MARION, Mass. — December is holiday season — and showcase season.
In the weeks leading up to winter break, we have several weekend showcases on tap in NEPSAC girls basketball. The first large one came this past weekend when the Girls Hoops Series Winter Classic brought 18 teams to Tabor.
I attended Sunday's portion of the showcase and watched 12 of the 18 teams in action (I missed host Tabor, which had two blowout wins in the prior two days, but I'm sure I'll watch plenty of our top-ranked team this winter). It was a great mix of established NEPSAC powers and rising programs that put some new players on my radar.
Here are 19 who stood out to me throughout the day.
Results
Game 1: Putnam Science 56, Newman 55
Game 2: Nobles 72, Worcester Academy 59
Game 3: Berkshire 56, Mount St. Charles 43
Game 4: Suffield 64, Greenwich Country Day 51
Game 5: Northfield Mount Hermon 66, Winchendon 51
Game 6: St. Andrew's 71, Brimmer & May 44
Athena Thompson, Putnam Science
Class of 2026, 5-9 guard/forward
Hometown, Northampton, England
Thompson was plain awesome in a morning game that turned out to be the best of the day. She scored 17 points off a mix of transition buckets, some long-striding drives and a 3-pointer. But her most significant impact came on defense, where she was a constant disruptor off the ball with her length and awareness. Then Thompson got the game-sealing steal in the closing seconds by simply winning her isolated on-ball matchup. Thompson gave, in my opinion, the best two-way performance on Sunday.
Helin Öztürk, Putnam Science
Class of 2025, 5-8 guard
Hometown: Turkey
Öztürk is a relatively unheralded guard, but I thought her impact went beyond her six points. The Turkish guard tallied a handful of assists and some advanced passing reads as the team's primary point guard. Newman applied a lot of early ball pressure on Öztürk, but she stayed composed with her dribbling and met that physicality.
Elliana Scalabrine, Newman
Class of 2026, 5-11 guard/forward
Hometown: Dover, Mass.
I've watched Scalabrine now at Newman and previously at Dover-Sherborn, and it's been fun to see her continued development into a strong wing who can capably run offense herself. Scalabrine initiated possessions a few times, attacking the defense and making smart passes. She drilled three 3s as part of her 13 points, and some were off of legit difficult movement — not just shooting from a standstill.
Sophie Mahar, Newman
Class of 2025, 5-6 guard
Hometown: Wakefield, R.I.
Let's give it up for great point-of-attack defense. Mahar didn't post a glamorous stat line (6 points), but she definitely affected the game with her quickness and general effort level on the ball and fighting through screens. She came off the bench to knock down two 3s in the third quarter and helped keep Newman in the game when Putnam Science tried to build momentum.
Game 1 quick shouts: Putnam Science forward Rachel Lynch, a Le Moyne commit from Ireland, was second on the Mustangs with 11 points. ... Newman 2027 guard Shannon Welburn (Wellesley, Mass.) caught fire behind the arc early and finished with 10 points. Gabby Middleton (Stoughton, Mass.), one of the 2027 class's top prospects, carried the torch late and had 8 points. She and Scalabrine are a tough duo together as hybrid wings who can lead the offense.
Christina Pham, Nobles
Class of 2025, 5-7 guard
Hometown: South Boston, Mass.
In short: Pham is cooking. Less than a day after scoring 21 points against Tilton, she roared back with 27 in Nobles' latest win. That included seven 3-pointers — three in just the final frame — and some more of the driving layups through contact that have become an increasingly core piece to her game. But the Fairfield commit's perimeter scoring left fans speechless. The "best shooter in New England" discussion gets quieter the more I watch Pham play.
Ashley Dinges, Nobles
Class of 2025, 6-0 forward
Hometown: Haverhill, Mass.
Like Pham, Dinges didn't let a short turnaround slow her. The Providence commit scored 18 points, all 2s and free throws, and dominated on the boards. Dinges is such a powerful attacking forward, and yet, it's rare to see her barrel into a charge or bad positioning. Her sense of control and her relentless motor help her stay consistently impactful throughout a game.
Ella Getz, Worcester Academy
Class of 2026, 6-1 wing
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.
I labeled Getz a potential breakout player before this winter, and she's making me look great so far. She tallied 18 points and demonstrated the versatility that has helped her start stacking Division 1 offers. Getz spun into a strong driving layup on Jasmyn Cooper, one of the toughest defenders in NEPSAC, and later rotated over for a great block on a Pham layup attempt. She also knocked down a pair of 3s.
Game 2 quick shouts: Worcester Academy is 1-4 and has played a brutal early schedule under first-year coach Dan Sullivan, but I was very impressed with how competitive the Hilltoppers stayed against a perennial powerhouse. The backcourt of St. Bonaventure-bound senior Elyse MacDonough (17 points) and 2027 guard Gracyn Barnes (9 points) deserves mention; they have high potential as a duo.
Chloe Egan, Berkshire
Class of 2026, 5-11 guard
Hometown: Cotuit, Mass.
Egan most frequently ran the point down the stretch of Berkshire's win and her driving ability set her apart. Her size and quick direction changes helped her seek out lanes to the basket, where she showed excellent touch finishing layups in different ways. Egan logged a team-high 15 points in the victory; she wasn't really on my radar entering Sunday but definitely will be going forward.
Pearl Dickson, Berkshire
Class of 2027, 6-4 center
Hometown: Accra, Ghana
Dickson scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half. She was much more assertive in demanding touches and making her moves during that stretch. Dickson also showed great timing and chemistry with her guards, such as a two-possession stretch where Evi Higgins assisted her twice on cutting layups. There's definitely room for her confidence to grow, but she has natural athletic tools and a good sense for the game. I'd consider her one of the more underrated 2027 players in the region.
Dariia Serednytska, Mount St. Charles
Class of 2027, 6-2 center
Hometown: Odessa, Ukraine
Dickson and Serednytska were another one of the best individual matchups of the day. Early on, Serednytska was excelling. She is a high-level passer for both her age and position; I watched her rifle one assist from the left wing to the right corner for an open 3, and she also made a similar read working as the middle of Mount St. Charles' zone offense. Serednytska also finished with 14 points and was a ferocious rebounder. Other than a few 3-second violations, Serednytska gave us another great game from an intriguing 2027 post player.
Ava Ayotte, Mount St. Charles
Class of 2028, 5-5 guard
Hometown: Burrillville, R.I.
We had a select few freshmen pop throughout Sunday. Ayotte led her team with 16 points, including 14 in the first half. She made four 3s and already looks like a capable catch-and-shoot threat. She also put the ball on the floor with more confidence than I expected. As I slowly start to build a mental database for the 2028 class, I'll definitely keep Ayotte in mind.
Sammi Santacroce, Suffield
Class of 2026, 5-7 guard
Hometown: North Haven, Conn.
Santacroce is very compact with her dribble moves and sneaky-explosive when she pushes the ball. That led to 23 points in one of the more efficient scoring efforts of the day. Santacrose canned three 3s and looked comfortable off the catch, but she also had a nice step-back move into a long 2-pointer.
Charlotte Theriault, Suffield
Class of 2027, 5-9 guard/forward
Hometown: Palmer, Mass.
Theriault scored 7 points, but I thought she was better than the scoring sheet indicates as a connecting wing. She consistently makes the right extra pass, is strong for her size and confidently attacks driving lanes. I thought her defensive effort was also important during a game Suffield mostly controlled.
Brianna McDermott, Greenwich Country Day
Class of 2025, 5-6 guard
Hometown: Yonkers, N.Y.
McDermott is an absolute fighter. Despite being undersized, she willed GCDS to keep the matchup competitive with effort plays, like putting back her own misses for layups. McDermott uses head fakes and hesitation moves very well to create space for herself. She finished with 17 points.
Game 4 quick shouts:Â Suffield may be the biggest team-wide stock-riser in my eyes from Sunday. Senior Meghan Drury deserves additional praise for her 17-point outing, consistently finding herself in the right place at the right time. Including Theriault, the Tigers also have a stellar underclassmen core. Remember these names: Alannah Baehr (2027) and Jalisa "Juju" Booth (2028).
Grace Minihane, Northfield Mount Hermon
Class of 2025, 6-0 forward
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
I haven't watched a bad game from Minihane yet. The postgrad transfer is a beast, once again overpowering defenses with her drives and winning at the basket with her length. This contest, I noticed Minihane's activity as a help defender, where she picked up a couple of deflections and steals by staying engaged. She doesn't shoot a ton from the perimeter, but she made one early 3 and another shot from the corner that was ruled just inside the arc. Minihane seems willing to launch when she has an open look.
Olivia Fleming, Northfield Mount Hermon
Class of 2026, 5-6 guard
Hometown: Windham, N.H.
Behind 14 points and 8 assists, Fleming again showed why she's among the top guards in the 2026 class. She changes speeds with a snappiness few other point guards can match, and that really helps her create space. Fleming is an ambitious passer with superb court vision, and over time, experience has helped her learn to make better decisions. NMH should feel great about having her leading the offense.
Saige DeJesus, Winchendon
Class of 2028, 5-8 guard
Hometown: Haverhill, Mass.
Early in the game, one NEPSAC assistant sitting near me said to watch DeJesus, who I had vaguely heard of entering Sunday. She is going to be a special player in the 2028 class. DeJesus ended up with a game-high 17 points, confidently slicing through the defense for layups and pull-up jumpers. She was calling out most of the plays for Winchendon's offense. At one point, DeJesus slipped through a narrow window while being double-teamed in transition and rifled a one-hand pass to the left corner for a made 3. Get her name on your radar fast.
Game 5 quick shouts:Â I think La Salle commit Ava Hoy flies under the radar at NMH, but she's a great passing center who can knock down a 3 and still win rebound battles. ... One general note on NMH, which will be climbing in the upcoming power rankings update: This team uses some really cool concepts out of elbow actions with guards like Zariah Ottley and Breena Hannon.
Hayley Erickson, St. Andrew's
Class of 2025, 5-6 guard
Hometown: Scituate, R.I.
I counted four separate times where Erickson read a second-side passing lane, jumped it, got a steal and either took the ball all the way for a layup or gave it up for a teammate to score. She was a key reason St. Andrew's put this game away early. Erickson scored 9 points, but it was the anticipation and effort on defense that popped.
Zoe Knight, St. Andrew's
Class of 2027, 6-0 guard/forward
Hometown: South Kingstown, R.I.
This was a good bounce-back game for St. Andrew's after losing by 23 points to Newman the previous night. St. Andrew's wants to run in transition, and that benefits athletic wings like Knight. But she shined in her 14-point outing because of four made 3s that looked easy and in rhythm. When Knight is on as a threatening perimeter shooter, that opens up so much more for what she can do off the dribble.
Game 6 quick shouts: 2030 still doesn't feel like a real year, but 2030 guard Corey Sims looked like she belonged, scoring 22 points for a super young Brimmer and May team in the loss. I don't want to hype up players too early, but she deserves some recognition, as does 2029 guard Jaliah Duplessey (13 points). ... 2026 center Molly Sisson scored 10 points for St. Andrew's and stepped up with some takeover possessions as a scorer and rebounder. Fordham commit Maysen Hill scored 10 in just the first quarter, finishing with 13 points.
