Select Hoops

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Monday, July 28, 2014

2nd Annual Mass Premier Courts 3-on-3 Tournament

Mass Premier Courts is hosting its 2nd annual 3-on-3 tournament on Saturday, August 23rd.

The fee is $65 dollars per team. Each team is promised three pool games and then teams are seeded for bracket play.

The following divisions are being offered:
Boys 4th-12th Grade
Girls 4th-12th Grade
Men 18+
Women 18+
Men 35+
Women 35+

T-Shirts will be awarded to the winners.

If you have any questions, please visit www.mpcourts.com or e-mail the tournament director Shane Burnison at sburnison@mpcourts.com.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Fast Break - 7-15-14

- Hats off to Jim Wardwell's Bay State Magic Elite 9th grade girls team. After failing to finish in the top four of the division-one state tournament earlier this AAU season, BSME bounced back to win the division-one NATIONAL championship, knocking out top MA teams along the way. In addition to being crowned National Champions, they also played up an age level at the GymRat Challenge and won that tournament. Quite a bounce back by the number one team at that age level - for now.

- MPC Elite boys 11th grade team captured the D2 National title over Who Got Game from Ohio, 67-65 earlier this week in Florida. MPC, coached by Mike Vaughan, held a three point edge with seconds to go in regulation before a ricocheted ball landed in the hand's of a WGG player and he netted a 3-pointer to put the contest into overtime. This would have been an appropriate time for MPC to fold as WGG grabbed all the momentum, but the even keeled local squad maintained composure to earn MPC a national title.

- Nobody is going to beat the Bishop Feehan girls' basketball team in the Mass Premier Courts summer league. They are too stacked. There will be no amazing story about the freshmen team beating the varsity team in the championship this summer. In their regular season meeting, the varsity team strong-armed the class of 2018 by the tune of 61-26 spanking.

- Congrats to Dan Nagle for landing the girls' varsity job (in addition to a history teaching gig) at Worcester Academy. In two years at Bellingham, Nagle compiled a 33-12 record and guided the Blackhawks to back-to-back state tournament berths after years of mediocrity. Prior to Nagle's arrival, the Blackhawks last made the state tournament in 1999. The next coach at Bellingham will have a loaded roster and just be the preseason favorite to win the TVL.

- It's about damn time someone hired Rick Patch. This North Attleboro native and former Seekonk boys basketball coach was recently hired as the East Bridgewater varsity girls coach. What a steal. Patch has been waiting patiently for an opportunity to guide another program and I wouldn't bet against him leading EB to the state tournament in year one and for years to come. He is one of the most enthusiastic motivators and successful coaches in the area. He also runs one of the best camps in the area for girls or boys. www.coachpatch.com.

- Let's give the guy a shot, but the North Attleboro hire of Derek Herber was - for lack of better words - bizarre. Given the depth of available coaching talent in North Attleboro with Rick Patch, Chris Perron, Dan Damish, Matt Forbes all connected to NA hoops in some capacity, the choice of Herber was certainly out of left field. I'm not sure if Herber can coach hoops and bring the Rocketeers to the next level, but I do know one thing: he's honest. http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/06/02/north-attleboro-loses-track-title-when-coach-reports-error/RqhTrUVsCt2XevDDsQPMpL/story.html

- Speaking of North Attleboro, how about the Honey Badgers 9th grade girls team this season? They won the MA D1 state title, Gym Rat Challenge in Albany and finished third at D1 Nationals. Sometimes I take a step back and remind myself, "Wow... They're all from NORTH ATTLEBORO." What a group they are. If North Attleboro had a stable environment on the girls side, maybe they would have all stayed at NAHS.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Individual Workout

Select Hoops Individual Workout – Train insane, or stay the same.

It is important for all players to learn guard and post skills. The more versatile of a player you become, the more useful you become to your team.

1. Stationary Ball Handling

A. Ball Pats (20 second of slamming your hands against the ball)

B. One hand hard dribble (20 seconds each hand)

C. Single leg dribble circles (20 seconds each leg/hand and then switch direction)

D. Figure 8 dribbling (20 seconds, then switch direction)

E. Scissor Dribbles (Between legs every dribble)

F. Body Wraps

- Ball Wraps Around the head (reverse)

- Around the waist (reverse)

- Around the knees (reverse)

- All three, candy cane (reverse)

- Single Leg (reverse / switch)

- Figure 8 (reverse)

G. Two Ball Series

- Simultaneous pounds

- Alternating pounds

- One ball high shoulder height, one ball low below knee

- Inside outs

- Crossovers

- One crossover, one behind the back

2. 3 Cone Attack

(Set up one cone or chair up on the right wing, foul line and left wing then start attacking from a few feet behind the three-point line. Explode to rim after getting by cone/chair)

A. Speed dribble

B. Inside Out

C. Crossover

D. Behind the back

E. Between the legs

F. Spin

G. Hesitation / Stutter Step / Change of speed

H. Combos – Between the legs / crossover (killer crossover)

I. Inside out / crossover

J. Inside out / between the legs

K. Behind back / crossover

L. Between legs / behind the back

M. Inside out / crossover / between legs / behind the back

N. Make 2 free throws in a row

3. Pre-dribble moves

(Start on baseline under rim. Toss ball out to the elbow with backspin and catch the ball on one bounce with a jump stop. Pivot to square up to rim. Attack the rim with one or two dribbles. Alternate elbows.)

A. Catch and explode

B. Rip

C. Shot fake

D. Hip-to-hip

E. Jab step

F. Jab step, shot fake

G. Rip, behind the back

H. Rip, spin
I. Make 2 free throws in a row

4. Mid-Range 5 Spot Shooting – Make 10 shots from each spot

The five spots are short corner right, halfway between elbow and 3pt line right, sweet spot (middle of foul line), halfway between elbow and 3 pt line left, short corner left. Make 2 FT in a row.

5. Three Point 5 Spot Shooting – Make 10 shots from each spot

The five spots are corner right, foul line extended right, top of the key, foul line extended left and corner right. Make 2 FT in a row. If you’re strong enough, repeat this from NBA range.

6. Post moves

Start on one block, spin ball out to opposite block and catch back to the basket. Score and spin ball over to opposite block and score on other side.

A. Drop Step (score 10)

B. Open Step (score 10, half hook or short jumper)

C. Up and Under (score 10)

Start on one block and spin the ball out to opposite short corner, catch on jump stop and square up.

D. Shot fake, drive baseline, use rim as a pick and reverse lay-up. (score 10)

E. Hip to hip, one dribble baseline, spin to rim and score. (score 10)

F. Jab step, shot fake, one dribble floater. (score 10)

G. Make two FT in a row.

7. Elbow-to-Elbow Shooting Series (Best with a partner or rebounder)

A. Catch and shoot from elbow-to-elbow. Make 6 shots.

B. Start at top of the key and take one dribble to elbow and shoot, alternate. Make 6 shots.

C. Start at top of the key, shot fake, take one dribble to elbow and shoot, alternate. Make 6 shots.

D. Catch and shoot from lane extended 3-pointer to lane extended 3-pointer. Make 6 shots.

E. Catch and shoot from elbow-to-right corner. Make 6 shots.

F. Start at right foul line extended, and take one dribble to elbow, next rep take one dribble to corner. Make 6 shots.

G. Start at right foul line extended, shot fake and take one dribble to elbow, next rep take one dribble to corner. Make 6 shots.

H.      Catch and shoot from foul line extended 3-pointer to corner 3-pointer. Make 6 shots.
I.        Do E, F, G and H from left side.
J.        Make two FT in a row.

8. T-Drill – 5 reps

Start under the basket facing court, sprint to top of the key and close out, back pedal to foul line, defensive slide to left foul line extended wing, defensive slide to right foul line extended wing, defensive slide to sweet spot on foul line, back pedal back to under the basket. Repeat 5 times.

9. Sprints

Do five full speed suicides – start on baseline, sprint to foul line, sprint back, sprint to half court, sprint back, sprint to opposite foul line, sprint back, sprint to opposite baseline, sprint back.

*Modify based on your court situation.

10. Free Throws

Shoot ten free throws. You cannot end workout until you hit at least seven for ten. Every time you fail to reach 7-10, run a sprint and try again until you hit 7-10.

“The only workout you’ll ever regret is the one you didn’t do.”

Monday, June 30, 2014

MPC Swish Ends Season 48-3

Another spring AAU season is in the books for the Swish and it was my most enjoyable AAU experience – by far.

Since 5^th grade when this team was started at M-Plex, I was open with the players/parents and let them know that if I was going to invest my time into building this team, my intention was to draw the best players to the program and build an elite team.

Along the way, some tough decisions had to be made. Some wrong decisions were made. There has been constant roster turnover.

After winning the state title with this team as 6^th graders, I got greedy. Our tryout numbers were ridiculous – over 50 kids for the fall season. We had come a long way since telling the four kids from the initial try-out to bring some friends or there would be no team. I cut some key players from the state title team. I kept 13 players after initially wanting to keep 15 since the cuts were difficult. We won a lot of games that fall, but managing minutes was tough and we had log jams at almost every position.

That spring I decided to invite everybody back from the fall – all 13 players. Twelve of those players took me up on the offer and again similar problems occurred. We had too many (perceived) elite players and only five spots on the court. We finished fourth in the state after losing to the Bay State Jaguars, a team that we always competed with, but they just had our number. This season was the worst experience in the four years of this team’s existence. I had high expectations for the team. The parents had high expectations. We had chemistry issues. Players didn’t finish the season. Parents started exploring other options. It was just a bad, regrettable season all the way around.

The fall of 2013, the girls 8^th grade year, was better than the spring… but we still had issues. We played the Jaguars four times, and lost all of them. We added two new players, but they couldn’t get their feet fully wet because of the competition level we played and I hadn’t yet trusted them in games we were going for wins. The Jaguars were our owner. Between the fall and spring, we had lost seven straight to them. They had the mental edge over us.

After the fall ’13 season, two starters from our team decided to try another program - which is something I am perfectly fine with. AAU is about finding the right fit, and sometimes hearing another voice is healthy. When you lose two starters from a team that is on the edge of elite that can’t get over the hump to be the unanimous best team in the state – it was crushing. Or it could have been.

This spring’s team had one another’s back. They inspired one another to get in the gym more. They ran their own workouts. They hung out more than ever off the court. The players weren’t concerned about what position they were playing – they just wanted to play. They became a team that didn’t just enjoy winning; they absolutely refused to lose.

They opened up the season against old nemesis Bay State Jaguars, beat them by one point, and went on to win the Springfield Hall Of Fame Classic. The following weekend they played up in the 10^th grade age level at Mass Premier Courts and won handily. They left the area to test its mettle against teams from CT and NY at a Blue Chip event in Connecticut and went 5-0. All this led up to the MA D1 state tournament where the team returned to dominance, and defeated all challengers by double digits en route to another state title.

This past weekend, the Swish wrapped up its season by capturing the Black Diamond Championship title in Scranton, PA. They finished the season with a 48-3 record. The only 8^th grade team to beat the Swish was the Albany Capitals at the GymRat Challenge.

I would urge the players on this team to live in the present. Take a step back and enjoy the accomplishments. Next season, who knows? Look at the Red Sox. Enjoy this one while it’s still fresh.

1 – Nicole Gallagher (5^th season)

After playing for MT Elite in the spring then fall of 2014, we welcomed Gallagher back with open arms. This gritty combo guard was a scoring machine this spring and injected this team with instant toughness as soon as she put the number one uniform back on. Capable of playing both guard spots, Gallagher was also one of the team’s leading rebounders as she is not afraid to mix it up with the trees down low. She earned MVP honors at Hall of Fame Classic and MPC Club Championship. She was also named all-tournament team at Gym Rat Challenge.

2 – Tess Sussman (4^th season)

Sussman is arguably the most talented player in New England and put together a very consistent season. She does many things well, and seems to get taller and fast every week. She has the versatility to play any position on the floor. She was named MVP at MPC Kick-off Classic, named to all-tournament team at MPC Club Championship and was honorable mention at Gym Rat Challenge.

3 – Lily Sykes (6^th season)

This two-sport (soccer) stud makes an instant impact any time she is on the floor. She is capable of playing both guard spots, but really makes her living on the defensive end. She was a catalyst in the state championship game as she made some highlight reel defensive stops. Also came into this season with a much improved outside shot and plenty of nifty moves in the paint.

4 – Kaylin Reen (7^th season)

The only player that has been on the team for every single season really grew her game this spring. Everyone in the state knows she can light it up from deep (people in PA know that too after her 7 3’s in bracket play this past weekend), but Kaylin worked tirelessly on her ball handling and was a sneaky great defender and rebounder all spring. She was named all-tournament team of the MPC Kick-Off Classic.

10 – Kaitlyn Guenet (2^nd season)

After joining the Swish in the fall, we weren’t really sure what we were getting from this 5’10” inside-out player due to her ability to play high school volleyball at Ursuline Academy. This spring she carved out a niche as the point player on our press and saved her best two tournaments for last as she started scoring more while shooting with confidence and mixed it up more down low to help on the glass. She starts the game at the 3, but was versatile enough to play multiple spots for us. She was named all-tournament team at the MPC Club Championship.

11 – Shannon Lynch (2^nd season)

Like Guenet, Lynch came over in the fall and it was a figuring out process on how to use her. Lynch became a silent assassin as evidenced by her five 3-pointer effort in the varsity championship of the Zero Gravity New Hampshire state tournament. She ended the season on a high note as she hit two huge second half 3-pointers to give the Swish the lead for good in its win over Long Island Lightning at the Black Diamond Championship. Lynch is also a great rebounder that runs the floor as good as anybody on the team.

14 – Kiera Fernandes (5^th season)

One of the best inside-outside players in the state, Fernandes has been the best 6^th man in New England all year. Kiera has the ability to score in bunches with her much improved outside shot and her aggressive drives to the basket. She always seemed to have her best games against the Jaguars, as she was dominant on the glass and scored some timely buckets in the state title game. She earned all-tournament team honors at the Hall of Fame Kick-Off Classic and Gym Rat Challenge.

23 – Ashley Sampson (6^th season)

Since joining the team, Sampson has been the engine that makes the team run. This elite point guard may have registered her strongest season yet, as she expanded her skill set to pick more spots to score in addition to setting the table for her teammates. Comfortable finishing with both hands, Ashley has also added a consistent outside shot to her game. She was named go MPC Club Championship all-tournament team and GymRat Challenge honorable mention.

24 – Ali Ready (5^th season)

When Ali joined the team, she was primarily a forward. As her teammates have grown by her, she has done a great job adapting to playing more guard. She still defends and grabs rebounds as a forward-at-heart, but now as a guard she has added some shake to her game with better ball handling and a much improved outside shot. She is fearless on the glass and going for loose balls.

33 – Anna Shaughnessy (4^th season)

Anna has been the most dominating low post scorer in the area ever since her coming out party last spring in Ohio. She runs the floor extremely well, with or without the ball, and has become a menace in the passing lanes racking up the steals. Anna is a double-double waiting to happen as she typically dominates the glass. She earned MPC Kick-Off Classic and MPC Club Championship all-tournament team honors.

45 – Shannon Smally (1^st season)

Shannon was the lone rookie on the team and played a valuable role as a back-up forward. As one of the best shot blockers on the team, Smally was great on the back side of the press and down low in zones. She had her best game of the season in the Elite 8 of the MA state tournament against RI Breakers. She had no problem mixing it up with one of the bigger teams in the area.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

MPC Club Championship Results

The inaugural MPC Girls Club Championship took place this past weekend and it was a fantastic event.

Due to strength in numbers, the Club Championship Cup winner was Mass Premier Courts with 26 total victories as a program.

The Director’s Cup (highest program winning percentage) came down to the last game of the night in the varsity division. Due to the MPC Swish beating Cape Cod Bulls, Mass Premier Courts secured the Director’s Cup with a win percentage of .590 on the weekend, just edging out the Cape Cod Bulls who finished with a .588 winning percentage.

Below are the individual pool results, MVPs and all-tournament teams. All-tournament teams were decided by MPC and Select Hoops staff after consulting with coaches. Disclaimer: Not all coaches replied to e-mails looking for information and not all score sheets were properly filled out. Obviously, we were not able to watch every game, so coach’s cooperation via e-mail and by properly filling out score sheets was appreciated.

POOL A – 5^th Grade

Winner – Bay State Jaguars

Runner-Up – NE Flames

MVP – Thai Davis, Bay State Jaguars

All-Tournament Team:

Brady Johnson, NE Flames

Tallie Carney, NE Flames

Emma Parrot, NE Flames

Sydney Gallery, Bay State Jaguars

Fay Gallery, Bay State Jaguars

Shiobhan Weir, MPLEX

Kate Earle, MPLEX

Sydney Waitekus, MPLEX

Marland, Sting Elite

POOL B – 6^th Grade

Winner – MPC Nagle

Runner-Up – Bay State Blizzard

MVP – Kaitlin Rapose, MPC Nagle

All-Tournament Team:

Tara O'Brien, MPC Nagle

Laura Giovaniello, MPC Nagle

Hutchins, CM Tarheels

Donna, Cape Cod Bulls

Schiebal, Bay State Blizzard

Coleman, RI Breakers

Carter, Bay State Blizzard

Grace Maher, MPC Maher

Molly, Cape Cod Bulls

POOL C – 7^th Grade

Winner – Cape Cod Bulls

Runner-Up – Seaside Sizzle

MVP – Carly Whiteside, Cape Cod Bulls

All-Tournament Team:

Sydney Porter, Sting Elite

Janey Devlin, Seaside Sizzle

Kathryn Fallon, Seaside Sizzle

Kathryn Maull, Seaside Sizzle

Carly Whiteside, Cape Cod Bulls

K Thomas, Bay State Blizzard

McKenzie Rae, MPC Kepaa

POOL D – 6^th / 7^th Grade

Winner – Central Mass Shamrocks

Runner-Up – NE Rebels

MVP – Austin, CM Shamrocks

All-Tournament Team:

Allie Giambanco, MPC Nagle

Mariah Rosario, NE Rebels

Emily Lagrega, NE Rebels

McMenamy, CM Shamrocks

Terricciano, CM Shamrocks

Sampson, CM Shamrocks

POOL E – 8^th/9^th

Winner – Team BSB

Runner-Up – MPC Mordarski

MVP – Christina Kiser, Team BSB

All-Tournament Team:

Julianna Mello, MPC Musco

Brooke Peasley, Team BSB

Caroline Hagerty, Team BSB

Jordan, NC Blaze

Meg Hill, MPC Mordarski

Stephanie Lyons, MPC Mordarski

Gagan, RI Breakers

POOL F – 8^th

Winner – Sting Elite

Runner-Up – South Shore Wolfpack

MVP – Anna Cressman

All-Tournament:

Spencer Semple, Sting Elite

Ashley Omigie, RI Breakers

Caroline Adamson, Team BSB

Olivia Zito, Team BSB

Sophia Rust, SS Wolfpack

Courtney McCabe, SS Wolfpack

POOL G – 10^th

Winner – Bay State Magic Elite

Runner-Up – Team Providence

MVP – Erika Ochenduszko, Bay State Magic Elite

All-Tournament Team:

Toni Geisel, Bay State Magic Elite

Jenna Roche, Bay State Magic Elite

Bailey Colon, Bay State Magic Elite

Brandi Andrews, Bay State Magic Elite

Allanah Cooley, Team Providence

Samantha Kent, Team Providence

Carrington, Bay State Monarchs

Tiah Walker, MPC Walker

Jillian Crespi, MPC Walker

Emily Cummings, Troy City Tigers

POOL H – Varsity

Winner – Mass Premier Swish

Runner-Up – Cape Cod Bulls

MVP – Nicole Gallagher, Mass Premier Swish

All-Tournament Team:

Ashley Sampson, MPC Swish

Tess Sussman, MPC Swish

Anna Shaughnessy, MPC Swish

Kaitlyn Guenet, MPC Swish

Amy Assad, MPC Thunder

Emily Sullivan, MPC Thunder

Jillian Spolidoro, MPC Thunder

Aubrie Kutil, MPC Thunder

Danielle Arcidiacono, MPC Nagle

Gagnon, Bay State Monarchs

Fairhurst, Cape Cod Bulls

Kaia Whiteley, Cape Cod Bulls

Torissi, Bay State Blizzard

Catherine Moynihan, NE Rebels

Jalani Jackson, Cape Cod Bulls

Erin Antosh, Cape Cod Bulls

Friday, June 20, 2014

MPC Club Championship Preview

The MPC Girls Club Championships are taking place this weekend and there are many different programs represented.

This is a unique tournament because there are three different ways to win.

The Club Championship: Bring as many teams from your club as possible to enhance your program’s chances to be crowned the overall club champion. Five (5) points will be awarded to a program for every victory one of their team earns. The program with the most overall points will be awarded the club championship cup.

The Director’s Cup: The program with the highest percentage (%) of wins will capture the director’s cup.

Programs must bring a minimum of three (3) teams in the tournament to be eligible for the director’s cup.

Pool Championship: Every team will compete to be champion of their own division/pool.

All-Tournament teams and MVPs will be named for every pool.

POOL A – 5^th Grade

Bay State Jaguars, NE Flames both made it to the D2 state semi-finals in their respective state’s tournament. The NE Rebels enter the tournament having been a quarterfinalist at the D2 state tourney and posted an undefeated record at the MA Huskies Spring Jam. The unknowns in this bracket are the MPlex, Fieldhouse Sting and MPC Noel. It will be interesting to see how this pool takes shape with these up and coming hoopsters.

POOL B – 6^th Grade

This bracket includes MPC Nagle, RI Breakers Brogna, Bay State Blizzard Bass, Cape Cod Bulls, MPC Maher, CT Breakers Ellington and Central Mass Tar Heels. Ari Tristani leads MPC Nagle into this weekend’s tournament. The MPC Nagle squad has a well over .500 record and will look to continue its winning ways.

POOL C – 7^th Grade

Sting Elite should prove to be some stiff competition for the Seaside Sizzle, Cape Cod Bulls, Bay State Blizzard and MPC Keppa. Sting Elite hit the Zero Gravity circuit this spring and played in the Gold Rush, Queen of Boston, Junior Elite and Nationals. This squad is filled with athletic ballers from Sudbury, Lexington, Wellesley and Acton. Who will survive this 5-team round robin?

POOL D – 6^th / 7^th Grade

The Central Mass Shamrocks come with championship pedigree. As 5^th graders, they were the D2 state champions and last year they made the Final 4. Led by Rachel McMenemy, Alexi Austin and Shannon Sampson, the CM Shamrocks look to add another tournament victory to its resume.

Dan Nagle’s 6^th graders will look to compete for a championship in their home gym led by Kate Wallace.

Other competitors in this pool will be New England Lady Panthers, MPC Noel, NE Rebels Shaughnessy and NE Rebels Lagrega.

POOL E – 8^th/9^th

In a pool that features two MPC squads, three RI squads and NC Blaze, this bracket is as wide open as it gets. Mordarski’s squad is tough as nails and gets after it defensively and MPC Musco’s squad would love to end this season on a high note led by Cassidy Musco, Jessica Fitzgerald and Hannah Cullen.

POOL F – 8^th

This pool features RI Breakers Riley, Sting Elite, Fieldhouse Sting, Cape Cod Bulls, South Shore Wolfpack and Team BSB.

The RI Breakers are a newly-formed team that has burst onto the scene by playing some competitive and inspired basketball. Diana Bianco Riley, Ashley Omigie, Olympia Good and Grace Hagberg lead the way for the Breakers.

POOL G – 10^th

This round robin group features MPC Walker, Bay State Monarchs, Team Providence, Troy City Tigers and Bay State Magic Elite Roche.

MPC Walker has been hot as of late and earned the MA state D3 title led by Tiah Walker, Jillian Crespi and Ashley Rose.

Team Providence is led by Sam Kent and Alannah Cooley and they have won multiple tournaments this season.

Bay State Magic Roche is loaded with talent led by Jenna Roche, Jenn Butka and Liana Cunningham. A year removed from being crowned D1 state champions, they’ve had an extremely strong second half of the season and I am looking forward to watching them play at their usual high intensity level.

POOL H – Varsity

MPC is well represented in this division with the MPC Thunder, MPC Nagle and MPC Swish all vying for the title. In order for an MPC team to win, they will have to go through the NE Rebels, Bay State Monarchs, Bay State Blizzard and Cape Cod Bulls.

MPC Nagle, led by smooth scoring guard Danielle Arcidiaono, qualified for the final four of the D3 MA state tournament and had a very successful spring campaign.

MPC Thunder recently earned the D2 title in convincing fashion. This team has fought through a few season ending injuries (Kiersten Warner and Kelsie Savageau) and still manages to be one of the most competitive teams in the state at this age level. This team is comprised of some of the top players in the Hockomock and Tri-Valley League: Danielle Perron (North Attleboro), Amy Assad (Millis), Jillian Spolidoro (Franklin), Emily Sullivan (King Phillip) and Layne Cassidy (Millis).

The NE Rebels are coming off a 2-1 showing at the heralded GymRat Challenge in Albany where Jillian Webber and Catherine Sweeney were named to the all-tournament team. This team comprised of mostly 9^th graders, is no stranger to playing up in age as they have all season culminating in a D2 10^th grade state title.

The MPC Swish are the babies of this group. This 8^th grade team enters this tournament with a 39-3 record on the season, mostly playing up a couple of age groups. This hometown team is led by the explosive backcourt of Nicole Gallagher and Ashley Sampson, versatile inside-out players Tess Sussman, Kiera Fernandes, Kaitlyn Guenet and Anna Shaughnessy. This team is strong off the bench led by spark plug Lily Sykes, shooters Kaylin Reen and Shannon Lynch, work horse Ali Ready and Shannon Smally in the post.