Girls Win 35th Annual Germantown Community Tournament

(Pictured above L to R: Jamil Pines, Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach, Emmett Mullins ’26, Emmie Day ’26, Haneef Hill, Sarah Goldberg ’26, Jeremy Turner ’26, Mike Lintulahti, Varsity Girls Basketball Coach)

This weekend, Germantown Friends School hosted the 35th Annual Germantown Community Tournament (GCT), welcoming Central High School, Bodine High School for International Affairs, Simon Gratz High School, Cristo Rey High School, and Paul Robeson High School. The two-day event brought a packed gym, competitive matchups, and strong showings from all teams, highlighted by the GFS Girls Varsity Basketball team defeating Central in the Championship game to claim their fourth straight GCT title.

The Girls opened the weekend with a dominant 58–25 win over a much-improved Bodine squad. In Saturday’s Championship game, the early back-and-forth shifted in the second quarter when the Tigers’ defense took over, holding Central to just two points and creating the separation they needed. Laila McNeal ’29 led GFS in scoring in the championship game with 17 points. Her teammate Melanie Budd was named the Girls Tournament MVP.

The Boys team faced Paul Robeson in the Championship game for the fourth year in a row. GFS jumped out to a 19–5 lead in the first quarter, but the Huskies responded with poise, outscoring the Tigers in each of the remaining quarters to secure their first-ever GCT Championship title. Congratulations to both teams on an exciting matchup and to all of our All-Tournament honorees.

This year’s Germantown Community Service Award was presented to Germantown native Haneef Hill and Urban Youth Kings & Queens Inc. (UYKQ). Founded in 2016, UYKQ has grown from a small neighborhood league into a major youth development program serving hundreds of young people across Northwest Philadelphia. Through sports, mentorship, and year-round programming, Hill and his team continue to provide structure, opportunity, and community for local families. Read more about Haneef and UYKQ here.

Girls All-Tournament Team
Shyiah Travis, Cristo Rey
Stevie Hall, Central
Janai Bellinger, Central
Kaylin Manley, Bodine
Emmie Day, Germantown Friends
Melanie Budd, Germantown Friends — MVP

Boys All-Tournament Team
Khyri Alexander, Simon Gratz
Yamir Knight Parker, Central

Eisa Kelly, Germantown Friends
Emmet Mullins, Germantown Friends
Eden McFadden, Paul Robeson
Jasir Tyler, Paul Robeson — MVP

Click here to view photos from the tournament.