Vella dominates in Team Black’s U19W game triumph
Chloe Vella had a dominant MVP display to finish with 16 points and 17 rebounds to lead Team Black to a hard fought 79-74 victory in the Under-19 Women’s Game at the 2026 Hoopsfix All Star Classic in Crystal Palace.
Vella came off the bench and shot 5 of 9 from the field, while last year’s All Star Classic MVP Irene Oboavwoduo also had a solid contribution for Team Black and tallied 10 points.
The matchup between Kyla Nelson’s and Chloe Gaynor’s rosters was an intense and high quality contest throughout the four quarters and Team Red threatened to potentially take the lead in the final period.
However, some good defense down the stretch from Team Black helped their side secure the hard fought win.
While they ultimately fell short, Team Red were able to produce a balanced offensive display with three players scoring in double figures.
Tiarna Chambers-Desmond was the top scorer for the Red side with 12 points. Sharliyah Sutherland of Barking Abbey posted a handy 11 points for Gaynor’s team while Isey Frost scored 10 points.
With just over two minutes left in the third quarter, Team Black built a 10 point lead to give themselves a bit of a cushion. However, it didn’t take Team Red too long to cut deficit down to six once with just over a minute left in the third.
Isey Frost made a layup with time expiring in the third quarter to put Team Red within four points of Team Black entering the final period.
With a score of 61-57, the game was very much in the balance heading into the fourth however the deficit proved to be too much to overcome as Team Black were able to come away as five point victors.
Halftime entertainment was provided by All Star Classic alumnus Saruna Rayi who sang for the energetic Crystal Palace crowd.
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