4 of the most effective women basketball groups within the nation, together with the highest two groups in MaxPreps’ rankings, shall be displaying their prowess on the GEICO Nationals this week.
McDonogh (Md.), Lengthy Island Lutheran (N.Y.), Westtown (Penn.) and Montverde Academy (Fla.) will vie for the distinguished championship on March 31 and April 1, with the opening video games happening on Friday.
Between these 4 groups, 9 gamers are ranked on ESPN’s lists for the lessons of 2023 and 2024.
Here’s a fast rundown of the groups forward of the sport motion.
Discover the GEICO Nationals schedule right here. Learn the boys GEICO Nationals basketball event preview right here.
Montverde Academy
Report: 24-1
MaxPreps rating: 1
Montverde hasn’t simply dominated — the Eagles have dismantled their superb competitors. Eighteen of their 25 video games have come towards groups with at the least 20 wins, and Montverde gained 17 of them. They completed the season ranked No. 1 on MaxPreps in no small half as a result of they took down Lengthy Island Lutheran, the one head-to-head matchup between any of those 4 GEICO groups throughout the season.
Montverde has 4 gamers ranked on ESPN, together with Baylor commit Letycia Vasconcelos, South Carolina commit Sahnya Jah, Mississippi State commit Mjracle Sheppard and 2024 star Vivian Iwuchukwu. The group is fearsome and won’t relinquish their No. 1 spot simply.
Lengthy Island Lutheran
Report: 21-2
MaxPreps rating: 2
Lengthy Island Lutheran had simply as brutal a schedule as Montverde, and the Crusaders got here away almost as unblemished. They’d 14 wins towards groups with greater than 20 wins, and their solely two losses have been to the aforementioned Eagles and to 32-1 St. John Vianney. If LuHi can win this event, they are going to be capable of convincingly say they’re the most effective workforce within the nation.
They’ll arrive with star expertise on the prepared. 5-star Kate Koval was the Gatorade New York Ladies Basketball Participant of the 12 months, and four-star Kayleigh Heckel is among the many prime gamers within the class of 2024. Syla Swords, who’s representing Canada on the World Choose Crew on the Nike Hoop Summit, can also be among the many event’s greatest gamers.
McDonogh
Report: 23-2
MaxPreps rating: 25
The back-to-back Interscholastic Athletic Affiliation of Maryland A Convention champions will look to show their mettle as the highest workforce of the area and the nation. McDonogh has been largely unstoppable since going 8-0 within the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, racking up a mixed document of 45-6 in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The IAAM all-conference workforce was primarily McDonogh gamers, with Anaiah Jenkins, four-star gamers Kennedy Ume and Paris Locke, and Wake Forest commit Makaela Quimby on the record. That star-studded group can also be aided by 2024 Maryland commit Ava McKennie. With this deep pool of expertise, the Eagles will hope to make their mark on the GEICO Nationals.
Westtown
Report: 21-4
MaxPreps rating: Unranked
Westtown’s ridiculous level differential this season of 1,780-983 was each extra factors scored than any of the opposite three groups on this event and fewer factors allowed than the others. Fifteen occasions their protection held opponents to beneath 40 factors; 5 occasions, their opponents failed to attain greater than 20 factors. If Westtown is to do harm on this event, it might probably be on the again of that defensive effort.
Westtown had 5 women on the Associates Colleges League all-first workforce: three-star Delaware commit Grace Sundback, Seton Corridor commit Joniyah Bland Fitzpatrick, Zahra King, Savannah Curry and Jordyn Palmer. Control Palmer, an eighth-grader with a number of 30-plus-point video games this season. She has dealt with herself glowingly towards older competitors all season; if she will be able to do the identical right here, Westtown may make some noise.