WORCESTER, Mass. — This year's NEPSAC Girls Scholastic Showcase packed more than 400 New England prep school girls basketball prospects and more than 150 college coaches into three courts side-by-side at Worcester Academy's new Capozzoli Athletic Center.
On Thursday, the space shrunk even more — when everyone had to crowd into the lobby as part of protocol due to a tornado warning in the Worcester area. It was ultimately a quirky, fun pause in a three-day onslaught of high-quality summer basketball.
The best NEPSAC programs faced off during this scholastic live period event. The Scholastic Showcase gives us our first look at the schools who will contend next winter, and it's one of the more time-efficient settings for college scouts to watch a ton of top local prospects. It's among my favorite showcases on the calendar for that reason too.
I have a full slate of standouts from what I watched at the Scholastic Showcase that will roll out all this week. Let's get things started with guards in the 2027 class who are entering the home stretch of their time in the recruiting spotlight.
MORE SCHOLASTIC SHOWCASE STANDOUTS:Â 2027 forwards | 2028 | 2029 & 2030
Meg Allbee, Northfield Mount Hermon
5-10 guard
Hometown: Westminster, Vt.
NCAA: Daemen
Allbee had coach Grace Rehnquist moderately floored with how she took over and sealed Northfield Mount Hermon’s Thursday evening blowout win against Austin Prep/Hotchkiss. She did a great job attacking driving lanes in both games I watched, but Allbee looked particularly decisive in that one, speeding to the basket and hitting some tough layups. On one play, she drove hard from the left corner past the basket, then pivoted back to finish an and-1 bucket with her left hand — then missed the free throw, but grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back for a score. Allbee’s confidence off the dribble is an encouraging sign when shooting off the catch has long been her strength.
Kamiya Balcombe, St. Luke’s
5-5 guard
Hometown: Norwalk, Conn.
Balcombe was fun to watch work on and off the ball next to star guard Kendra Foy in both chances I caught St. Luke's. She's a lefty shooter who's confident spotting up quickly, and among the three 3s I saw, she knocked one down falling away that might have been due to a foul. Balcombe also can run offense, find and assist cutters near the basket, and get to the second level of a defense. She's solid all-around and a guard prospect I'm buying into more.
Maddie Benigni, Hamden Hall
5-5 guard
Hometown: East Hampton, Conn.
NCAA: Sacred Heart
I thought multiple teams played some great defense on Benigni and she still willed her way to buckets. Her motor is so consistent; Benigni threw a bad turnover on one play against St. George's but dug in on defense, got the ball back on the next possession and took it coast-to-coast to make up for it with a layup. Benigni in general was finishing tough shots at the basket through contact all weekend (and I honestly thought she got a tough whistle), using ball screens and dribble moves to get downhill. I also saw her make floaters, pull-up jumpers and some 3s on the move. She's grown into a complete scorer who should dominate in NEPSAC this winter.
Elin Fitzgerald, St. George’s
5-10 guard
Hometown: Charlestown, R.I.
Fitzgerald was a nice surprise to me; she played a solid supporting role last year but could be in line for a breakout. She caught fire to start Thursday, making at least three 3-pointers when I was watching. Then I was roaming courts Friday and took note of a huge chasedown block from Fitzgerald against Hamden Hall. Her defensive intensity in that game was stellar (apparently there was another block I missed). Fitzgerald fits as a high-motor 3-and-D player and I’m excited to see how she approaches senior year at St. George’s.
Kendra Foy, St. Luke’s
5-10 guard
Hometown: Bethel, Conn.
Foy made scoring look pretty easy on Friday against Kimball Union. Her crossover pull-up jumper was automatic in the mid-range. She hit some movement 2-pointers and 3s off the catch, and she also got to the rim frequently. Foy is best recognized for her bag of moves, but I think her physical strength and ability to take contact on layups is underrated. She also made a great read and pocket bounce pass to a backdoor cutter Saturday against Berkshire. Foy has a ton of mid-major Division 1 interest, and at No. 6 in our most recent Best of New England rankings, she's solidified herself as an elite prospect in this class.
Kiki Gable, Northfield Mount Hermon
5-10 guard
Hometown: Marblehead, Mass.
As NMH searches for the next connector-types that it often utilizes, Gable looks ready to step up as an option. I thought she was super smart against Wilbraham & Monson with her closeout attacks, extra passes and team defensive impact. Gable made a sweet Euro-step move for a layup and also scored on one back-to-the-basket turnaround shot. NMH should feel confident in Gable as a reliable, versatile supporting guard.
Brooke Lilley, Darrow
5-7 guard
Hometown: Guilderland, N.Y.
Lilley took over the second half of Darrow’s statement Friday win against Newman. She’s a stellar 3-point shooter, which we already knew, but Lilley’s creativity inside the arc wowed me. She hit some difficult pull-up and movement shots off balance and had a sweet left-hand spinning layup. Lilley also made a nice transition read, threading the ball to Loren Green in the opposite corner for a 3-pointer, and she has better court vision than I've given her credit for. She'll be a key playmaker again as the defending Class AA champs move up to AAA.
Anna Moser, Hoosac
5-8 guard
Hometown: Rutland, Vt.
Moser, now No. 79 in ESPN's national rankings, proved she’s on another level relative to most of her regional peers. Nobles defenders could not stop her 1-on-1 as she flew by for easy layups. Moser was cooking behind the arc on both pull-ups and spot-ups, and her cutting remains the best I see at this level. Her confidence is obvious, exemplified by her pump-faking a kick-out pass which opened up another layup. I also think she’s become a bit of an underrated perimeter defender with her effort level guarding the ball and on ball screens.
Zariah Ottley, Northfield Mount Hermon
5-7 guard
Hometown: Rockland, Mass.
Ottley was already an offensive weapon at NMH, but I think we saw how much of a centerpiece she becomes after the graduations of both Olivia Fleming and Breena Hannon. NMH ran a bunch of actions for Ottley to score on and off the ball, including a chin action where she cut hard and scored the layup through contact. Ottley’s hangtime and contact finishing were a standout skill in the games I watched, and her physical strength showed up on the boards. She also made a 3-pointer off a screen and had some quality passing reads.
Ava Perry, New Hampton
5-7 guard
Hometown: Groveland, Mass.
Perry converted on a couple of impressive difficult layup angles far away from the basket. She also found hot zones in the mid-range areas, specifically with some movement shots off cuts and screens. I think Perry’s going to have an important role at New Hampton this winter because she’s such a dynamic off-ball cutting guard who also defends with high effort.
Shannon Welburn, Newman
5-9 guard
Hometown: Wellesley, Mass.
Welburn gave an exhibition of her signature strengths when I watched Friday against Darrow. Her turnaround jumpers from 5-8 feet are a staple, and Welburn has such great body control on those looks around the basket. She’s a phenomenal offensive rebounding guard who’s aggressive off the dribble, and she mixed in a sidestep 3-pointer too. I thought Welburn’s on-ball defense was high-energy as well.
Quick shouts:Â Some players had standout weekends that I heard about but didn't see for myself, so I want to acknowledge them here first. Among them would be Charlotte Theriault (Suffield/Palmer, Mass.), who has landed additional offers from Central Connecticut and Iona as of this writing. Jazzy Mora (Worcester Academy/Methuen, Mass.) also played well from what I was told before suffering a minor injury that held her out for Saturday. I saw a little bit of Tiffany Burns (Austin Prep/Methuen Mass.), and she was solid, but I heard her first game Thursday was a standout-caliber performance.
Others who showed flashes I liked: Sarah von Dohlen (Westport, Conn.), who transferred to Miss Porter's from Greens Farms, gave a strong defensive effort Saturday. ... Chloe O'Brien (Berkshire/Wakefield, Mass.) played with a high motor and attacked with some strong rip-through drives. ... Hannah Murphy (Cushing/Charlton, Mass.) showed explosiveness off the dribble and consistently beat defenders for layups when I watched. Teammate Angelys Alvarez (Fitchburg, Mass.) also plays with freedom and made some big shots in and outside the arc Saturday. ... Alani Rodriguez (Phillips Andover/Haverhill, Mass.) won at the rim with her focus and balance in the air and hit some spot-up 3s. ... I appreciated Ella Smith (Phillips Exeter/Rye, N.H.) and her hustle as an offensive rebounder for a guard. ... Shea Welburn (Newman/Wellesley, Mass.) deserves credit for one of the best transition passes I saw, when she threw a perfect full-court whip pass ahead to twin Shannon for a layup.
