The annual Amsterdam Lady Rams Holiday College Showcase consistently brings some of the best high school girls basketball players to the Amsterdam High School court. The 2016 event was no exception as several area players once again showcased their talent in front of dozens of college scouts. Some of the top performances for the December 27-28, 2016 event included the following.
Harmony Philo (Gloversville)
Philo turned in the top scoring performance of the showcase with a 31 point effort in Gloversville’s 58-47 loss to Guilderland in the first game of the event on Tuesday. The sophomore sharpshooter connected for six- 3 point shots in leading the Lady Dragons. Philo led Gloversville again the following day with 17 points in a 52-42 loss to Haldane of Section 1.
Nina Fedullo (Amsterdam)
The College of Saint Rose bound senior of the Lady Rams scored 26 points in Amsterdam’s 64-48 win over defending Section 3 Class AA champion Cicero-North Syracuse. Fedullo added 10 rebounds, six steals and four assists in the impressive win. The All time leading scorer in AHS girls basketball posted 14 points and 10 rebounds in Amsterdam’s 48-43 loss to Simsbury, CT., and now has 1,183 points for her career trailing only Mike Sollecito (1,221 points), and Todd Cetnar (1,621 points) on the school basketball all time list. Fedullo’s accomplishments have come in four years on the varsity team.
Cameron Tooley (Shenendehowa)
Tooley turned in an all-star performance for the Lady Plainsmen with 24 points, five rebounds, and four assists in Shenendehowa’s 70-55 win over Ward-Melville of Section 11. The junior point guard’s encore was a 12 points, 10 assists “double- double” in the Lady Plainsmen’s 73-37 victory over Liverpool of Section 3, helping her team improve to 7-1 on the season.
“She’s a pure point guard,” Shenendehowa coach Joe Murphy said of Tooley. “She sees the floor very well, and is a good shooter who can hit the three. She’s our leader, and someone who can take over a game. Cameron does everything we need her to do. She works well with Alex (Tudor).”
Alexandra Tudor (Shenendehowa)
Tudor scored 21 points leading the way in the Lady Plainsmen’s win over Liverpool. On Tuesday against Ward- Melville, Tudor had a “double-double” with 14 points and 15 rebounds.
“The two of them (Tooley and Tudor) are fun to coach,” Shenendehowa coach Joe Murphy said. “They never stop moving. When Alex is in the open court she’s tough to defend. She’s our best defender and a great offensive player as well.”
Zhizhou Miller (Simsbury, CT)
Miller, a senior with the Lady Trojans connected from three point range four times including a key shot late in Simsbury’s 48-43 win over Amsterdam on Wednesday. Miller also dished out six assists and had four steals helping boost her teams record to 5-1 overall. Miller was also key in holding the high scoring Lady Rams to a season low 43 points.
Selena Lott (Columbia)
Lott came up big for the Lady Blue Devils in their 55-37 win over Kingston of Section 3 on Wednesday. The senior scored 18 points, hauled in 11 rebounds, had five steals, four assists, and three blocks helping Columbia remain unbeaten on the season at 10-0.
Grace Heeps (Columbia)
Heeps was the star on Tuesday for the Lady Blue Devils netting 18 points including four – three point shots as Columbia defeated Kingston of Section 9, 53-36 in their first game on Tuesday.
Grace Catena (Amsterdam)
Catena turned in a career best performance for the Lady Rams with 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists in Amsterdam’s 48-43 loss to Simsbury, CT. Catena pulled her team to within one with a clutch three point shot late in the fourth quarter. The three-year varsity senior can play all five positions on the court for the Lady Rams and has often come through with key plays during the season helping the Lady Rams to a 6-1 record.
“Grace always gives her best effort,” Amsterdam coach Eric Duemler said after an early season win in which Catena came up with a key play. “She gives every ounce she has out on the court.”
Mckenna Finken (Simsbury, CT)
The talented junior, who is one of the Lady Trojans all time leaders in rebounds was the top scorer with 14 points in Simsbury’s 43-32 win over Scotia-Glenville on Tuesday. Finken scored 13 points in the win over Amsterdam the following day, and over the two day event added 12 more rebounds to her career total.