NORTH BETHESDA, Md. – It became evident in the third quarter. Separation was only a few well-executed possessions and a fistful of defensive clampdowns.
It was a matter of time.
When Sydnei McCaskill, the sly point guard from Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.), knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key, the outcome of the National High School Invitational was essentially complete Saturday.
The Panthers (31-3), No. 9 in the Blue Star Media Go-To 25 girls’ basketball rankings, were up 15 points following a sluggish opening half en route to a 62-45 over Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.) at Georgetown Prep’s Hanley Center.
There were a few tense moments for the Floridians early in the final period when Torri Chestnut’s back-to-back baskets reduced the deficit to six points but Matea Britvar’s rare four-point play with 4:57 restored order, 45-35.
McCaskill, who signed with Georgia, put the game out of reach late with two layups, 56-37. She finished with 15 points and four assists.
For coach Anthony Jones it was the second NHSI title in three years. It capped a historic run that stuffed the school’s trophy case, sent multiple players to Division I schools and put the central Florida school on the national prep scene.
George Washington-bound wing Hannah Schaible topped the Panthers with 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The tournament’s Most Valuable Player totaled 35 points, 21 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals while hitting 16 of 19 (84 percent).
Both teams entered the tournament having sat idle for the more than four weeks. Phillips won its third consecutive Florida state title on Feb. 23, earning a third NHSI invite. Spalding captured a private school crown on Feb. 17 and most recently competed at the Bishop Walsh Girls Invitational, taking second at the prestigious Catholic school eight-team event on March 8 in Cumberland, Md.
Spalding’s shooting frigid shooting touch was evident—8 of 37 for 21.6 percent—while the Panthers weren’t much better at 8 of 21 (38.1 percent)
Spalding, the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champion, reduced the gap to four points at the break, 24-20, when Jade Scaife’s putback with 10 seconds broke more than a three-minute scoring drought for both teams. Schaible’s two free throws restored Phillips’ control at 24-18 with 3:19 left in the half.
Perhaps the nerves and the enormity of the game affected both teams in the opening six minutes as Phillips led, 7-4. Spalding’s Aleah Epps nailed a running, 45-footer at buzzer giving her team a 14-13 lead, erasing the edginess after eight minutes and arousing the sleepy-eyed morning crowd.
Scaife’s 15 points and 10 rebounds paced Spalding (30-3). The Cavaliers were 19 of 73 from the floor for 26 percent. Spalding knocked off nationally ranked Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 60-51, in Friday’s semifinal.
