Oh, man. It surely felt great to kick off our first all girls tournament. This is a moment I've only pictured and it turned out to be special. I got a chance to see a ton of girls I have not seen play before and walked away with some great impressions. Check out my main takeaways from day one. 

EOTO Black Dominates

Whew. This team is really good. They went 3-0 on the day with a margin of victory around 25. This is a deep group with some really talented guards that surely impressed me. I'm going to start with Tuana Coskun. She may have even been my top prospect of the day. At 6-foot tall, she has the size to be effective inside-out. Her versatility brings a strong dynamic to her team that is full of skilled, high-IQ guards. Coskun was most effective in the paint due to her soft touch around the rim and solid footwork. However, as the day went on, I saw flashes of her ability to create from the perimeter. I think she has a ton of upside. Next I want to talk about Lexi Pierce. This is a guard that I'd want on my team any day; she truly does a bit of everything. Pierce is a smart guard that has a good feel for the game. She plays at a good tempo, can score it anywhere on the court, and does a great job of pushing the ball in transition and setting her teammates up. I really liked what she brings to the table defensively, too. Pierce's fellow backcourt running mate, Lucy Hood, had a good day as well. Hood shoots the ball efficiently from three and moves well without the ball. Her slashing ability got her quite a few easy looks at the basket. 6-foot-2 wing Jada Bates is another prospect that has a chance to be very good. Her size and length alone make a huge difference on the floor, but the skill she has and patience she plays with is what makes her impactful for her team. Guards Kiya Barrett and Ellie Southards also had good showings today. 

Game of the Day

The battle between Team Play to Score and Warriors Life Elite was easily my top game of the day. Play to score was up nearly double-digits with five minutes to go, and Warriors Life Elite came roaring back behind the play of Destiny Mason, who was one of my standout players on the day. Warriors Life Elite fought back to ultimately take the lead and were up one with 15 seconds to go. In Play to Score's final possession, Kalisha Phillips continued her aggressive performance with a strong drive where she got fouled. Phillips hit one free throw to tie it up and sent it to OT. From there it was the Phillips show. She knocked down a few big shots for her team to seal the deal and walk away with a 3-point win. It was a fun battle between her and Mason. 

Silverbacks Strong Backcourt

The backcourt of Niera Ovalles and Kaleigh Heywood definitely impressed me today. In their first game, I watched them go for 21 and 20 respectively. These two play very well off each other and both are capable of getting a bucket whenever needed. With Ovalles being more of a shooter and Heywood more of a downhill guard that can break defenders down, their games really compliment each other and their teammates benefit as well. 

Supreme Team Proves to be Supreme

We have three of the Supreme Team's younger teams here at HerStory and they have been fun to watch. While both of these young teams are already playing up, they would fare just fine playing up even one more level. The 14U squad has a really good group of guards as does the 12U group. The 14U group was running teams out of the gym with their fast-paced game and skilled guards. The 10U team will be playing in the 6th grade championship tomorrow. The 12U group is playing up in the 13U bracket.

Top Performances of the Day

Paris Shelton, NSG Wolfpack - 22p

Alyssa McFarlan, EOTO SIS - 12p on 4 3PM

Niera Ovalles, Lady Silverbacks - 21p, 3 3PM

Kaleigh Heywood, Lady Silverbacks - 20p

Briley Merrill, EOTO MISS - 19p, 4 3PM

Kaylana Curry, EOTO ICE - 16p

Tuana Coskun, EOTO Black - multiple 14p games

Bailee Canty, EOTO Elite - 14p