Junior Clutch: Their Last Run Together Ends with an HGSL Title
By: Kyle Purdy | SportzWire | August 1, 2026 | Photo courtesy Team Photo
With a little over a minute left in the Hoop Group Showcase League championship game, Chuck Hiller called a timeout. The coach of the Wyoming Valley Junior Clutch 17u girls’ basketball team didn’t have a play to draw up or a substitute to get in. Hiller just wanted that last huddle together with a team he has coached for 4 years. “I just told them how proud I was of them and that it was an honor to be a part of it.” Hiller said. Junior Clutch won that game 77-35, securing the HGSL Championship, in their final game of the season.
When that game ended, so did the AAU careers of 7 players on the team. Some of these players have been a part of Junior Clutch for all 4 years, some for less, but you could never tell by their chemistry on the court. The team consists of some of the best players from the Wyoming Valley Conference. Sophia Benyo, Mariah Marolo, and Juliana Silva from Hazleton Area. Charlie Hiller and Cameron Vieney from Crestwood. Jaida Underwood and Jaydalyn Mora from Wilkes- Barre. Kinley Purdy from Lake-Lehman and Faith Pavalonis from Riverside. When you ask Juliana Silva about her team, her response is simple and straight forward “We had such great chemistry on and off the court…we mesh together so well.’
Chuck Hiller has a similar answer “Any one player can make a difference on the floor and impact the game at any given time. They play as a unit and not as individuals. They are unselfish towards one another and have a passion for their teammates to succeed.” It was this type of play that brought college coaches to the sidelines for almost every game the Clutch girls played this year. If they weren’t there to watch already, the team had their attention and caused them to stop and watch. Even spectators from other courts would turn and watch when Junior Clutch was playing. Most of the time, opposing coaches would simply have no answer for the style of play from the Clutch girls.
The Hoop Group Showcase League is a national program designed to give players exposure to college recruits while playing some of the best competition in the nation. Last year’s HGSL tournament outcome wasn’t the one the team or the coaches had hoped for, when the Junior Clutch lost in the championship game. When asked whether last season’s loss was on their mind entering the season or leading into this year’s championship game, the response was nearly unanimous. Rather than dwelling on that defeat, the players used it as motivation. “It definitely was not in a negative way.” states Moriah Marolo. “It motivated us that we had something to prove every game.” You don’t need to look too far to find that proof. The team scored a remarkable 448 points in 7 games, averaging 64 points a game, while only allowing 216 points over that span, with their opponents only averaging 34 points per game. With relentless aggressive play, unselfish ball movement and a roster of players capable of scoring from anywhere on the court, Clutch made it evident from the beginning that they would not be a team that was easily sent home. They each had a goal in mind and that goal was a championship in their last season together,
When asked about their next steps, the mood is sad and somber with twinges of excitement. Crestwood senior Charlie Hiller believes this team will be difficult to replicate. “I think we all will have different paths that bring us into new atmospheres that could be just as close and uplifting, but this team will always be a special team.” Adds Vieney “such a close group of friends that always made me want to show up.”
Throughout the high school season, these girls will have a chance to be on the court together once again, this time as opponents. Look closely. You’ll see the smiles and the laughs between these forever teammates. You will see the hand up when someone has fallen and you will see the hugs after the game. What you won’t see this year is the looks of anticipation and excitement that have come for so long for the next Clutch season. For these players who call themselves a family, that season has ended.
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