HoopGurlz
Long Beach Poly meets Notre Dame Academy for the TOC title
CHANDLER, Ariz. — All the pieces fell into place Friday at the Nike Tournament of Champions.
First, No. 1 Notre Dame Academy took care of business, cruising to a 54-31 win against Southridge. Then, after allowing Highlands Ranch to lead much of the game, No. 4 Long Beach Poly took the Black Bracket's second semifinal game, 66-61.
With their victories, the Dragons and Jackrabbits set up a 5:40 p.m., East vs. West showdown for Saturday's championship.
It will be a battle of Notre Dame's strong team defense and on-point shooting versus the frenzied speed and bench of fresh legs at Long Beach Poly's disposal.
Azania Stewart of NDA
In other games, Lynwood beat Ursuline, 39-26, and H. D. Woodson beat Christ the King, 65-57, for a shot at 13th place. Shelbyville Central beat Narbonne, 46-44, and Sapulpa beat Punahou, 58-41, to play for ninth place. Sequoyah beat Auburn Riverside, 72-63, and Archbishop Carroll beat Bishop Gorman, 50-44, to battle for fifth place Saturday. Auburn Riverside senior Katie Grad had the game of the day, scoring 37 of the Ravens' 63 points, including 11 from the line.
Click here for Day Three Multimedia Highlights
Notre Dame's defense, especially when focused on one player, can control a game as well as any offensive plan. Using that strength on Arizona State-bound Alex Earl paid off, as Southridge's point guard scored just six points in her team's loss Friday.
"They didn't leave me at all," Earl said. "I had to create my own shots and that was tough. I shot a three-pointer five feet behind the arc with a hand up. That's the only kind of shot I could get."
Offensively, Notre Dame Academy, led Friday by senior Azania Stewart's 18 points, has a tough inside game as well as strong guards who can hit nearly any outside shot.
"We just played great (Friday)," Tinsley said. "We're just defending so well, and we executed real well in the halfcourt."
As for Long Beach Poly, the Jackrabbits have depended more than normal on their depth this week.
Poly's Ashley Wilson is challenged from
behind by Jade Davis of Highlands Ranch
That includes freshman guard Ariya Crook-Williams, who almost single-handedly guided the Jackrabbits into the championship despite nursing a chest cold for two weeks. Off the bench, Crook-Williams scored 12 points - all in the fourth quarter – including a layup, a baseline jumper and a long two-pointer that banked in, all on consecutive possessions.
"We were down and I wanted to get my team up so we could win this," Crook-Williams said. "I had to do what I had to do."
"She had nerves of steel," Buggs said. "And the reason why she's with us is she has that potential. She showed what we knew that she had today."
With seniors Jasmine Dixon and April Cook, as well as junior Monique Oliver, leading the rest of the troops, Long Beach Poly can become a handful in a hurry. And although the Jackrabbits have already lost this season, to San Francisco's Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Dec. 8 championship of the Northwest Nike Invitational, they want a shot at claiming the national title.
So do the Dragons, who share a common thread with Long Beach Poly: Both teams' only loss during their 2006-2007 campaigns was at the TOC to a Maya Moore-led Collins Hill team. If both Notre Dame Academy and Long Beach Poly go undefeated after returning to their respective states, Virginia and California, the victor of Saturday's game could be ranked No. 1 in the country.
"That's what we came here for," Buggs said. "We came here to win this thing."
