(As I was attending the FIBA Americas U16 Tournament the same weeekend, I asked many of our Blue Star Media representatives to provide me with a story and evaluations from the event. Here’s the compilation of the information.)
FREDERICK, MD – With the NCAA adding a new Scholastic Evaluation Period to this year’s calendar, there was much anticipation about what the landscape would look like, what format would work best, and how the events would be received. One event that was not new to many coach’s calendars was the Best of Maryland Tournament, a longtime end of July stop that slid up into June seamlessly.
This year’s three day event was held at two collegiate facilities, Hood College and Frederick Community College, and featured 22 teams from nine states, as well as the District of Columbia. The traditional pool play format on days one and two yielded an Elite 8 style bracket on day three.
The final 4 featured Sacred Heart Academy (KY), Archbishop Wood (PA), Red Bank Catholic (NJ), and Cathedral Prep (PA), all winners of their respective pools. Sacred Heart topped Wood and Red Bank vanquished Cathedral in the semis, to set up what turned out to be a barn burner of a championship game. Sacred Heart closed the event as the ultimate victor, 52-49 over RBC, a fitting end to an exciting three days of basketball.
Let’s profile a few of the teams and some of the individual stand outs that caught our eye at this year’s Best of Maryland event.
The champion Sacred Heart Academy featured a deep roster across the position and age spectrum. ZaKiyah Johnson has long established herself among the best prospects in the 2025 class. A do it all wing, who can score in a variety of ways, Johnson’s impact on a game is felt all over. The amount of experience she’s amassed in her career already pays dividends, and frankly, she’s an opposing coach’s worst nightmare on gameday. Senior leadership will not be hard to find for Coach Donna Moir this year, with a post like Angelina Pelayo and major stock riser Reagan Bender on the roster. Pelayo is a mobile and vocal big who can rim run, finish, and hit jump shots as needed. Bender is on the upswing, deceptively athletic with a high level skill set at 5’10, it’s no surprise who is taking notice. Lastly, there’s no way to overlook the value brought forth by 2027 point guard Amirah Jordan, who is so good with the ball in traffic, scrappy, quick, and advanced beyond her years.
Red Bank Catholic is a usual contender here at Best of Maryland, and Coach Joe Montano has plenty of talent once again, especially in his 2025 and 2026 classes. The Liggio sisters, all three, are key players for the New Jersey powerhouse. Rising junior Christina Liggio makes shots, and that pull up in particular is silky smooth. She’s a fundamental player who can score. Younger twin sisters Tessa and Katie also log plenty of minutes at the guard spots. Tessa is a floor general, crafty and thinking a play ahead, while Katie flashes more off ball tendencies, like a good first step and deep range on the three ball. Tessa Carman is a 2025 locomotive out there, scoring and boarding at will. 2026’s Sophie Smith and Addy Nyemchek both show plenty of promise as well at their own positions.
Coach Doug Chuzie’s Cathedral Prep squad has a ton of experience playing together, a strength that propelled them to the semi-finals on Saturday. Rising senior Jayden McBride is a versatile lefty wing forward who is almost automatic driving to her strong hand side and plays at her own pace. The jumping ability leads to plenty of rebounds and steals, and her pull up jump shot is pretty lethal. 2024 classmate Lena Walz might be one of the bigger sleepers we’ve seen lately, as a 5’10 lefty guard who can flat out drill three pointers at a high clip. 2025 post Addie Biel is starting to get offers at the DI level, and there are likely more to come. A big 6’2 post who is light on her feet, moves well, with skills and a consistent finishing prowess is always in demand.
St. John’s College High School will boast a deep roster this upcoming season, and a good portion of it was on display here. Some pieces were in and out, but the conversation for Coach Jonathan Scribner starts with big time 2024’s Tatum Greene (Boston College) and Kyndal Walker (Maryland). Carolae Barton really brings it in the paint, to form a three headed monster in the senior class. The younger classes have plenty to be excited about as well, with 2027 wing/forward Qandace Samuels well on her way heading into 9th grade. 2026 guard Morgan Stewart had a consistently impressive showing here, as a mature, athletic guard with some explosion and a jumper. Young point guard Giselle Grant also shows promise as a 2026.
Perhaps the youngest team in the event was Sanford out of Delaware. Half of the roster is composed of rising freshmen and 8th graders, but don’t tell them that! Coach Marcus Thompson’s crew didn’t back down to anyone. Jada Snow has had a good spring on the circuit, and the 2025 wing continued an upward trend here. 2027 combo guard Asia Adams is one to keep an eye on the next few years, along with fellow freshman, the long lefty Adrianna Chambers. Aslyn Merrell is only going to be in the 8th grade this year, but she is solid already as a forward who could start to expand her adventure to the perimeter at some point.
St. John Vianney once again made the trek down from New Jersey to play at Best of Maryland, and the improvement from their 2026 class in particular was of note. Taylor Sofilkanich has the size coaches covet at 6’4, but there is notable improvement and additions that have been added to her tool box. The move set and movements have all grown, and she’s facing up and attacking the rim now. At this rate, who knows where she will take it next? Front court classmate Stella Lockhart is an even 6’0 tall, but she has a nice pull up J for her size, and she’ll mix it up in the paint a bit. Madison Kocis is another 2026 who has leveled up over the past year. The skills are there, and she flashed a good first step to team with her ability to shield with the body and score. Stock wise, it’s creeping up as we go here. Fairfield commit Julia Karpell will be the heart and soul leader as the sharp shooting senior, so SJV is set up for a good season ahead.
Brooke Adkins – 2025 – 6-0 – Wing – Wayne – Skilled wing who goes hard out there…A glue kid…Nice pull up jumper that finds the bottom of the net at a good rate…Quick release too…Will pull her share of boards
Jezelle Banks – 2027 – 5-8 – Point Guard – Ursuline Academy – Shake and sizzle at the PG spot all day…Slides right through traffic to the hoop…Mixes her lay ups and can put a little “English” on them…Gets where she wants to go in a hurry…Hangs in the air to score…Taking the three from NBA range a little bit now
Taylor Brown – 2027 – 5-6 – Point Guard – Ursuline Academy – Mature and efficient, especially for her age…Gets out and pressures opposing PG’s on D…Can hit the gas off the bounce, and seems to understand when that’s what’s needed and when it isn’t…Wizardry with the basketball
Danielle Cameron – 2024 – 5-8 – Guard – Olmsted Falls – Has the ball in her hands a lot…Plays stronger than she physically appears…Wiry, skilled lefty…Quick release off the bounce…Also shot the three well…Some nice takes in traffic
Nina Emnace – 2024 – 5-8 – Point Guard – Trinity Hall – Harvard commit is primed to lead the way for her squad senior year…Good passer in the pick and roll game…Solid pull up in the mid range and will also take it from beyond the arc…Has a little extra hang time to finish…Nice job of getting attempts up to the rim through contact
Gracynn Gough – 2024 – 6-0 – Forward – Charlotte Catholic – Strong build…Three point range and stroke at her size is a big eye brow-raiser…Some work in the post as well…Soft touch…Competes
Adelaide Jernigan – 2025 – 6-0 – Guard – Bishop McGuinness – Lanky lefty guard with ball skills…Good passer who sees the floor and delivers the ball effectively…Deep range on the three and knocked down multiple in a flash…Will come down with some boards at this height
Emma Knouse – 2025 – 6-0 – Wing – Archbishop Wood – Stock rising quickly here…6’0 kid who can flat out drain three’s, on the move, with a hand up, whatever…College range and beyond…Good IQ… Dropped in the little baby hook in the lane on the run for good measure
Jada Lynch – 2026 – 5-11 – Guard – St. Rose – Physically gifted, natural athlete…Strong and skilled…Really nice pull up….Follows her shot and battles for boards…Not afraid to bang inside on D…Fearless player
Camille Nesmith – 2026 – 6-3 – Post – River Hill – Size and frame catch your attention…Developing offensively still…Runs the floor…Can attack the basket a l bit off the bounce…Challenges shots on D…Still raw and needs to fill out, but ceiling is growing
Lauren Palangio – 2024 – 6-2 – Forward – Norwin – Perhaps a bit of a sleeper in the front court in 2024…Good athlete, sprints the floor…Shot blocking specialist…Can finish inside…Face and drive is also an option, and could be a late bloomer as skills develop in college
Mackenzie Pettinelli – 2024 – 5-10 – Wing/Forward – Spring-Ford – Stocky undersized forward who is also comfortable out on the wing…Will work in high post…Solid finisher…Can handle it a bit out on the perimeter and in the open court
Ava Renninger – 2024 – 5-6 – Point Guard – Archbishop Wood – Knows how to get open against pressure, which is vital for a PG…Good understanding of her role and its importance…Will get out and pressure and pick a pocket clean…Can shoot the pull up or the three
Kelsey Rhyne – 2026 – 5-10 – Guard – Lake Norman – Really quick trigger from the outside for this lefty…Splashed the three off the step back too…Some nice takes, so scoring comes in other ways…Strong build for a guard
Trinity Rowe – 2024 – 5-6 – Point Guard – Pikeville – Makes her teammates better by her play as a PG…Some nice no look passes…Can get to the rim and showed off some nifty finishes…Fills it up from three point land…Sets the tone and makes things happen
Blanca Thomas – 2024 – 6-5 – Post – Charlotte Catholic – UNC commit leaves her mark in the paint…Can make some big plays down the stretch of games…Boards it, gets it out, and takes off to the opposite rim…Great hands…Finishes over the shoulder so well…Knocks down that baby jumper consistently…When she gets it in the paint, good luck trying to stop her
Natalie Wetzel – 2025 – 6-3 – Forward – Peters Township – Catches it on the move and goes up strong to score…Handles the ball on the perimeter…Nice looking three point shot…Feisty player…Stock riser
Mia Woolfolk – 2024 – 6-2 – Forward – Manchester – Can get a lot of the shots she wants when she wants them, especially in the paint…High end mobility…Getting out and defending away from the hoop…A handful when she gets the ball in any post area…Great feet, loves the spins and peel backs…Bucket getter at the forward spot
Damia Worthy – 2025 – 5-7 – Combo Guard – Oxon Hill – Quick combo guard…Really nice shot, especially coming off the bounce…She can go…Sees the floor well
Rayne Wright – 2025 – 5-11 – Guard – Manchester – Makes a lot of the right plays, albeit a little quietly at times…Can slash to the rim…Skilled with the ball and with her lay up package…A three point threat as well…Good head for the game
