Cincinnati, OH: Many teams traveled on Memorial Day weekend to Cincinnati, OH for the annual Midwest Showdown which is hosted by All Ohio to end their spring travel season. While many teams were missing key players due to the USA 16U Trials in Colorado Springs, the Midwest Showdown still had an array of the country's top teams and players along with many college coaches from the DII, DIII, NAIA levels, and numerous media outlets.

2019 Midwest Showdown Champions

Elite Division
WV Thunder Johnson UAA 62 All Ohio Black 51

11th Grade (Rising Seniors)
WV Thunder Gold 49 All Ohio Red 40

10th Grade (Rising Juniors)
AL Southern Starz Bush 54 Michigan Crossover 16U EYBL 46

9th Grade (Rising Sophomores)
All Ohio Xpress 57 WV Thunder 2022 Lupardus 54

8th Grade National
Nike LGR Turquoise 48 WV Thunder 2023 Beacom 47

8th Grade American
Team B Wright Black 60 All Ohio Reese 2025 33

2019 Midwest Showdown Standouts

2023 Madison Booker 6' SF AL Southern Starz 2023 Looney
I see why many have Madison as a top talent in the class of 2023. Booker wrapped up a dominant weekend of play with a couple of double-double efforts while helping the Southern Starz to some impressive wins throughout the weekend.  Madison powered the ball into the basket in a variety of ways and showed a solid overall floor game.

2023 Clarke Jackson 5'8" SG Ohio Lady Hoopsters Kopyar
Jackson is a very aggressive guard with impressive quickness.  She penetrated the gaps and found her open teammates in transition. Her foot speed proved too much for many as she easily got to the rim for a smooth finish. Clarke was all over the floor defensively causing many dead balls and forcing turnovers. It looks like the class of 2023 in the Buckeye state is loaded with talent, and Jackson is a name to remember.  

2021 Logan Lewis 5'8" SG Michigan Crossover EYBL 16U
Sometimes we tend to forget how valuable a kid is due to them playing the right way. Lewis had it going on this weekend as she had her three-point shot falling in several games. Lewis was very effective handling the ball, coming off screens and moved very well without the ball to find the open spots on several drive & kicks. Logan currently holds offers from Detroit Mercy & North Dakota, but she will add a few more to her collection if she continues her stellar play in July.

2021 Savannah Dews 6'2" SF Team B Wright UAA 2021
When Dews was knocking down her perimeter and three-point shots, she was hard to contain. Her shooting had defenders closing out on her quickly. Her tough defense caused trouble for opponents and resulted in a lot of altered or block shots throughout the weekend.

2022 Ruby Whitehorn 6' SG Michigan Crossover EYBL 16U
Whitehorn was a beast! The skilled wing proved that she could do it all! Scoring the ball in many different ways, Ruby was able to slash through contact and finish at the rim. Also, she was an excellent perimeter rebounder who went coast to coast and made things happen for her Michigan Crossover squad. Whitehorn is proving to many that she belongs in the conversation as Top 10 player nationally.

2022 Alexia Mobley 6'2" SF Angels Basketball Club Orange
Mobley is a freak athlete who’s very athletic and competes at a high level every play down the floor. She was a rebounding machine going after every rebound that went up on the glass. Her presence on the court was known after blocking shot after shot and playing hard! Every shot that went up she went to box out and snatch down the rebound. She was able to catch and finish in traffic and was also able to knock down a few perimeter jumpers off of the pick & pop.

2021 Abrie Cabana 5'10" PG Michigan Premier Blue 2020/21
A quick & shifty guard with the ball in her hands, Abrie was able to blow by defenders and finish at the rim. Cabana played with a lot of energy and intensity, which made it tough for defenders to stay in front of her.  She once again showed that she could play against the elite competition and hold her own as she dropped 21 points in a hard-fought seven-point loss to All Ohio Black EYBL. (Verbally Committed to Grand Valley State)

A Pair Of Mitten Team's To Watch In July

Michigan Premier 2022 Blue
This is a team that many need to start paying attention to in the Midwest as they are slowly becoming a force on the circuit. They have beaten some pretty good teams this spring and finished 3-2 at the Midwest Showdown, losing to a very good AL Southern Starz 2023-Looney NIKE & WPA Bruins Ziese team. Led by 5'11" Hillary Griffin '22 & 5'11" Gabrielle Lutchka '22 this team plays tough defensively and is very patient and passes well on the offensive end. Program Director Andrea Cabana is putting something exceptional together, and if she can land a post player by July, this will be a very dangerous group.

West Michigan Drive 2022
When you think of one of the top 2022 teams in the state of Michigan, you have to put the West Michigan Drive 2022 squad in the discussion. West Michigan Drive made it to the 9th-grade division semifinals before falling to the eventual champions All Ohio Xpress 64-47. Larry Copeland has put together a solid team that can shoot it from the perimeter. 5'7" Avery Zeinstra, 5'9" Gabrielle Irwin, 5'11" Sydney Vis & 5'9" Jaci Tubergan all have the green light and can catch fire at any given time which makes them very tough to defend. This is a fun group to watch, who should make a lot of noise in July.