by Mike Buchanan
mbuchanan@digitalsports.com
The Baltimore Cougars prevailed on Saturday to win the MD Girls AAU 9-under basketball championship game, 24-15, at College of Notre Dame.
Closer, but not quite close enough. That was the story for the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens had lost twice to the Cougars in previous games, both times by double digits.
Saturday’s title game was closer, but the Cougars still brought home the title, winning by nine points. The Cougars also defeated the Ravens in last year’s championship game.
The Cougars got past the Owings Mills Lady Tigers, 36-2, and then the Ravens, 36-20, to advance to Saturday’s big game. The Ravens, meanwhile, defeated the Jacobs Sure Shots (33-14) and the MYBA Wildcats (37-7) to advance. After losing to the Cougars in the semi-finals, Coach Cliff Gillespie’s team would have needed two wins over the Cougars in the double-elimination tourney format.
The Cougars scored first, three minutes into the game. Korbyn Gehlbach hit one of two free throws for the first Raven points, but the Cougars got back-to-back baskets and led 6-1 at the end of the first quarter.
Kianna Wilkerson scored on an offensive rebound and put-back to up the early lead, but Gehlbach responded again with a tough outside shot from the left wing to pull the Ravens to within five. Meghan Quinn made it a 4-0 run by hitting another outside shot from the elbow to make it an 8-5 game.
After a Cougar free throw, the Ravens got a steal and Gillian Eby made it count with a driving lay-up, and it was a two-point game with only 1:45 left in the half.
But the Cougars went on a key mini-run in the final minute-plus. Michala Clay hit one of two from the line and the Cougars closed out the half with a jumper, taking a 12-7 into the break.
Superior size inside for the Cougars proved to be a key factor once again, as it had in previous games between the two teams. The Cougars had the upper hand with 5-6 and 5-10 players in the post, while the Raven defenders gave away too many inches in height with 5-2 and 5-3 girls inside. Mellie Poggi, Anna Hauser and Quinn battled inside, fronting and often double-teaming the primary Cougar post player as part of the Raven 2-3 zone defense.
Although defended better than in other games, the Cougars still got their points in the paint. Three minutes into the third period, Wilkerson got another offensive rebound and scored to make it a six-point lead, 14-8.
But the Ravens did not go quietly, as Quinn hit one free throw and then Josie Pfeifer made a lay-up to cut the deficit to four at the 3:50 mark. A Cougar free throw would be the final point of the period, as the teams played to a 3-3 tie in that quarter. The Ravens didn’t lose any ground, but also couldn’t pull any closer than they were at the half.
Wilkerson was fouled inside and hit two-of-two from the line to open the fourth quarter scoring for the Cougars. They added another put-back and a steal and a lay-up to push the lead to 12. It looked like another easy win was in the making.
But the Ravens showed a lot of heart and battled to the very end. Gehlbach got a basket at the 3:00 mark, and then Eby hit an improbable running lay-up with little or no angle while falling out of bounds and was fouled on the play. She missed the free throw, but the Ravens were back to within eight.
That would be the last gasp, though, as Kortney Cooper hit a jump shot to make it 24-14 with 1:20 left. Poggi hit a free throw to close out the scoring with 20 seconds on the clock.
“Coach Tom [Hauser] and I were extremely proud of how our young ladies played against the Cougars,” said Gillespie after the game. “The final score does not tell the full story. Our team played tremendous defense despite the size differential. They are a very good team and their big girl is a very good player, but we kept her from scoring a lot of baskets inside. We scrapped for every ball and never let up. In fact, at the end of the third quarter we were trailing by only five points. We gave it our all and came out winners in every aspect of the game, but the final score.”
Cougar Coach Wardell Selby acknowledged his opponent after the game. “I tip my hat to the Ravens and their coaching staff,” said Selby. “They were well-prepared and did a good job of defending in the post. They made it difficult for Michala (Clay) to get shots, so other players stepped up. I thought Ilysia Lewis really played a solid game for us, as did the whole team.”
Selby and the Cougars won’t decide until next week whether they will make the trek to Nationals in New Orleans. For now, though, the Cougars can savor back-to-back championships.
AAU 9-under Championship Game 2008
Cougars 24, Ravens 15
Cougars - Dickey 2, Cooper 9, Lewis 4, K. Wilkerson 6, Clay 3. Totals 9 6-14 24.
Ravens - Eby 4, Quinn 3, Pfeifer 2, Gehlbach 5, Poggi 1. Totals: 6 3-9 15.
Half: Cougars, 12-7.
Cougars 9-under roster:
Head Coach – Wardell Selby
33 Michala Clay
22 Kortney Cooper
24 Tyshaun Creighton
20 Ayanna Dickey
23 Mya Jackson
25 Ilysia Lewis
14 Kamryn Moody
13 Mecca Murphy
12 Arrion Sorrell
32 Kianna Wilkerson
Ravens 9-under roster:
Head Coach - Cliff Gillespie
Asst. Coach – Tom Hauser
01 Gillian Eby
23 Korbyn Gehlbach
25 Anna Hauser
13 Morgan Katrinak
14 Liza Liotta
12 Josie Pfeifer
24 Mellie Poggi
03 Meghan Quinn
21 Tori Wenzl
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