PGH Great Lakes Region Finals: 17U Saturday Shout Outs

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 several prospects who earned a top performer selection on Saturday.    Taji came through in the clutch for [program_tooltip program_id='712446' first='Chicago' last='Hoops Express'] 17U on Saturday at the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals. She swiped the ball away for a steal and took it the other way for a bucket with her off hand. Taji knocked down cold-blooded threes from the corner and the wing down the stretch, then added a tough finish in traffic with her left on a backdoor cut. Taji kept the ball protected in the backcourt as the opposing team implemented a trap to try and create a turnover, then zipped a strong pass up the court to start the fast break. She's a versatile prospect who stays calm under pressure and impacts the game on both ends of the court.     Niki put her stamp on Saturday night's game for [program_tooltip program_id='712517' first='Full' last='Package'] 17U 3SSB, turning in an impressive, complete performance. She was a menace on the defensive end, closing out hard on the perimeter to swat shots, while also using her length to block shots away in the paint. Niki worked hard to secure rebounds on both ends of the court. She snagged an offensive rebound and showed off her athleticism by making a great dump-off pass in midair for the assist. She slashed through the gap on a determined drive and dropped in a soft floater over the help. Niki was dialed in from beyond the arc, swishing threes from the corner, slot, and the wing. She pivots quickly and maintains her balance to fire with precise accuracy. Niki anticipated passes to create steals, then pushed the ball with pace to dish out assists in transition. She stood out during the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals.     Callie jolted the 24 UP 17U offense at the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals on Saturday with her perimeter shooting and crafty finishing finesse around the basket. She stepped outside to drain a straightaway three from the volleyball line, and her confidence from beyond the arc created open driving lanes. Callie attacked downhill to score a strong and-one with her left, then made a highlight reel play by using a quick rip move to get by off the dribble, side-stepped the help defender, then reached around to score the stretch layup, putting a ton of English on the ball.     Nayana's length and skill with the ball immediately stand out. She has good vision, is active in the passing lanes on the defensive end, and is a productive rebounder. Nayana swiped the ball away and accelerated up the court for the layup. She caught passes with good hands inside and finished with a soft touch at the rim. Nayana drove hard through the lane, caused a foul, and converted both free throws with confidence at the line. She used an effective pivot to create a passing window, then dished out an assist to a cutter in stride. Nayana showed her outside range by draining a smooth wing three and was an all-around difference-maker for [program_tooltip program_id='712446' first='Chicago' last='Hoops Express'] 17U at the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals.     Payton played a major role for [program_tooltip program_id='712517' first='Full' last='Package'] 17U 3SSB at the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals. Her elusive ball-handling, quickness, ability to penetrate off the dribble, effectiveness as a facilitator, rebounding effort, and touch in the paint stood out. Payton maneuvered inside to score an offensive rebound putback and dropped in two floaters with great touch after beating her defender baseline off the dribble. She slashed to the nail, collapsed the defense, and kicked the ball out to open shooters on the perimeter. Payton boxed out strongly to secure rebounds and generated steals on the defensive end.     Olivia plays with toughness and grit that every coach wants to have on their team. She bounced right up after hard contact, kept her mind focused on the next play, and caught a pass to score a strong layup off two feet. Olivia's scrappy defense created steals on the defensive end, and she reached in to tie up the ball on a baseline drive. Olivia used both hands comfortably in the open court and used a quick rip move to exploit a gap with her dribble, then scored a runner off the window over the outstretched arm of a defender. She caught a pass with strong hands inside, powered up through contact off two feet for the and-one finish, then completed the three-point play at the line. Olivia is tough as nails, plays hard in every phase, competes, and doesn't back down from a challenge. She cut backdoor to score a catch and finish layup off two feet on Sunday and was a difference maker for Ryze Athletics 17U throughout the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals.     Addilyn's sharp shooting had her on the opponent's most wanted list Saturday afternoon during the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals. She is quick off the draw and only needs an inch of space to let it fly, earning the label in my notes as a pinpoint shooter. Addilyn buried a silky smooth contested three up top off the bounce and added a quick release corner three off a pindown screen. She reached in with cat-like reflexes to strip the ball away on a drive and pushed the ball up the floor comfortably with both hands after a steal in the half-court. Addilyn created a driving lane with a shifty inside-out dribble, penetrated the gap, avoided the final defender with a fancy euro-step move, then put an unreal amount of spin on her layup to put it through the basket. She was a key playmaker in the backcourt for Ryze Athletics 17U.     Sam made a complete impact for 24 UP 17U at the PGH Great Lakes Region Finals on Saturday. Her versatile skill set, work ethic, and solid build as a guard prospect made a great impression. She showed confidence from the perimeter, drilling a wing three, and absorbed contact to score a fancy side-step and-one layup, completing the three-point play at the line using textbook shooting mechanics. Sam had good instincts on the defensive end, dropped into the passing lane to pick off an entry pass, and produced multiple steals. She crashed the boards to secure offensive rebounds and uses excellent footwork/pivots in the paint to create scoring angles, finishing effectively with either hand.

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 several prospects who earned a top performer selection on Saturday.