ROCK HILL, South Carolina – The 2024 adidas 3SSB circuit concluded in epic fashion at the Palmetto Road Championships. Hosted in the best venue in the country for club basketball, the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center, the games certainly lived up to the setting.
It would take double overtime and incredible play from a pair of rising ETG Midwest seniors to take the title. Neleigh Gessert, the 6-0 guard who is committed to Creighton, was playing at a high level from the jump, scoring 22 of her game high 27 in the first three quarters. What was more impressive was how efficient her game was, doing that damage on just 16 shots and hitting 5 of her 10 shots beyond the arc. With so much pressure to guard the 3-point line there was space to work on the interior which Virginia Tech commit Amani Jenkins filled with 21 points and 8 rebounds on just 11 shots.
ETG came out swinging and had a double-digit lead in the first half. The shear will of Team Lex guard Keely Parks would keep the game from getting out of hand. She would tie Gessert with 27 points and her play defensively, tallying six steals, would propel Team Lex to force the first overtime.
There were some unsung heroes in the game as well. When Team Lex deployed a small ball lineup in the second half, ETG got some huge buckets from Avril Smith. She finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds in just 15 minutes of play. Jayla Williams went a perfect 8 of 8 from the free-throw line, cooling several Team Lex runs in the process.
How We Got There
The format for adidas 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships saw the 24 qualifying teams battle it out from pool play in hopes of reaching the quarterfinal, Elite Eight, round. The semifinal round saw an epic classic between Team Lex and defending 3SSB champs, Hardwood Elite. It took a 20-9 fourth quarter run for Team Lex to overcome Hardwood Elite and the standout play of Sienna Betts (22 points 19 rebounds). Parks was brilliant with a 19 point, 10 rebound, 5 assist effort. The momentum really changed behind the play of Kamora Pruitt who, after a slow start, exploded late in the third quarter and into the fourth, finishing with 19 points and 8 rebounds in the win.
ETG had four players in double figures to outlast upstart Lady Jets Elite, who got stellar play from Janiyah Williams (20 points, 5 assists). The Lady Jets were a 6 seed in their pool coming into the championships and got hot at the right time.
A game many thought could have been the finale, Team Trae Young against Hardwood Elite, happened in the quarterfinal round due to a wild pool finish in TTY’s division. Three teams finished 4-1 in Pool D – Trae Young, Metro Stars and Meta Hoops. The three-way tie was settled by point differential which landed Metro Stars as the 1 seed and Team Trae Young as the 2 seed, setting up the opening round showdown with Hardwood.
The pool standings in ETG’s Pool B was even more wild. Four teams finished 3-2 with ETG and Team Moriah Jefferson advancing to the quarterfinals and Della Lamb and Northwest Greyhounds coming up short in point differential.
This year’s championships were fierce and dramatic from the opening tip through crowning ETG Midwest as the champs.
Underclass Championships
The Minnesota Stars 16U squad was a heavy favorite coming in to league play this spring but the season wasn’t clicking early for this talented squad. The team finished fourth in pool play which landed them in a tougher pool placement than expected.
The challenge was just what PJ Hill’s team needed as they ran through the pool rounds with relative ease, finishing a perfect 5-0 and earning a 1 seed in the quarterfinals. They would win all three bracket games convincingly and got great play from their best players in the championship win over United Family.
Aliyah “LiLi” Bell was outstanding, finishing with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks in her 25 minutes of play. That effort earned her MVP honors for the 16U division. The dynamic duo was completed by the 13 points and 7 assists from Lanelle Wright. Throw in a perfect 7 for 7 behind the 3-point arc from Amaya Penn and the Minnesota Stars were unbeatable.
In the 15U Division, Team Trae Young completed the impressive run of winning five straight bracket games to win the championship. Madilyn Hill continued to lead the way this summer the way she did all season, both scoring the ball and rebounding at a high clip.
Standouts
With per game averages of 17.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists, 2.9 blocks, Sienna Betts of Hardwood Elite was truly dominant in Rock Hill. Add to that she finished shooting nearly 54-percent from the floor and you’ll understand why she’s in the conversation for the top player in the 2025 class.
Aubrey Galvan gets buckets for Full Package. In the Palmetto Road Championships she got a lot of them, leading all 17U scorers with a 21.8 points per game scoring average. She made 20 threes in 8 games, finishing fourth in the tournament for threes made. What makes Galvan special is she’s more than a scorer. She tallied 5.3 assists per game (2nd) with a 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio (1st). She also finished fourth in steals, averaging 2.5 per game.
Brynn McGaughy missed the second season stop while at USAB U18 trials and spent the early summer recovering from an ankle injury. In Rock Hill she took a big step towards her comeback averaging 16.3 points (8th) and 6.7 rebounds (4th). The Washington commit helped Meta Hoops get to the brink of the Elite Eight round.
Skyler Durley continued her well-balanced play for Team Moriah Jefferson. She finished in the top 25 in scoring and finished tied for 5th in rebounding over the five days of action. Her back to back 20 point performances against Della Lamb and Utah Prospects helped propel her team to the Elite Eight.
Paige Lofing has been one of the biggest risers of the 2024 club season. She finished 3rd at the Pametto Road Championships in scoring with 19.0 points per game and was critical to Meta Hoops’ 4-1 finish in the pool round of play. Her 25 points on 11 shots along with 5 assists led to the 65-63 upset of Full Package.
Madi Stewart is a workhorse for Team Trae Young. She’s a 5-9 guard who’s pure tenacity landed her at 3rdoverall in rebounding in Rock Hill at 7.8 boards per game. She’ll hit you with some big scoring games on occasion but when you just watch the game you see her impact on one of the adidas 3SSB circuit’s top teams.
Isabella Wesley was really dialed in for NY Gauchos. After a slow start in game one she got it rolling. She scored the ball at all three levels and found her way to the line to finish 12th in Rock Hill in scoring for 17U.
There hasn’t been an adidas stop this year where Sabrina Anderson’s scoring hasn’t been highlighted. She did it again. Her 27 points and 5 assists against Texas Lonestar is becoming old hat. Her Elevate Elite 16U squad was a perfect 5-0 in pool play and poised to make a run before nail-biting loss to United Family who would go on to make the championship game.
Caliyah Devillasee, who goes by the nickname “Lil Bit” was a whole lot of bit for Elevate Elite in Rock Hill. Her 15.6 points per game was impressive alone but to have the ball in her hands as much as she did and to finish in the top 15 in assists and finish half her shots from the guard position is a testament to her toughness and value on the floor.
