By Tom Robinson, NEPAElite.com
SCRANTON – Half of the six NEPA Elite girls teams made it through the season-opening Girls PA Showcase, a Hoop Group event, with 4-0 records.
The three teams were 2-0 Sunday after also winning both games Saturday.
Collectively, NEPA Elite teams went 6-6 Sunday and 15-9 for the weekend.
A team-by-team recap of the second day of the season:
NEPA Elite 16U HGSL (Rini)
After the first three wins, NEPA Elite had to get through the final game of the weekend without players from Scranton Prep and Lake-Lehman, which each had banquets scheduled to celebrate their championship high school seasons.
NEPA Elite, which played in Pool A of the 2026 Division, followed up a 53-12 rout of City of Lights, with a strong all-around performance in a 60-46 victory over Lady Runnin’ Rebels 16U HGSL.
Sophia Talutto and Daniella Ranieli shot well while sharing team scoring honors with 18 points each.
They also did much of the ballhandling as NEPA Elite had a 16-4 advantage in turnovers forced. NEPA Elite had just two turnovers until the last 2:10 of the game.
The Runnin’ Rebels had a pair of 6-foot post players. They played the entire game with at least the two tallest players in the game and often had the three or four tallest players on the floor.
Along with playing tough post defense, Ella Smith pulled down 10 rebounds to help NEPA Elite limit the Runnin Rebels to a 39-30 advantage on the boards.
Guard Maggie O’Shea was a big part of the defensive effort helping on the post and led the defense with five steals. She also scored 11 points.
Talutto, who blocked two shots, and O’Shea each made three steals. Talutto and Ranieli each closed out to block 3-point attempts.
After missing her first three shots, Talutto heated up quickly and finished 8-for-17. She made four straight shots in 3:06 early in the game to put NEPA Elite ahead to stay at 12-11.
NEPA Elite started 4-for-6 on 3-pointers with Talutto, Maggie Coleman, Ranieli and O’Shea all connecting for a 20-13 lead.
The lead remained between three and nine from midway through the first half to midway through the second half.
Ranieli scored the first five points then Talutto connected to make it seven straight points and a 50-37 lead. NEPA Elite answered a Runnin’ Rebels 3-pointer with three more baskets.
Smith scored on a drive, O’Shea made a steal and a long lead pass to Ranieli, then Smith scored after an offensive rebound for the game’s biggest lead, 56-40.
Talutto made both her 3-point attempts.
Ranieli finished 6-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-6 on 3s and 3-for-4 on free throws.
Talutto is from Dunmore, Ranieli from Pittston Area, O’Shea from Scranton, Smith from Wallenpaupack and Coleman from Abington Heights.
NEPA Elite 15U HGSL (Scoblick)
NEPA Elite, playing in the 2026 Division Pool A, won four games at four different locations on the weekend.
After beating New York Extreme Red 15U HGSL, 46-23, at Abington Heights High School, they topped LGB Select 2026, 51-43, at Lackawanna College Sunday.
“I’m pleased with the 4-0 start despite not shooting the ball very well all weekend,” coach Dave Scoblick said.
A switch to full-court pressure bumped the lead from 10 to 25 points in a span of about four minutes against New York Extreme.
“In the second game, we turned the ball over more than any of the previous three games, but we were able to refocus and played a clean five-minute stretch of basketball to take control and finish the game,” Scoblick said. “Our defense was exceptional down the stretch and we took care of the ball much better in the last 10 minutes.”
Jackie Brown from Dunmore, Addison Kilmer from Mountain View and Celia DeCesare from North Pocono led the offense in the last win.
NEPA Elite 14U Clark
NEPA Elite, playing up against 15U teams in the 2026 Division Pool B, had a blowout and a closer game each of the two days.
After routing Long Island Lightning 15U-Solch, 57-20, Sunday morning at Riverfront Sports, the team came back in the afternoon with a 60-50 victory over PA Royals.
Zya Small led the way in the final game with 20 points, 16 rebounds, 6 blocked shots and 3 steals. She was 9-for-14 from the floor.
Chrissy Jacklinski and Ella Clementoni scored 14 points each. Jacklinski also had 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists.
Clementoni had the first four points of a 7-0 run to end the first half, erasing the last deficit and taking a 30-24 lead.
NEPA Elite took a 43-30 lead by hitting its first three 3-point attempts of the second half in a 9-0 burst in which Clementoni sandwiched 3-pointers around one by Kam Gallis.
The lead grew as high as 52-35 on consecutive 3-pointers by Jaelyn Alers, but the Royals closed to within 56-50 before being held scoreless for the last 2:50.
Offensive rebounds led to the game’s last four points.
Small converted her own rebound, then Jacklinski tracked down a loose rebound and fed Clementoni for the final score.
Small and Jacklinski are from Scranton. Clementoni is from North Pocono and Gallis from Notre Dame of Bethlehem.
NEPA Elite 17U HGSL (Macciocco)
NEPA Elite fell to the New Jersey Shoreshots 17U Select, 66-45, and New York Extreme Red 17U HGSL, 66-42, to finish 0-4 in the 2024 Division Pool E.
NEPA Elite was within seven points of New Jersey before New York scored the last 12 points of the first half for a 44-25 halftime lead.
NEPA Elite 16U (Butler)
NEPA Elite, which had won twice by a total of 47 points in the 2025 Division Pool F Saturday, lost two games by a total of 18 Sunday.
The Lady Runnin’ Rebels 16U Red rallied to beat NEPA Elite, 43-39, early in the afternoon at Riverfront.
NEPA Elite also fell to the New Jersey Pirates 16U Pink, 48-34, later at the Clarks Summit Rec Center.
NEPA Elite led by seven points in the first half and six points again early in the second half against Runnin’ Rebels on a 3-pointer by Neveah Baran.
The Runnin’ Rebels rallied for the win by holding NEPA Elite to 7 points over the final 12 minutes.
Bella Dennebaum led the way for NEPA Elite with 23 points and 9 rebounds.
Baran added eight points.
Dennebaum scored at least 20 in each of the first three games, but was not available for the fourth.
Madeleine Walsh had nine and Baran had eight in the last game. Madelyn O’Shea and Ryleigh Kilmer added six each.
Dennebaum is from Scranton Prep, Baran from Nanticoke, Walsh from Abington Heights, O’Shea from Scranton and Kilmer from Mountain View.
NEPA Elite 14U (Alers)
NEPA Elite lost twice Sunday and finished 1-3 with a pair of one-point losses.
The team competed in the 2027 Division Pool C. It lost 46-28 to I-90 Elite 14U and 40-39 to Lady Runnin’ Rebels 14U Sunday in morning games at the Clarks Summit Rec Center.