GILBERT, Ariz.—Three days are in the books and all that remains is one more game in each of the six Divisions to Crown the 2015 Nike TOC champions. Tony and Fred continue their “All – Tournament” performance bringing you wrap ups of the semifinals in the three top divisions. The action gets underway Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. with the final match-ups slated to tip at 4:00 p.m. Check back with Blue Star Media for complete finals coverage as well as a collection of player performance profiles from the 19th annual Nike Tournament of Champions.
To see complete brackets, results and Tuesday schedules follow the link below.
http://www.niketournamentofchampions.com/events/pdfs/TOCBB15_results13.pdf
TONY BLEILL
ST. MARY’S 86, ARCHBISHOP MITTY 73
They could meet again in March, when a much bigger prize will be on the line. But for now, Monday’s semifinal matchup in the Nike Tournament of Champions between St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.) and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) served as a dandy appetizer for what’s ahead.
St. Mary’s, the nation’s consensus No. 1 team, emerged with an 86-73 victory but not before a testy final few minutes — more on that later.
Sophomore Aquira DeCosta led the unbeaten Rams with 27 points and seven rebounds, guard Naje Murray added 17 points and Angel Johnson contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. St. Mary’s and it’s withering defensive pressure will take on Riverdale Baptist of Upper Marlboro, Md., in Tuesday’s title game of the Joe Smith Division.
It was that relentless pressure that served as the decisive factor. The Rams forced 35 Mitty turnovers, including 22 in the first half. St. Mary’s led by 18 at the break.
Mitty too often couldn’t get the ball past halfcourt, and the Rams are unforgiving when handed prime scoring opportunities off turnovers.
“We missed some chippies and turned the ball over,” MItty coach Sue Phillips said. “At times there were some five-point swings. Give St. Mary’s credit; they have a wealth of talent. And they’re good. They’re well-coached.”
The lead ballooned to 21 before the Monarchs made a mini-surge late, and that’s when things got a bit heated.
St. Mary’s led 79-66 with three minutes remaining when coach Tom Gonsalves chose to have his team hold the ball, hoping to entice the Mitty defense into playing his team man-to-man.
At first, Mitty didn’t bite, with Phillips shouting to her players an obvious message to Gonsalves.
“In California we have a (30-second) shot clock,” Phillips said. “My point (in yelling) to the girls was, they’ll be a shot clock in March.”
For the next 45 seconds or so of game action, each coach enthusiastically clapped in the direction of the opposing bench during each basket.
“If they were going to stay there, the game’s over,” Gonsalves said. “They have to make a decision; (they) have to go out and play man-to-man against speedier players that they can’t guard.
“That’s a no-brainer. I’m playing to win aren’t I? I’m not going to play into their hands and say (to my kids), ‘hey, take every shot within five seconds.’ We’ll milk 30 seconds off every time. If that’s what she wants to do, that’s her problem.”
Said Phillips: “It is what it is. I understand the strategy behind it. I told the girls, you can interpret (his move) any which way. And at the end of the day we’ll have a shot clock in March.”
Though far from a certainly, Mitty and St. Mary’s likely will be in the same open division bracket in the postseason and Monday’s result, Gonsalves said, “because you want to get a seeding, and your head-to-head is huge. There’s three really good teams in northern California: Us, them and Miramonte. So you want them to play each other.”
If they meet again, it stands to reason that Johnson will play a key, if overlooked role. The 5-foot-8 senior, though undersized for her role near the basket, is remarkably effective. She uses guile and grit to produce consistent results; in the tourney’s first two games, she had 24 points and 26 rebounds.
“She’s such a warrior. I love her,” Gonsalves said. “I’ve had her for four years now. She’s special.”
Tahlia Garza led a balanced Mitty offense with 12 points, while Jahnay Anderson, Krissy Miyahara and Daniella Guglielmo added 10 apiece.
“I feel really good about where we’re going to be in March,” Phillips said. “ And given our youth, there’s a higher upside.”
TRINITY 57, BISHOP MCNAMARA 45
For Trinity (River Forest, IL) coach Mike Valente, a 57-45 victory against Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) in the Mike Desper Division semifinals represented the best of all worlds.
His team had an impressive stretch of play for most of three quarters against a quality opponent — and a lousy fourth quarter, which means there was an excellent teaching point to be made as well.
“I sort of like that fourth quarter,” Valente said, half-joking, “because now I have something to talk about on tape.”
Trinity made it look surprisingly easy, rolling up a 26-point lead in the third quarter. But the Blazers committed 11 of their 20 turnovers in the final period as the cushion eroded — though never to a threatening point.
“We’re playing well, moving the ball, playing our pace,” Valente said. “And then they start taking their foot off the gas. And at this tournament you can not relax for one second. All of a sudden the momentum changes and quick shots turn into easy baskets at the other end. A 25-point lead goes like that (snaps fingers).”
Point guard Annie McKenna paced Trinity with 17 points, and Alisa Fallon added 11.
McKenna is clearly the key. A 5-5 senior leader who controls tempo, McKenna is the steadying force on a team with a large contingent of sophomores.
“I control the pace of the game, being the point guard,” McKenna said. “That’s pretty much my job on this team, (along with) being the leader on the floor.”
Said Valente: “She’s solid as a rock. Her emotions never change, whether she’s having a good game or a bad game. You can never tell by looking at her. She’s not very vocal but she’s the toughest kid on this team. She battles and she battles and she battles. She does our dirty work and she’s our calming force out there.”
Recruiters take note: She’s also undecided on a college.
“I’m keeping my eyes open,” McKenna said. “I want to be patient on it.”
Trinity will face ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) in Tuesday’s division final.
Freshman Jakia Brown-Turner led Bishop McNamara with 11 points.
OAKS CHRISTIAN 48, HARRISON 38
Six weeks before the season began, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) needed to hire a new coach when the previous boss resigned.
An abrupt change so close to the season certainly hasn’t caused a problem.
The Lions rolled into the championship game of the John Anderson Division with a 48-38 win against Harrison (Kennesaw, Ga.).
“I think they’re starting to figure out what I’m looking for and how my system works,” said coach Kristy Hopkins, who had no affiliation with the program before taking over. “Their execution tonight was pretty good.”
The Lions expanded a three-point halftime lead to 15 in the fourth quarter and were not threatened from there. Guard Katie Campbell had 14 points to lead a balanced offense and Sydney Boyer added 11 points and six rebounds.
“We worked really good together offensively,” Hopkins said. “It wasn’t just one person.”
The defense did its part, too, against a much bigger Harrison team. The Lions limited Harrison to 15 second-half points.
“We followed the game plan and came out with good energy,” Hopkins said. “The energy level was a big thing. Our first two games we were still stuck in finals or something.”
Oaks Christian will take on Bellevue (Wash.) in the Anderson final on Tuesday.
Sydne Wiggins paced Harrison with 13 points and Harper Vick added 10.
FRED KRONER
RIVERDALE BAPTIST 71, CENTENNIAL 62
They got past the No. 2-ranked high school girls’ basketball team in the country.
Next up is No. 1. There’s little time for unbeaten Riverdale Baptist, from Upper Marlboro, Md., to rest or celebrate Monday’s 71-62 triumph over Centennial, from Las Vegas, in the Joe Smith Division semifinals of the 19th-annual Nike Tournament of Champions event in suburban Phoenix.
Twenty one hours after Monday’s win, Riverdale Baptist will return to the court today at Highland High School, in Gilbert, Ariz.,at 4 p.m. to determine supremacy in the top division of the six which have been competing since Thursday.
“That’s why we’re here, to show who the best teams are,” Riverdale coach Sam Caldwell said.
In the most recent USA Today national rankings, Centennial was No. 2 and St. Mary’s, from Stockton, Cal., was No. 1. The newspaper had Riverdale Baptist (now 11-0) ranked at No. 9. After his team took care of business in the semifinals, Caldwell is looking forward to the next challenge.
“Our guards can match up with theirs,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence in our kids.”
The early-game confidence on Monday belonged to Centennial’s perimeter shooters. Before the game was six minutes old, Justice Ethridge had nailed four three-pointers and teammate Bailey Thomas hit two as the Bulldogs (7-1) doubled the score after one quarter, 24-12.
Riverdale produced a 20-point swing during the next eight minutes and held a 38-30 halftime advantage. It was a lead that would not be relinquished.
“One quarter doesn’t make a game,” Centennial coach Karen Weitz said. “You have to have consistency from everyone on the team.
“We were kind of content with the first quarter.”
Riverdale was content to get the ball to 6-foot-1 Kaila Charles and let the Maryland recruit go to work. Charles notched 17 of her game-high 33 points during a 7 1/2-minute stretch of the second quarter.
“Prime-time players show up in prime-time games and she’s one of the best guards in the country,” Caldwell said. “We expect, and need, that from her.”
The defensive changes Caldwell made helped hold Ethridge and Thomas to one three-pointer apiece after their hot start. Ethridge led the Bulldogs with 19 points and Thomas added 18.
The key, Caldwell said, was “we didn’t get razzled in the beginning when they shot well. We stayed resilient.”
Riverdale is hoping to end one streak in the finals.
“We’ve lost in the championship game four times,” Caldwell said. “We’re trying to make history.
“We’re representing our school and representing the East Coast. It’s an East Coast-West Coast thing going on right now. I love the Tournament of Champions. It’s a great tournament.”
Riverdale’s other double-digit scorer was Georgetown recruit Morgan Smith. She had 13 points, seven in the final 6 minutes.
BELLEVUE 68, BRENTWOOD 63
Close games haven’t been commonplace for Bellevue’s girls’ basketball team this season. Big games, however, have been part of the school’s recent history. Each of Bellevue’s last three teams have placed among the top five in Washington’s state tournament series.
Anna Wilson, and comrades, handled a close game on Monday and by virtue of it are in a big game today. Bellevue’s 68-63 decision over Brentwood Academy, advanced it into today’s championship game of the John Anderson Division against Oaks Christian in the 19th Tournament of Champions event.
“We have five senior starters and they’re headsy players,” Bellevue coach Leah Krautter said. “I’m glad we were able to show our experience.”
Wilson, a fluid Stanford recruit, scored nine of Bellevue’s first 10 final-quarter points.
“When we had a little scoring lapse, she was able to get it done,” Krautter said.
Wilson finished with a team-high 19 points after going scoreless in the first quarter.
“This was a mental game from the get-go,” Krautter said, “We got some calls you don’t necessarily want to see, but the girls stayed mentally strong.”
Wilson’s will was tested. She had two first-half turnovers on travel calls and two first-half charging calls. It didn’t change her demeanor.
“She was leading the huddle, saying, ‘Stay calm,’ and coming to me with what she was seeing out there,” Krautter said. “She had to alter her game.
“She was smart enough to see she wasn’t going to get all the way to the basket, so she pulled up for the mid-range jumpers.”
A three-pointer by Wilson created a 26-26 tie in the final 20 seconds of the first half. A layup by Mackenzie Keeter lifted Bellevue into a 28-26 lead at intermission and Brentwood (8-2) was unable to catch up. Quenessa Caylao-Do (a Colorado recruit) scored 18 points for Bellevue (8-0) and Tatiana Streun (a Portland State recruit) added 11. Keeter ended with eight points.
Makaila Wilson led Brentwood with 19 points.
THUNDERRIDGE 56, LASALLE PREP 41
Madison Ward is a point guard who doesn’t put a premium on her own points.
“She can score 15 if she needs to or she can score zero and be fine with that,” Thunder Ridge coach Matt Asik said. “She is all about winning. She has been at the helm of what we do.”
On Monday, ThunderRidge posted its third consecutive win in the Mike Desper Division of the 19th Tournament of Champions event at Highland High School, in Gilbert, Ariz. ThunderRidge, from Highlands Ranch, Colo., dispatched LaSalle Prep, from Milwaukie, Ore., 56-41.
The team with three committed seniors — as well as the unsigned Ward — plays in today’s 11:30 a.m. championship game against River Forest Trinity.
Three-year regular Ward (three points) had plenty of offensive assistance in the semifinals. Alyssia Martinez scored 11 of her game-high 18 points in the first quarter as Thunder Ridge stormed into an early 17-3 lead. LaSalle Prep was never closer than 10 points thereafter.
“(Martinez) has matured so much,” Asik said. “Her mental game has translated to the physical game. She now looks to the next play instead of thinking back to the previous one.”
What impressed Asik the most was not necessarily securing its largest winning margin in the tournament. It was the 11-for-13 accuracy from the free throw line, with one miss coming in the final minute.
“We’ve been under 50 percent (as a team) for the year,” Asik said. “We’ve been doing some (extra) work and we always shoot at the end of practice.”
Jaz Myne Snipes had 13 points and Alexa Wiens added 11 for ThunderRidge. Aleah Goodman led LaSalle with 15 points.
After beating teams from Arizona, Nevada and Oregon, ThunderRidge plays an Illinois opponent in the title game.
“They’re one of the best teams I’ve seen in a long time,” Asik said. “They’re everything I’d want in a team. I love what their point guard (Annie McKenna) does. Nothing seems to bother her.”
That challenge is one Asik will ask his players to undertake. He is confident moving forward.
“We’ve done a good job taking away other teams’ strengths,” he said.
