Tony and Fred offer their take on the day two action from the 2015 Nike Tournament of Champions in Gilbert, Arizona. To see their day one “Stocking Stuffers” follow the link below.
http://www.bluestartest.com/nike-toc-stocking-stuffers/
DAY TWO – TONY BLEILL
In the second quarter of her team’s game against Southwest DeKalb (Decatur, Ga.) on Saturday at the Nike Tournament of Champions, St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.) guard Kat Tudor found herself open, ball in hand, about 22 feet from the basket.
“Hit that!” coach Tom Gonsalves shouted in her direction.
Surely she won’t shoot that … not from that far out … Shot. Swish.
It was one of five three-pointers Tudor sank in the Rams’ 83-42 romp in the quarterfinal round of the Joe Smith Division. She finished with a team-high 19 points. What’s noticeable about Tudor’s game is her somewhat unconventional jumpshot. A right-handed shooter, Tudor’s form includes a prominent spot for her left hand, which is much more behind the ball than is typically seen. For most righties, the left hand is used simply to steady the ball or keep it in place. Tudor’s form looks as close to a two-handed shot as you’ll see.
“I know — it’s weird,” Tudor said with a smile.
Not weird. Just a bit different. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
“It’s always been that way. I’ve had people that wanted to change my shot but my dad just … he’s my shooting coach pretty much. That’s just the way I started. It was going in, so …”
And that’s the thing: It goes in. Tudor is considered one of the best perimeter shooters in country. She’s signed to play at Oregon State.
Why mess with success?
“Other coaches tried to change it, but I just went back to that,” she said. “Everybody has different shots, especially in girls basketball.”
Tudor’s success at the Nike TOC comes after missing 10 weeks because of a ganglion cyst on her ACL in the knee which is supported by a brace. It required arthroscopic surgery, and Saturday’s game was her third since returning.
The Rams had little trouble against Southwest DeKalb despite foul trouble to two of their stars. Senior Mi’Cole Cayton had 13 points despite three first-half fouls, and star sophomore Aquira DeCosta had just five points because of fouls. The Rams’ prodigious depth showed in the first half, as DeCosta played hardly at all and St. Mary’s still managed a 21-point halftime lead.
ARCHBISHOP MITTY JOINS THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA UPRISING
St. Mary’s will square off in Monday’s semifinal against Archbishop MItty of San Jose, Calif. The Monarchs held off Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) 58-56 after a controversial final minute.
Mitty led 55-54 and was in-bounding the ball with :59 seconds left when Good Counsel was whistled for a technical foul for delay of game. The official ruled that — after being advised with a warning — the Good Counsel defender encroached upon the Mitty player who was attempting to throw the in-bounds pass.
Madeline Holland sank both free throws for a three-point advantage, and they proved to be crucial. The Falcons had a chance to tie but Lindsey Pulliam’s 14-footer was off and Mitty rebounded at the buzzer. Sophomore Karisma Ortiz had 11 points for the Monarchs and Holland added 10.
With only one senior on a 10-player roster, Mitty occasionally suffers from growing pains — turnovers in particular — but the bright spots are apparent, too.
“We play possession basketball and we monitor (points per possession),” Phillips said, “and if we come up and score two possessions in a row then they have the green light to gamble a little bit on that third possession. And we talk about the kind of turnovers we make.
“We’re young; we only have one senior. So I want to give them that latitude and creativity to freelance at times when it’s appropriate, and not restrict them within our system per se.”
ACADEMICS RANK HIGHLY WITH NEW TRIER’S BOEHM
It’s hard to imagine there is a better combination of athletic firepower and academic prowess at the Nike TOC than New Trier post Jeannie Boehm. Boehm, considered a top 100 senior, has signed with Harvard, having committed in the spring of her junior season. Her final list also included Northwestern, Duke and Princeton. Academically, there are no pushovers there.
“The number one thing all along was the caliber of academics,” Boehm said. “You look at the final four schools I was deciding between and they were all really good academic schools. I think ultimately the deciding factor was where I felt most comfortable. And how I fit in with the team and with the program.”
Boehm’s academic numbers are eye-popping: a 4.7 grade-point average (5.0 scale) and a 32 on her ACT. She will study economics at Harvard. On the court, she’s just as impressive. After scoring 21 points in Friday’s defeat against powerhouse St. Mary’s, Boehm had 33 points in little more than three quarters of action in Saturday’s consolation bracket victory against Springfield (Mass.) Central, 71-55.
“I think we were all down about yesterday. We knew it was a really good team going into it and we definitely could have played them tougher,” Boehm said. “But I think today our team showed a lot of heart in the way that we came back.
“It’s an awesome experience. We’re so thankful we were put in this top bracket because that’s what we came down here to do. We came down here to play really tough teams and we got a taste of that today and especially yesterday.”
CENTENNIAL, RIVERDALE BAPTIST ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS
Monday’s other semifinal in the Joe Smith bracket will pit Centennial (Las Vegas) against Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.). Centennial knocked off Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.) 66-64 behind Samantha Thomas’ rebound bucket with 12 seconds left. Justice Ethridge paced Centennial with 13 points. Samantha Thomas and Bailey Thomas each added 11 and Tanjanae Wells scored 10. Duke-bound Leonna Odom scored 21 for Chaminade and USC recruit Valerie Higgins, dogged by foul trouble, had 18.
Riverdale Baptist trailed Long Beach (Calif). Poly 25-24 at the half but spurted away after halftime to a 66-45 victory. Kaila Charles paced Riverdale with 13 points and Mangela Ngandjui chipped in 12.
“We weren’t playing very good defense in the first half and then offensively, we just weren’t executing; it almost seemed like we were nervous,” Riverdale coach Sam Caldwell said. “In the second half, we changed the defense around a little bit, changed some personnel and we just started getting after it.”
Fred Kroner
Kristy Hopkins knows what her team can do on the court, but she doesn’t know a lot about her players outside of the arena. The Oak Christian High School girls’ basketball coach is going to use Sunday’s off-day in the 19th Nike Tournament of Champions event to become better acquainted with her athletes. The former Cal Lutheran and Pepperdine coach was a late hire in her return to the prep scene.
“I stepped in at the last minute,” Hopkins said. “I’m brand new to them.”
Her hiring at the Westlake Village, Cal., school occurred in late September. Three months later, she has her team in the semifinals of the John Anderson Division following Saturday’s 40-35 come-from-behind win at Mesquite High School against Morristown (Tenn.) West. Hopkins is looking forward to the opportunity that awaits.
“It’ll be good for me to get to know the girls better,” she said.
Her two double-figure scorers against Morristown are seniors who will soon be heading to college programs. Roxy Barahman, who scored a game-high 13 points, will continue at Yale. Katie Campbell, who sparked a second-half rally from a 12-point deficit (26-14), scored 10 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter. She has signed with Washington State.
“She knows when to turn it on,” Hopkins said. “She’s our primary scorer, but she had a rough time getting going.”
Campbell hit two fourth-quarter three-pointers, each one lifting Oaks into a lead, and then sealed the win by knocking down 4 of 4 free throws in the final 14 seconds. Her last trey, with 44.1 seconds remaining, accounted for the game’s final lead change and put Oaks in command, 36-35. Hopkins was satisfied with the outcome on a day her squad managed just 10 first-half points.
“I didn’t yell at them, but I was tempted to,” she said. “I don’t know what team that was. We were lethargic in the first half.”
Morristown was led by nine points from Sydney Newsome.
LIBERTY RIGHT AT “HOME” IN THE TOC
The 88 teams in the 19th Nike Tournament of Champions — regarded as America’s premier event in girls’ basketball — represent 21 states. The majority of the competing schools talk about the team bonding that takes place during the five-day event and the opportunity to experience a change of scenery. Those benefits are less significant for members of the Liberty High School team, which commutes daily from Peoria, Ariz., an hour to the northwest of the tournament venues in Gilbert, Ariz. Coach Alicia Sanchez believes her team may have some advantages not available to other schools.
“We get good, home-cooked meals instead of eating out every meal and we don’t interrupt our normal routine,” Sanchez said. “We get the ride to get prepared for the game.”
Her Lions were ready for Pine Creek, doubling the score at halftime (24-12) and then holding on for a 37-33 conquest.
“I harp on defense and the first half was the best defensive play I’ve seen,” Sanchez said. “There wasn’t much I could say (at intermission), just, ‘Keep it up.'”
After a 2-6 start to their season, Liberty takes a 5-7 record into Monday’s second semifinal game in the Black Division. The turnaround has been welcome.
“We struggled at the start,” Sanchez said. “I just wanted to see change and for us not to let go of our season.”
Jenae Lewallen led Liberty with 13 points. Sydney Tenant scored nine points.
Emma List led Pine Creek, from Colorado Springs, with 17 points.
DILLARD WARMS UP IN ROUND TWO
Local folks will tell you that the weather is not what they expect for the week before Christmas. Day-time temperatures in the 60s — which are pleasing to those from colder climates — are below normal for Arizona. Imagine how Marcia Pinder feels when the evening temperatures dip into the 40s. She is the coach at Dillard High School, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“This is cold,” Pinder said after her team bounced back from a first-day loss to hand Paterson (N.J.) Eastside a 55-36 loss. “The coldest we ever get is in the 60s.”
She made it clear she’s not complaining.
“We like the weather change,” Pinder said.
Simira Huggins scored 12 points to lead Dillard’s 11-1 team. Teammates Jacaira Allen and Ayana Emmanuel each added 11 points. Pinder said it’s important that her players interact with athletes from other sections of the country.
“It’s about getting away from the norm,” she said. “They (opposing players) may be their teammates one day. We’re trying not to look at this trip as a vacation, but we are trying to enjoy ourselves as well.”
There’s one order of business for when the team is not playing.
“We’re going to watch as much basketball as possible,” Pinder said.
BELLEVUE’S NUMBERS GAME
Leah Krautter always has a starter in the game. With a varsity roster of nine players, the Bellevue, Wash., coach can’t substitute a full platoon from the bench. Her team has handled the pace, winning each of its first eight games. Win No. 8 came in the form of a 76-60 decision over Highlands Ranch, from Colorado. A lack of players hasn’t prompted Krautter to stray from her game plan.
“Our goal is up-tempo,” she said. “We want to get a lot of shot attempts.”
Practice time, she said, is for “getting our conditioning in.”
Tatiana Streun led Bellevue with 23 points, 18 in the second half. Shelby Cansler scored 17 points and Stanford recruit Anna Wilson added 14 for Bellevue. Krautter starts an all-senior lineup, many of whom have been varsity players since they were freshmen. This year’s success is not a surprise.
“We’ve seen this coming,” she said.
Leilah Vigil topped Highlands Ranch with 17 points.
CURRENT AND FUTURE GOALS FOR HARRISON
One of coach Steve Lenahan’s pre-tournament goals cannot be realized.
“We wanted to be in the top bracket (the Joe Smith Division),” said Lenahan, from Harrison (Ga,) High School, “But there are too many good teams and we couldn’t get into it.”
Instead, his Lady Hoyas were assigned to the John Anderson Division, where they are faring well. A 52-46 win on Saturday against Archbishop Wood, from Warminster, Pa., moved Lenahan’s team into the semifinals.
“It’s our first year here and the new guy has to prove himself,” Lenahan said. “We need to make our mark and come back in the top bracket next year.”
Harrison needed a fourth-quarter surge to rally in a game it never led during the first 29 1/2 minutes. As late as the final minute of the third period, Lenahan’s team trailed by 10 points (40-30).
“I wasn’t worried,” he said. “This group is always in the game. Earlier (in the season), we came from 15 down and won. They keep fighting. They don’t like to lose.”
Sydne Wiggins scored 14 points and Avery Jordan 11 for Harrison. Bailey Greenberg led Archbishop Wood with 12 points.
Tony Bleill covered the Illinois women’s basketball team for 14 seasons for the Champaign News-Gazette. He was one of 40 voters in the Associated Press Top 25 poll during that period as well. He resides in Illinois with heis wife and three daughters.
Fred Kroner covered girls’ high school basketball nearly 35 years for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette and selected All-State teams for 28 years. He was a voter for The Associated Press state rankings for 15 years as well. He resides in Illinois with his wife.
