HANOVER, Mass. — The New England Spring Showdown brought the best of the region's grassroots girls basketball scene to Starland Sportsplex this weekend. And though the 2026 class is in the spotlight, the subsequent high school classes stole plenty of shine for themselves.
One of my goals this weekend was to get a better handle on the elite underclassmen in this region. They might have exceeded my expectations this weekend, with several of the 2027 circuit squads firing on all cylinders. A handful of underclassmen even made an impact playing up on 2026 teams, and likewise for a select few 2028s shining in older age groups. That has me confident we could see some special talent pools during the next few years.
I explained a bit of my internal approach to evaluating this weekend in our 2026 standouts dispatch. For this list, I also specifically noted the level of each roster, so you can see which players were competing up an age group. Though I watch a lot of basketball, I can't watch everything. MT Ducks and Team Sims had great 2027 teams I did not see; hopefully I can catch them at a future showcase.
Below is a list of results from full games I watched, followed by my underclassmen standouts. They're listed alphabetically by team and separated by the 2027 and 2028-29 classes.
Saturday
Bay State Jaguars UA Rise Black 72, CT Storm 44
Bay State Jaguars E40 67, Maine Firecrackers 25
MCW Starz 2027 P24 54, iBelieve Elite 2027 S40 49
iBelieve Elite 2027 S40 50, Mass Huskies 2027 EYCL 38
Mass Rivals 2027 3SSB 50, MCW Starz 2027 P24 49
Mass Rivals 2026 3SSB 53, MCW Starz 2026 P24 51
Bay State Jaguars 2026 UAA 54, Mass Huskies 2026 EYCL 46
Sunday
Mass Rivals 2026 3SSB 58, iBelieve Elite 2026 S40 42
D4S 2026 55, Dana Barros Elite 46
Bay State Jaguars 2027 UAA 53, United NJ 2027 P24 42
MCW Starz 2026 P24 76, Bay State Jaguars 2026 UAA 71 (OT)
Mass Huskies 2027 EYCL 44, Team NSSA Platinum 2027 33
New England Storm 2027 HGSL 51, MCW Starz 2027 P24 49
Bay State Jaguars 2027 UAA 64, iBelieve 2027 S40 58
Class of 2027
Zariah Ottley, Bay State Jaguars 2026 UAA
5-7 guard
Northfield Mount Hermon/Rockland, Mass.
Ottley's Saturday performance was a perfect encapsulation of her uniquely entertaining game. She took defenders off the dribble and finished through fouls, she scored out of the post and on a face cut, she attacked and made correct kick-out passes after drawing defenders, and she picked up a big-time block defending a drive. Ottley's internal court processing and overall skill with the ball are so high. You never really know how she'll make her mark on a game, but she'll find a way.
Javonah "Juice" Coston, Bay State Jaguars 2027 UAA/Dana Barros Elite 2026
5-8 guard
Beaver/Boston, Mass.
Coston remains one of the better-kept secrets in the region's 2027 class. She played back-to-back games with two different programs, hustling back in transition to force turnovers on two two oddly similar plays in both. But Coston really popped in her Jaguars game as a secondary scorer. The team leveraged her quickness on handoffs and cuts, where she could easily get to the second level of the defense. Coston has off-dribble scoring chops in the mid-range and on short runners. Her 3-point shot comes and goes, but she'll hit them spotting up.
Maeve Powers, Dana Barros Elite 2026
5-7 guard
North Quincy/Quincy, Mass.
Powers stood out quickly in the first half of a fun matchup between Dana Barros Elite and D4S. She's a skilled scorer with great footwork, highlighted by an impressive up-and-under move that shook off one defender. Powers finished layups multiple times through contact and made a great drive-and-kick to a teammate for a corner 3-pointer. Powers was one of the MIAA's breakout players at North Quincy this season, and I'm excited to see her next steps.
Kendra Foy, iBelieve Elite 2027 S40
5-10 guard
Immaculate/Danbury, Conn.
Foy's tight handle and quick-twitch bursts help her create frequent advantages off the dribble. She was dicing up MCW in the mid-range when I watched Saturday. I counted at least four made pull-up 2s in that game; it looks easy for her to get to her crossovers and stepbacks. Foy's a polished half-court shotmaker who can also knock down 3s and seize open lanes to the basket. Her athleticism translated on defense with a nice block in help, and she sprinted down to strip an open transition layup.
Jaidelis "Jada" Rivera, iBelieve Elite 2027 S40
5-1 guard
New London/New London, Conn.
Small high-motor guard alert! Rivera works her tail off defensively and helped iBelieve turn a 47-33 deficit to 49-47 before the ultimate 54-49 loss against MCW. She jumped in front of one pass in transition and heaved it full-court the other way to Foy for an open layup. But across the two games I watched Rivera, her tenacity on the ball really stuck out. She frustrated opposing guards defending drives and picked up multiple steals pressing in the backcourt. Rivera made tough shots around the hoop herself and flashed some playmaking off the dribble.
A'laya Colbert, Mass Huskies 2027 EYCL
6-0 center
North Quincy/Quincy, Mass.
North Quincy had some hoopers this weekend. Colbert is still relatively new to the New England scene — she moved from Atlanta last summer — but she's an immediate name to know in MIAA. Her post skills and footwork are strong, and she's smart with her positioning and activity around the paint, which included keeping the ball high on one cutting and-1 layup. Colbert also flashed some defensive promise with a few nice blocks and a steal defending in the press. If she can keep honing her finishing and adding more of the soft floaters and hook shots she made, Colbert can be an underrated frontcourt prospect in this class.
Maria Gianarikas, Mass Huskies 2027 EYCL
5-7 guard
Wellesley/Wellesley, Mass.
I've always sneaky-enjoyed watching Gianarikas in the limited games I've gotten to see. She won't command the spotlight, but her minutes always seem to help team success. Gianarikas hit this sweet, Eurostep layup in transition against iBelieve and finished another tough layup the next day against Team NSSA. She's a quality team defender who closed out hard to block a 3-pointer against iBelieve. Gianarikas is just a smart, dependable player who doesn't make a lot of bad mistakes.
Corinne Lomax, Mass Rivals 2026 3SSB
6-0 forward
Tabor/Watertown, Conn.
Lomax looks comfortable playing up on and against some of the best teams in this region. She is long, strong and active on defense, wreaking havoc in the first game against MCW and adding a monster block on a drive against iBelieve. Lomax is a transition weapon with her handle and ease finishing around the basket. I saw a bit of her short-to-mid-range touch on jumpers, and she made a great driving passing read out to Olivia Fleming for a corner 3-pointer against iBelieve. Lomax is one of the best 2027 college prospects in New England and is a consistent 3-ball away from being truly scary.
Lucianna Parrotta, Mass Rivals 2027 3SSB
6-0 forward
Sacred Heart Greenwich/Armonk, N.Y.
Parrotta's length and activity made for some great defensive highlights in Saturday's win over MCW. She got a deflection and then a rotation block on one possession, and she locked up several drives to the basket. In this game, Parrotta was acting close to a rim-protector as the tallest on a small team. She also made a great kick-out pass to teammate Ruby Thompson in the opposite corner for a 3-pointer. The overall versatility with Parrotta, between her first Rivals games and her work as a wing on Sacred Heart, helps her stand out.
Bella Owumi, MCW Starz 2026 P24
6-0 guard/forward
St. Mary's/Lynn, Mass.
I was wondering how Owumi's sophomore leap would translate to AAU, and she answered. The 3-pointer is simply in her bag now — terrifying. In this setting, where defenses aren't loading up to stop her, Owumi can show off more of her explosiveness driving the ball, getting to spin moves and launching to the rim, and she worked a little bit out of the post too. Her leaping ability on defense and the boards stands out starkly even against other stars in an older age bracket.
Gemma Murray, MCW Starz 2027 P24
5-7 guard
Londonderry/Londonderry, N.H.
I had known Murray's name at Londonderry and I wish I had watched more of her this past winter because man, she is fun. She was drilling 3s off challenging movement shots throughout the weekend, particularly in the first and third games I watched. Murray pushed the tempo as point guard with quick passes and speed in the open floor, and she's not afraid to battle defensively, notching a drawn charge against iBelieve. There were times MCW needed Murray to spark an offensive lull and she delivered.
Riley Hamilton, MCW Starz 2027 P24
5-11 guard/forward
Dexter Southfield/Lexington, Mass.
Hamilton filled a similar role on this MCW team to what I saw at Dexter. She does a little bit of everything, plays tough defense and doesn't command the ball. Her rebounding effort as one of the taller players on this squad was admirable. Hamilton's defensive awareness is fantastic; she made several smart rotations to stop offensive flow or force turnovers across multiple games I watched. She'll knock down the occasional 3-pointer too, or make a solid drive-and-kick pass. Just an overall versatile complementary piece who positively affects winning.
Kaylee Maier, New England Storm 2027 HGSL
5-5 guard
Dracut/Dracut, Mass.
I don't think a single name burst onto my radar this weekend quite like Maier. I saw that the Storm hung tough against the loaded Jags UAA squad Saturday and figured I should give them a watch. They then went out and beat MCW's 2027 Power 24 team Sunday with Maier leading the way.
Put simply: Maier gets buckets. She's not an explosive athlete, but she's skilled, confident and a prolific shotmaker. I saw her drill a series of pull-up jumpers, knock down threes off the catch and score off cuts. She made a great short-roll pocket pass for a score and picked off a couple of steals. Maier landed on the all-Merrimack Valley Conference First Team at Dracut this past season, but I admittedly didn't watch much of her. That'll change very quickly.
Class of 2028-29
Ella Peper, Bay State Jaguars 2027 UAA
Class of 2028, 6-4 guard/forward
Dexter Southfield/Newton, Mass.
One of Peper's next growth steps is turning her straight-line drives into more controlled attacks through contact. I thought she did a nice job, particularly in her first game Sunday, by changing up the tempo, decelerating at times and using more step-throughs to get to the basket. We know Peper can shoot it (and she did) and we know she can fly by defenders with her long arms. But can she finish effectively when defenders try to jostle her and rip the ball away? This weekend was good progress.
Peper also played great defense, moving her feet well laterally to block a 3-point attempt and swiping away a backdoor pass for a steal. Her court awareness is developing and her gambles off the ball are getting smarter, aided by her size and wingspan.
Avery Bollin, Bay State Jaguars 2027 UAA
Class of 2029, 6-3 forward
Dexter Southfield/Raynham, Mass.
I've watched so much of Bollin playing opposing bigs who are stronger and multiple years older. Sunday's two games were a reminder that she is pretty advanced for her age as a 2029 reclass. She scored a bunch out of post-up and face-up chances and has consistent touch with her dominant left hand around the basket. Bollin also started heating up behind the arc, making threes off the catch, spotting up in transition and converting on some pick-and-pop actions. It's all about consistency right now, but her good games, like this weekend, are fun to watch.
Jalisa "Juju" Booth, iBelieve Elite 2027 S40
Class of 2028, 5-7 guard
Suffield/Hartford, Conn.
Booth is standing out in the 2028 class with her explosiveness at the point. She used her burst and long strides to get to the rim and finish through contact consistently Saturday against the Mass Huskies. Booth also caused chaos defending the passing lanes and has a nose for the basketball on defense. Her separating speed and motor are a solid foundation.
Eva Zink, MCW Starz 2027 P24
Class of 2028, 5-11 guard/forward
Bedford/Bedford, N.H.
As I continue to build my initial 2028 watch list, I'll be sure to reserve a spot for Zink, who impressed in each of the three games I saw. Despite playing up a year in her first season with MCW, she was diving on the floor for loose balls and fearlessly taking on some tough individual matchups. Zink's defensive instincts and length made for a ton of deflections and steals off the ball. Against Rivals, she went right at Parrotta in a great mini-battle, converting on an and-1 bucket out of the post and a face-up driving score. She can shoot it a bit too, though she didn't attempt many 3s this weekend. I'm excited to see Zink's confidence grow.
Quick shouts:Â iBelieve had two more guards play well when I watched. 2027 guard Sammi Santacroce (Suffield/North Haven, Conn.) caught fire pulling up behind the arc and is a threat with her handle and perimeter scoring. Lily Davis (Tabor/Waterford, Conn.), one of the region's top 2028 talents, is a quick, attacking guard who played some of the better team defense I've seen from her yet. ... 2027 Mass Huskies wing Sophia Webb (Marianapolis/Worcester, Mass.) flashed an intriguing blend of size, handle and spot-up shooting at 5-foot-11. ... I really liked the decisions 2027 MCW guard Casey Stores (New Hampton/Bellingham, Mass.) made on drives; she's dangerous attacking closeouts with her straight-line speed.
