OKTOBER FEST MIDDLE SCHOOL

Mooresville, N.C.- This was the second rendition of the Carolina Oktober Fest presented by Carolina Girl’s Hoops Report. All the teams that attended the event were from the Carolina’s. The three-day event hosted many talented prospects. This writeup will focus on some of the top-performing prospects during the event.


MVP

Jaida McClure 5’8 (G) Queen City Ballers 2026


Right from the opening night, McClure put us all on notice scoring 27 points in a victory versus an uber-talented Crown Academy team. She is a perimeter threat that packs a scoring punch. She was equally as effective playing on the ball, bringing elite play and making ability facilitating for others.  


All TOURNAMENT TEAM

Lauren Brown 5’10 (W) Carolina Flames 2027

The extremely athletic, long, and lean - Brown was at her best in the open court at October fest. As she continues to work on her perimeter skills, you can already see the potential. Showed the ability to rebound, block shots, and did a nice job aggressively getting to the line.

Justice Alexander 5’10 Crown Academy 2028

While she may be one of the youngest prospects to make the list, trust it’s for a good reason. Alexander played mostly in the post area on the defensive end because of her size. However, on the offensive end, most of her damage was done from behind the arc. Connecting on multiple threes in each of her games at the event. As she continues to develop her guard skills, she will be a name to remember. 

Kayleigh Lucas 5’3 (PG) 2028 Queen City Ballers 2028 

Always love to get a chance to see some of the players from social media in person. Lucas did not disappoint. The smooth ball handler displayed the ability to score from behind the arc and in the lane against the big’s. The pint-sized point guard was equally as effective on the defensive end on the frontline of the 2,2,1 full-court press.  



Ja-Niyia Cunningham 6’00 (P) Queen City Ballers 2027

While not yet a finished product, Cunningham has one tool that you cannot teach which is “size”.. She is more of a rim protector that did most of her scoring in the paint or the free-throw line. Cunningham catches the ball naturally and looks to score, but not yet the scoring threat you can see she can become.

Kimmya Kelly 5’7 (G) Crown Academy 2027

Kelly, a tough young guard with a nice handle and is elusive in the open court. She used her size and speed to go off the bounce at the event. She did a nice job balancing between shooting and creating for teammates.


SaMyah Miller 5’9 (G) Mt Luxor 2026

It did not take long to spot Miller, she is going to be a player. She played bigger than her listed size. SaMyah, played all five positions at some point during the game. The smooth, slender-built, slasher was super aggressive mostly scoring getting to the rack or knocking down mid-range pull-up jumpers.  

Madison “Mad Dog” Drayton 5’9 (G) Queen City Ballers 2027

Stats don’t tell the story for Drayton. This W/G has a bright future ahead of her. A two-way player with wonderful defensive instincts and a nice-looking shoot with range to the arc. She also brings value with her backcourt versatility. I watched two games where she single-handedly stole the ball back-to-back times from the inbounder.

Ashanti Taylor 5’6 (PG) Crown Academy 2027

Taylor got better every time I saw her at the event. During her time at Oktober fest, she was the team's primary ball-handler; facing multiple teams that applied pressure on the ball. She kept her team in all the games and did a nice job distributing the ball to open teammates.

Kahlia Hartwell 6’3 (P) Carolina Elite Hawks 2027

Another Carolina Prospect to keep an eye out for. Hartwell did not produce lofty numbers during her time at the event. However, she played up at the high school level versus players 2-3 years older than her.