One of the best girls basketball showcase events in the Midwest took place July 6-8 in Ames, IA. The Simply the Best tournament brings in over 100 teams from Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Kansas.

The Lady Prospects 17U traveled north to compete in the Simply the Best girls basketball tournament. The team composed of Daspin Bruning (Horton), Shannon Clarke (Free State), Catherine Grosdidier (Eudora), Anna Holloway (Cornerstone), Sydney Houser (Washburn Rural), Alana Kramer (Junction City), Hillary Krebs (Sabetha), Lydia Ostenson (Shawnee Heights) and Annabelle Vaught (Jeff County North), faced off with teams from four different states.

In pool play, first up were the Minnesota Comets Select. The Lady Prospects jumped out to an early 19-1 lead and never looked back, cruising to a 53-14 win. Their second pool game came up against a feisty group from Nebraska the All Nebraska Attack, but they proved no match for the Lady Prospects transition game. With a 63-33 win, the Lady Prospects moved to 2-0 in pool play.

The final pool game saw the 2-0 Lady Prospects against the 2-0 Iowa Eclipse. The Eclipse jumped out early on the Lady Prospects, but a 10-0 run propelled the Lady Prospects to a four-point halftime lead. In the second half, the Lady Prospects had a lead as big as 12 points, but some clutch shooting by the Iowa Eclipse closed the gap, and eventually they tied the game at 44. With a 5.6 seconds left, Alana Kramer drove the ball to the middle of the floor, rose up over the defense and banked a shot home, to give the Lady Prospects a 46-44 lead. The Iowa Eclipse drove the ball the length of the floor and just missed a three-point shot that would’ve won the game. The Lady Prospects moved to 3-0 and won their pool, heading into bracket play.

First up in the quarterfinals was Retro Hoops Gold. Just a month prior, Retro Hoops dominated the Lady Prospects, defeating them by 32 points. However, this was a different game and the Lady Prospects were determined to right that wrong. The game was a back and forth affair, but some key free throws down the stretch gave the Lady Prospects a 46-41 win, and they advanced to the semifinals.

In the semifinals, they faced EJ Hoops 17U Black out of Colorado. EJ Hoops is coached by former NBA player, Earvin Johnson. They brought a physical brand of basketball to the game, which took some adjusting by the Lady Prospects. But some key defensive stops and key plays by Lydia Ostenson, gave the Lady Prospects a 39-30 win.

The championship game brought another familiar foe to the Lady Prospects. The UA Nebraska Dream Team had just beaten the Lady Prospects in the Capital City Classic, just three weeks prior, in convincing fashion. With the championship in sight, the Lady Prospects jumped out to an early lead. But in championship fashion, the Dream Team made a run to close the gap at halftime. However, the Lady Prospects were not going to concede and stretched their six point halftime lead up to 14 points. When it was all said and done, the Lady Prospects cruised to a 45-33 win and were crowned tournament champions with a perfect 6-0 record!!