AAU basketball is not just a huge phenomenon for high school boys anymore, it has begun to grow more and more popular in the girls game, too.

That was evident in the Parkland girls basketball roster at the 21st annual Stellar “Catch A Rising Star” Showcase Tournament at Cedar Beach last weekend. Head coach Wes Spence has always had to deal with his players being multi-sport athletes, but even more so this year, he dealt with key personnel missing due to AAU tournaments.

“We were shorthanded all weekend,” said Spence. “We have a couple girls that are playing AAU and others that are involved in other sports going on. It was tough having a short bench, but I’m proud of the way the girls fought through and had a successful weekend.”

For their five games played over the weekend, the Trojans did not field more than seven girls, and at one point only had five that showed up to a game. Even on the heat of the blacktop, or the lack of air inside Whitehall on Saturday because of rain, Parkland continued its success at the summer tournament.

“I just like the way the kids competed,” said Spence. “They played hard all weekend. It’s nice to get as many kids here as we can so they can all get playing time and experience, but then it’s also good to see kids step up that we will need to come the season. Winning is nice, but the goal is to see your program take steps and get better.”

The Trojans were able to open up play with an easy victory over Pocono Mountain East 41-16 on Friday night. But the depth and stamina was tested the next day, as Saturday is normally the day of the tournament where teams play multiple games under the sun.

Parkland’s first game was a 44-37 win against Allen. After the Trojans took down Northwestern 41-36 the next game, only one more win was needed for a spot in the championship game. The Trojans took care of business, beating Whitehall 29-18.

Sunday’s final saw a familiar opponent, Allen. This time however, the Canaries were up for the rematch, and handed Parkland it’s only loss, 46-43.

It was still a successful weekend for the Trojans, as all four wins featured four different leading scorers. Emily Piston had nine against Whitehall. Julia Buchman tallied a game-high 19 in the win versus Northwestern. Kassidy Stout and Rachel Medlar each had 11 in the wins over PM East and Allen, respectively. Piston was named to the All-Tournament team.

“Emily is probably our most experienced player as a senior,” Spence added. “She began starting games for us at the end of her sophomore year. She is a very good, all-around player, and she is smart. She doesn’t just score the basketball, but gets the ball to her teammates and helps make our team successful. It’s great she was able to be recognized here this weekend.”

The program also saw the JV team reach the final four in the winners bracket, and play into Sunday before falling to Stroudsburg.