OREGON CITY, Ore. -- After Cal Swish Black No. 1 outlasted the Cy-Fair Shock in the championship game at Oregon City, Swish coach Russ Davis dropped the trophy -- but that was the only mistake he made as the Swish surprised a strong field to win the title.
"I don't think many people would have picked us," Davis said afterward. "We lost in the finals here last year by two, and this year we have 10 new players."
Glenn Nelson
Lindsay Sherbert helped Cal Black Swish to a title in Oregon City.
Although Chiney Ogwumike (2010) made it clear she was the best player in the 208-team tournament with 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, it was Sherbert who was the sweetest in the end. Last year, with another team, she watched the championship game from the stands, but this year, she all but won it.
"It's great," she said, but she wasn't really aware of Ogwumike's credentials, or the reputation of Cy-Fair. "I don't really know players -- I just come out and play my game."
Another Swish girl who played her game was Kelsey Harris (2010), who finished with 11 points and had a crucial, beat-the-shotclock 3-pointer to put the Californians up 51-49 with 4:18 left. Although Amanda Anderson (who scored 15) tied it on the next possession, an ensuing Christina Marinacci (2009, committed to USC) 3 gave Cal Swish a lead it never lost.
Early in the game, it didn't seem that favored Cy-Fair would struggle. Behind Ogwumike, the Shock jumped out to a 19-11 lead and controlled the game until a Swish run late in the first half got the teams even. Cy-Fair jumped out again, leading 42-37 with 9:45 left in the second half, but when Ogwumike sat down a minute later, Cal Swish ran off seven points in less than a minute to build a three-point lead of its own. Ogwumike quickly returned to the game and just as quickly got Cy-Fair back on top with a pair of baskets, but then Harris' 3 from the left corner set the stage for Sherbert's late heroics.
Fatigue might have been a factor as well since Davis substitutes five at a time while the Shock used a much shorter rotation.
"We have a lot of good players," Davis said -- a statement no one will doubt after Cal Swish won one of the most prestigious events on the summer tour.
Cal Swish Black advanced to the finals by beating Mile Hi Gold with much more ease than expected. The Swish led by 17 with 12:46 remaining -- and though the Colorado entry got within five with 1:46 left, that was as close as it got. Sherbert led all scorers with 24 (including a 30-foot three to beat the shot clock in the first half) while Joanna McFarland had 17, most of them late, to top Mile Hi Gold.
Cy-Fair's road to the finals was somewhat harder than anticipated, as the Texans struggled to get past the North Tartan 15s in the Gold bracket title game Tuesday night. In fact, the younger North Tartan team (the older one had been already knocked out) took a 56-55 lead with 14 seconds left when Sari Noga (2010) calmly drained two free throws (making it four in a row for her in the last 0:54).
But after a timeout, Monique Smalls (2009) flew down the court, penetrated to the right baseline and found Ogwumike in the paint for a 10-footer -- that she naturally buried. The Minnesotans then turned the ball over on the inbounds play, and Cy-Fair survived to face the West Coast Premier Wednesday morning.
West Coast controlled most of that game, despite the absence of Kaleena Lewis (2011) for more than 25 minutes with foul trouble, and led 37-30 with 14:19 remaining. After that, thought, it was Smalls and Ogwumike again, and the 6-3 Ogwumike made all the big plays late in a 64-62 win. Not only did she hold Monique Oliver (2009) to 11 points, she had 24 of her own, including the last five for Cy-Fair. Layshia Clarendon (2009) had 19 points to top West Coast Premier, but without the services of Lewis, there just wasn't enough offense.
