe.     Iyonna was a two-way difference-maker for Next Play 17U, and she helped the team advance in the bracket with a strong opening game. Iyonna communicated well on defense, calling out switches, and her pressure resulted in multiple steals. Iyonna shot the ball confidently from beyond the arc, hitting triples from up top and the wing. She drove downhill in top gear and absorbed contact for a strong finish. Iyonna was active on the boards and converted free throws efficiently from the line.     Akyla gave Team Prime Nation 17U a physical edge in the paint with her size, strength, and length. In the battle of the bigs, she came out victorious and imposed her will in the paint on Saturday. Akyla defended well inside without fouling or yielding an inch. She cut to the basket and caught a pass in stride with good hands for the finish. Akyla pivoted to create scoring angles using great footwork, muscled her way into position to score multiple offensive rebound putbacks, and added a smooth catch and finish with her left off two feet.     Temilade has length, mobility, athleticism, and aggressiveness that stand out. Her performance on Saturday and throughout the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals helped [program_tooltip program_id='716111' first='Hoopademix' last=''] 17U take home the 17U Silver Bracket Championship. She picked the ball-handler's pocket up top, used a quick crossover to create a driving lane, changed hands, and elevated to convert a tough, contested layup. Temilade used her long arms to deflect passes on the perimeter, swiped the ball away again, and beat the final defender on her way to a fastbreak bucket. She crashed the glass to secure offensive rebounds and scored putbacks. Temilade protected the rim as a shot blocker and went up off two feet to score in traffic.

Day One of the Great Lakes Region Finals featured a full slate of games. Every play counts when you're fighting for a chance to win a circuit championship. Teams emptied their tanks to win and advance in the brackets, with every 17U team opening the tournament with an opportunity to take home a Gold or Silver bracket Championship title. My coverage over the weekend focused on 17U prospects, and here are a few prospects who made an impact for their teams on Saturday.