Throughout the month of December there are a lot of very interesting and intriguing games to focus on all over New York State with some of the top girls’ teams facing off against each other as we get started into what should be a fun and fantastic 2019-2020 season.

It's an exciting time if you are a player, coach, or even just a fan of the game and us at NYCHoops.net are here to help you out as we bring you what we believe are 10 games to watch in December that could tell us a lot about how the rest of the season will play out.

We lead it off with a matchup later today between the Hilltoppers and the Crusaders. Both are dealing with some turnover though TMLA does bring back its two stars in the backcourt in Breauna Ware '22 and Khya Hough '21. Scanlan lost a good chunk of what they had last year but return Imani Harris '21 who will lead the team, while getting Aminata Sangare '20 via transfer from Mott Haven gives the Crusaders a strong an physical force down low that may be tough for the Hilltoppers to match with making this an intriguing early season CHSAA battle.

A very intriguing two day showcase will be taking place out in the Buffalo region this weekend with the Far West Regionals Remix many of the best from Section 6 and Section 5 matching up to take on each other. The highlight game is a Saturday evening showdown between defending Class A State and Federation Champions in Mendon who lose an All-State player in Alana Fursman but do return the likes of Katie Bischoping '20 and Lexi Green '21. The Billies have UConn commit Amari DeBerry '21 inside as she looks to lead her team this season to a Class A title.

Shenendehowa is another place to be this coming weekend as the Plainsmen are hosting a four team, two day showcase with one of the highlight matchups featuring a rematch of the NYSPHSAA Class A State Regional Finals each of the past four years. J-D has won each of those contests and have Gabby Stickle '20 as a tough minded lead guard alongside of Momo LaClair '21 in the backcourt. Averill Park have the Wood sisters as Kelsey Wood '20 is a rugged forward down low, with Amelia Wood '22 being a playmaking guard who can be a versatile threat anywhere on the floor.

This is a matchup that is intriguing most so because we get to find out just how good each of these two teams will be this season. Ossining lost over 80% of its offense to graduation a year ago and will be depending a lot on the perimeter game of Julia Iorio '20 who looks to be one of Section 1's top shooting threats. Adriana McFadden '20 is also someone who can hurt teams both inside and outside. For Lourdes it's all about Ava Learn '22 as the junior is one of the top players in the country in her class, but will she get enough help to carry them to the victory?

This is the first time at least locally that many will get the chance to see what the Royals have this season. They are the defending Class AA NYS Federation Tournament of Champions winners but they did lose three high-major Division 1 players to graduation. Natalija Marshall '20 is back inside, and Saniya Glenn '22 looks like a strong option on the wing but how will the new backcourt look is a question. For the Terriers they return nearly their entire lineup and have a pair of high-major players in JeAnna Cunningham '20 and MacKayla Scarlett '20 hoping to lead them to the title.

We talked about a showcase at Shenendehowa earlier but now we are going to focus on the Plainsmen who are locked in and loaded for a deep playoff run this season. Bella Stuart '20 is a versatile option who can play anywhere on the floor, and with Meghan Huerter '21 primed for a major season scoring from the outside Shen looks primed for big things. Shaker could be in their way through as Maddisyn Mahoney '21 is a big and physical presence inside, while Julia DeBeatham '20 can play either guard spot and be a strong finish going to the rim.

Having spoken about two Section 1 teams earlier who have a lot to proven, this contest as a part of the Slam Dunk Tournament between the Koalas and the Lady Falcons will be a matchup between the two favorites this season in Class AA in Westchester County. Ursuline will bring Sonia Citron '21 to the court, one of the top Class of 2021 players in the country but it's not just her as Alexa Mustafaj '21 is another strong answer with the ball in her hands as well. Albertus is led by Paulina Paris '22 who is as good as it gets in New York in the Class of 2022, with another sophomore in Sierra Linnin '22 helping with a great shooting touch.

As amazing as it sounds this is an opening round contest this season at the Josh Palmer Holiday Inn Classic, one of the top Christmas Tournaments played in New York State. The unknown here is the status of Elmira's Kiara Fisher '20 and if she will be healthy enough to suit up at this point coming off an ACL injury in May. Even if she isn't the Express still have Zaria DeMember-Shazer '20 and Morgan Gentile '20 who both provide inside/outside offense. O'Hara lost a decent chunk from a year ago but with Amelia Strong '21 as a big body down low to go along with solid guard play this should be a fantastic opener to the tournament.

The first of two games we are going to profile from the Amsterdam Holiday Showcase just outside of Albany, this is a contest that should be pushed up and down quick as the two teams are led by star guards. Dolly Cairns '20 is one of the top outside threats in New York right now as she has never needed much space to get off her shot, but her game as a facilitator has taken off as well as she has a lot of young size to work with as the leader of the Blue Streaks. Amherst is paced by Ella Wanzer '21 as the junior guard is a prolific scorer who can shoot it nearly shot for shot with Cairns making this a very intriguing battle of teams with sectional title hopes.

Our last game is again from the Amsterdam Holiday Showcase as it will put a pair of smaller school teams who have big aspirations for State Championships. Cambridge are the defending Class C NYSPHSAA Champions and bring back nearly the entire team led by the twins in guards Sophie Phillips '21 and Lilly Phillips '21. What make this contest so intriguing is that New Hartford is a Class A contender for an NYSPHSAA title this season and have a top guard as well in Kaia Henderson '22 making this a duel of some of the top guards, and top teams that may slide a bit under the radar at times.