The GBL Lady Rebels have been progressing all spring, and the Los Angeles program has it’s sights set on a strong finish.
“We have a lot of talent, but it took a while for things to come together,” noted Coach Sherri Pegues. “This team has gotten so much better. They just keep working to improve.”
The Lady Rebels will be competing at two major events in July. They will head to the Lake Las Vegas Classic, which will be played from July 10-12, and then they will travel to Charlotte, NC, for the Summer Basketball Playoff. The Las Vegas tournament will feature elite travel teams from across the country, with the action taking place at the Westin Lake Las Vegas complex. The Summer Basketball Playoff will be held from July 27-29, and the event will feature 72 of the nation’s elite club teams. The Playoff will be held at the same time as the Nike Nationals, which will be played two hours away in North Augusta, SC.
The Lady Rebels are paced by versatile forward Madison Washington (2016, 6-0), who is listed as the No. 177 recruit in her class by the All Star Girls Report.
“Madison is a tremendous defensive player, she can score from 20 feet on in, and she rebounds extremely well,” Pegues said. “She can do a lot of different things on the court, and she is a team leader.”
“Washington is very athletic. She is an exceptional leaper who can rebound and score inside,” added ASGR analyst Bret McCormick. “She also has the ability to face up out to about 16 feet.”
The Lady Rebels also rely on strong contributions from Najiyyah Pack (2016, 5-10, CG), Arianna Knox (2015, 6-2, C) and Sankia Braxton (2016, 5-10, G).
“Najiyyah is a tremendous athlete with long arms. She is a skilled, smooth player who is great on defense, and she can score from the three-point line on in,” Pegues said. “Arianna plays center for us, but she can really handle the ball well. We put her inside because she is a tremendous scorer in the lane and she is a great rebounder. Sankia is a strong athlete who has been improving rapidly. This is her first experience with high level club ball, and she has shown tremendous improvement over the past three or four months. She knows the game, and she has great range on her shot.”
“Pack is a good athlete who can explode to the rim, and she can score in a lot of different ways,” said McCormick. “Knox can score inside, and she has the ability to put the ball on the floor when she is on the perimeter. Knox is a good athlete who can run. Braxton has good strength. She is something of a sleeper who can get to the rim, hit the pull-up jumper and shoot the three.”
