MANHEIM, Pa. — For the top clubs in this year’s Girls Under Armour Association circuit, all roads lead to the Spooky Nook Sports Complex.

Championship play began Saturday morning, with a bracket of thirty-two 17U teams vying for the title, but only eight of those teams had the chance to fight it out Sunday in hopes of reaching Monday’s championship game.

Top-seeded FBC United features four highly-rated recruits in the Class of 2023 — point guard Jaloni Cambridge, center Essence Cody, point guard Reniya Kelly and shooting guard Courtney Ogden — so it’s no surprise they entered the weekend 10-0.

The No. 1 team drew the 10th-seeded Germantown Lady Panthers in the quarterfinals and secured a spot in the semifinals with a 57-45 win.

“It was a team win,” Ogden said. “We focused on playing as a team. We weren’t really hitting our shots like we normally do, but we still got it done together. We’re ready to go on and win this thing.”

That core four, alongside class of 2024 point guard Zamareya Jones and 2024 power forward Joyce Edwards, played with energy and grit. Even when the shots weren’t falling, FBC United took advantage of every possession.

That team victory moved FBC United into the quarterfinals against the No. 3 Northwest Blazers, who defeated No. 7 Nebraska Attack 67-51.

But unfortunately for the Blazers, there was no stopping FBC United. College coaches from all over, including Baylor’s Nicki Collen, Iowa’s Lisa Bluder, Kentucky’s Kyra Elzy and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, bore witness to another balanced effort, as FBC United claimed a commanding 58-35 victory to secure a spot in Monday’s championship.

FBC United and No. 2 FBC The Family Supreme Team both entered the weekend with undefeated GUAA seasons. They, along with fellow quarterfinalist FBC Legacy, hail from the Atlanta area’s Finest Basketball Club, an organization that has consistently produced Division I talent.

Naturally, a program that has graduated many McDonald’s All Americans is no stranger to the champions bracket, which is precisely why spectators found themselves watching a quarterfinal matchup between FBC The Family Supreme Team and FBC Legacy in one of Sunday afternoon’s first games.

As a parent from another quarterfinalist club put it: “Of course they’re playing each other. They’re always here.”

Ultimately, it was FBC The Family Supreme Team who reached the semifinals after a 47-35 victory.

The second overall seed awaited the winner of No. 4 West Virginia Thunder and Arkansas-based Mavs Elite, both of whom boast elite talent. Point guard Kymora Johnson, a top-25 recruit in the class of 2023, led the charge for the Thunder, while Mavs Elite’s Mikaylah Williams, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2023, seemed to be on everyone’s must-see list.

“She literally floats,” said an admiring 15U onlooker, after on of Williams’ many impressive buckets.

While Williams, who recently committed to LSU, looked every bit the unanimous top recruit in her class, the Thunder utilized balance and depth to grind out an 83-67 win. It was always within the Thunder’s control, and class of 2025 forward Zakiyah Johnson was a big part of that.

“I knew I was guarding her,” Zakiyah Johnson said about Williams. “I knew I couldn’t lay off, but I’m also at that elite level, too. I knew I could handle that pressure, and slowing her down slowed her team down. It helped my team bring it up.”

Zakiyah Johnson is one of two members of the class of 2025 on the Thunder’s U17 squad. She and power forward Darriana Alexander are not only two of the team’s tallest members, but also two of the toughest.

“I thought the girls played hard from the start to the finish,” Thunder Coach Scott Johnson said. “Mavs Elite’s a really good team. I thought we did a great job collectively as a defensive group. We geared up for this game, and we were locked in. We want to go to the championship. We know it’s one step at a time. And this was the first step right here.”

The second step, a 68-65 win over FBC The Family Supreme Team in the semifinals, was hard fought. After a Thunder scoring drought in the third quarter that turned a double-digit lead into a two-possession game, the possibility of another FBC matchup — this time in Monday’s championship — began to lurk.

“We had to make something,” Alexander said about the final minutes of the game. “We had to do something. Rebounding was key for us.”

Best Moment

The score was tied at 65 as the clock inched toward zero, and the crowd was electric. Everyone had something to say, and in more than a few cases, they were yelling it.

Emotions were high, and understandably so, with a spot in the final on the line.

Kymora Johnson had found her offensive rhythm in the quarterfinal matchup against Mavs Elite, and not even the four hours between the two games could slow her down.

“I knew it was going to be close,” she said. “Every game of the tournament keeps getting closer and closer. They never let up, so we had to keep our foot on the gas.”

Johnson did just that, hitting a smooth game-winner from beyond the arc with just 14.8 seconds left, and once more, the Thunder took care of business, securing a 68-65 victory.

@KymoraJohnson_ SO SMOOTH with the game winning 3 pushing @WVThunderUAA past FBC The Family Supreme Team and into the #GUAA championship! 😱🙌 #uanext pic.twitter.com/OSRuTOHq7D

— Girls UAA (@UANextGHoops) July 25, 2022

Most Valuable Player

Basketball has long been compared to jazz — if even one member of your group is out of sync with the others, the lack of cohesion can throw everyone off.

And just as a misstep may ruin the tempo, a shining moment may elevate it.

Kymora Johnson spent all of Sunday shining, and because of that, everyone around her did, too.

“She’s a bright-lights player,” said Kymora Johnson’s mother, Jessica. “I can’t say I’m surprised. She is very unselfish. She doesn’t mind sharing the light. And her birthday is tomorrow, she turns 17. So she’ll play the last game of her AAU career on her birthday, and she’s been determined to make that the championship.”

Rising Star

In FBC United’s dominant win over the Blazers, Edwards handled her opposition with ease in the paint, finishing with 20 points, and on a team with so many big names, she managed to be the difference.

“I just go in the game thinking about what the team needs me to do — rebounding, putbacks, all the dirty things, all the effort plays — and show my passion for the game,” Edwards said after the semifinal win.

FBC United secured their spot in the championship! 2023’s faceoff tmrw at 11:50am ET 👀🙌🪣 pic.twitter.com/Lsda1j5zLK

— Girls UAA (@UANextGHoops) July 25, 2022

Caroline Makauskas is a contributing writer for Just Women’s Sports. She also writes about college basketball for Blue Ribbon Sports and covers a variety of sports on her TikTok @cmakauskas. Follow her on Twitter @cmakauskas.

Eight top squads are edging closer to Saturday’s 2025 NCAA gymnastics championships team trophy, with the pivotal semifinal round kicking off on Thursday afternoon.

No. 2-seed Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 7 Missouri, and No. 11 Alabama will hit the mat first, before 2024 winners and the 2025 bracket's No. 1-seed LSU goes to work to defend their title against No. 4 Utah, No. 5 UCLA, and No. 8 Michigan State.

The top two teams from each of Thursday's semifinals will advance to compete for the national title on Saturday.

Semifinal meets will crown individual NCAA champions

First, however, five individual NCAA trophies will be bestowed on Thursday night, as the semifinal meets will determine the 2025 all-around and event champions.

In addition to the athletes on the eight qualifying teams, four all-around competitors and 16 event specialists will join the race for solo NCAA hardware, with each earning an invite as the top performer in their respective category at one of the sport's four Regional tournaments.

These individual contenders will follow a qualified team's rotation schedule during their semifinal meet.

Leading the all-around pack is LSU star and 2024 individual champ Haleigh Bryant, though she'll face stiff competition in her bid for a back-to-back championship.

Standing in Bryant's path are Oregon State's Jade Carey, Arkansas's Joscelyn Roberson, Denver's Madison Ulrich, and Washington's Mary McDonough, alongside qualified team athletes like UCLA's Jordan Chiles — Carey’s 2024 Olympics teammate.

Bryant will also defend her shared 2024 vault title, though her co-champion on that event, Cal's Mya Lauzon, will instead compete for beam and floor hardware this week.

All other 2024 event winners are also back, with LSU's Konnor McClain and Florida's Leanne Wong seeking to repeat on beam and floor, respectively. Wong will also hunt another trophy on bars, alongside last year's co-champ, Utah's Grace McCallum.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championships

The first 2025 NCAA gymnastics semifinal starts at 4:30 PM ET on Thursday, followed by the second semi at 9 PM ET.

Live coverage of both semifinal meets will air on ESPN2.

Insurance giant Aflac is renewing their 2024 partnership with the WNBPA, raising the stakes at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend by boosting prize payouts for individual competitions.

When WNBA standouts will take the Indianapolis court for the July 18th competitions, $60,000 will be on the line for this year's 3-Point Contest winner and $55,000 for the 2025 Skills Challenge champion.

Those figures reflect Aflac's overall purse increase from $110,000 to $115,000 — a move that aligns the two events' payouts with their NBA All-Star equivalents.

"Aflac's investment in us isn't a one-off. It's year two," said WNBPA president and nine-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike. "We're excited about what's ahead as we grow this together. It's not just about the rewards; it's about building a future where our value is undeniable."

Gray, Clark are early favorites for All-Star contest payday

While the increase achieves gender pay equity with their NBA counterparts, Aflac's initial 2024 WNBA All-Star investment already dwarfed the mere $2,575 allocated to each contest's victor in the league's current CBA.

Cashing in on that significant pay increase was Atlanta Dream forward Allisha Gray, who cleaned up at the 2024 All-Star Game by winning both solo events.

As the first-ever player to dominate both contests in a single night, Gray collected roughly 62% of her annual $185,000 WNBA salary with the dual wins.

This year, however, the champ will have some new competition to her title defense, as 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year and notable sharpshooter Caitlin Clark plans to make her WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest debut this summer.

How to attend the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend

Hosted at the Indiana Fever's home of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will tip off on July 19th, one day after both the 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge.

Tickets for all three events will go on sale online at 2 PM ET on April 29th.

On the heels of Unrivaled 3x3 Basketball's successful debut season, TIME honored league founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart as two of the year’s most influential people, with the WNBA superstars earning space on Wednesday's 2025 TIME100 List.

"Unrivaled makes female athletes think about everything differently," retired US soccer legend and Unrivaled investor Alex Morgan wrote in the pair's tribute. "It's not always just take the salary and sign on the dotted line and be happy. Sometimes you can just do it yourself better."

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Other big names in women's sports also made the cut, including the most decorated gymnast in history, Simone Biles, and retired tennis superstar Serena Williams.

"She is both deeply human and undeniably superhuman — a combination that makes her impact profound," Biles's former USA teammate Aly Raisman wrote of the seven-time Olympic gold medalist. "She inspires us to believe that we, too, can persevere. That we, too, can shatter limits."

Citing Williams's extensive post-tennis resume, which includes significant investments into women's sports, retired US Olympic track star Allyson Felix sang the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion's praises in the 2025 TIME100 List.

"She continues to show that we, as athletes, are so far from one-dimensional," Felix wrote. "She could take a break from being in the public eye and raise her family. Instead, she continues to pave the way."

WNBA star Caitlin Clark and the Fever will hit the airwaves sooner than expected this year, with multiple sources reporting that ESPN will televise a preseason game between Indiana and the Brazil national team on May 4th.

The broadcast boost will reportedly make the Fever vs. Brazil matchup the WNBA's first-ever nationally televised exhibition game, a move that comes after a 2024 preseason battle between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky earned more than two million streams — from a fan's cellphone.

WNBA teams follow in the Indiana Fever's preseason footsteps

The May matchup will mark the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year's return to Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with the Fever set to play in front of a sold-out crowd at Clark's alma mater.

Indiana isn't the only team taking a trip down memory lane this preseason, with several teams bringing exhibition games to university arenas before the 2025 WNBA season tips off on May 16th.

Two days before facing the Fever, Brazil will clash with the Sky at Chicago star Angel Reese's collegiate home of LSU — an arena also familiar to new Sky recruit Hailey Van Lith.

Also on May 2nd, Notre Dame will host legendary alums Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Loyd, and Jackie Young when the Las Vegas Aces play the Dallas Wings at South Bend's Purcell Pavilion.