Triumph Region Finals – 16U Second Team All-Tournament
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With the recent completion of the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit’s Triumph Region Finals, the bulk of this year’s Circuit events is officially in the books. Emanating from the Upward Star Center in Spartanburg, the festivities saw some of the premier…
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Continue ReadingWith the recent completion of the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit’s Triumph Region Finals, the bulk of this year’s Circuit events is officially in the books.
Emanating from the Upward Star Center in Spartanburg, the festivities saw some of the premier travel teams from the area converge to compete for a championship. Richmond Heat out of Kentucky won the 17U and 15U championships while the 16U crown was claimed by Georgia’s Team Nite Nite 2024 and the 14U champions were Greenwood Storm out of South Carolina.
In addition to team awards, it is also time to honor individual players who had banner weekends in the Palmetto State.
I’ziah McCutchins I’ziah McCutchins 5'3" | PG Trion | 2024 State GA – 2024 – Trion HS – Wood Elite 2024 – Who knows where Wood Elite 2024 would be if it were not for the ball handling and 3-point shooting skills of the junior-to-be for the Bulldogs. In addition to what she does in those aspects of the game, she also is a great floor runner – especially in the transition game. On both offense and defense, McCutchins delivers all-out hustle. Her team advanced to the semifinals of the 16U bracket and nearly pulled off a come-from-behind victory in their semifinal contest against FBC Blitz 2025. In that game – she scored 11 points – all in the second half in addition to nine from behind the arc.
Cornelia Ellington Cornelia Ellington 5'7" | PG Langston Hughes | 2025 State GA – 2025 – Decatur HS – Team Nite Nite 2024 – Ellington entered the AAU season with plenty of momentum after a freshman campaign for the Bulldogs where she averaged 16.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game. She now has momentum coming off the Triumph Region Finals that saw her team win the 16U championship. Ellington will find her fair share of space in the open floor. She also takes care of the basketball and limits turnovers, even with a number of defenders looking to create a turnover. Court vision and 3-point shooting are two other key elements to her game. In addition to what she did in the championship game against FBC Blitz 2025, she had a 12-point outing on Saturday in a hard-fought win over Miami Impact 2025.
Joy Tchamabe – 2025 – River Ridge HS – FBC Blitz 2025 – One might as well say Tchamabe was playing up in class given she is a 2025 on a 2025 team that held its own against its 16U peers. She is a gifted shooter who will not only thrive in the midrange game, but will also be unafraid of contact that can put her at the free throw line. Tchamabe approaches the game with a high basketball IQ and puts her 5-foot-10 height to good use as a rebounder. In the 16U semifinal against Wood Elite 2024, she scored 12 points and only had one personal foul called against her.
Niyah Stone Niyah Stone 6'0" | PF Escambia | 2025 State FL – 2025 – Escambia HS – Team Passion 2024 – Ironically, Team Passion 2024 competed in one of the first and last games of the Triumph Region – and Stone has been a focal point throughout her AAU team’s run through the Circuit. Stone stands solid at 5-foot-11 and is not easy to score on given not only her height advantage but also her wingspan. The hallmark of her game on both offense and defense as she will look to convert on high-percentage shot opportunities as well as block shots. On the Saturday of the Triumph Region Finals, she had a 14-point effort in a Team Passion 2024 win over South Carolina-based H2 Lowco 2024.
Jenna Cothran Jenna Cothran 5'6" | SG Dorman | 2024 State SC – 2024 – Dorman HS – FCA Eagles 2024 – The Triumph Region Finals were a defacto home game for the talented 3-point specialist given the Cavaliers are in the same South Carolina upstate as the Upward Star Center. While draining her attempts from deep is what she thrives at, Cothran has also excelled as a distributor of the ball and is versatile as she can play productive minutes as a guard or a wing. She had the hot hand on Saturday as she splashed home six triples en route to a 22-point performance and a 60-26 victory over Georgia-based Lady Grinders 2024 in her team’s second game that day.