by Mike Buchananmbuchanan@digitalsports.comThe Sure Shots-Blue raced out to an early lead and went on to defeat the Sam Cassell Stars, 41-25, to win the MD Girls AAU 10-under basketball championship game, Saturday at College of Notre Dame.
The Sam Cassell Stars would have needed two wins to grab the title. The Stars beat the Grizzlies (34-23) and the lost to the Sure Shots by seven (30-23) in an earlier round game. They bounced back to oust the MD Elite (38-34) in a close game to make the title match.
The Sure Shots had an easier go of it, with a 30-point win over the Baltimore Starz (46-16) before barely slipping by the MD Elite (24-23) in a one-point game. Then it was the above-mentioned 30-23 win over the Stars to reach the finals.
Coach Tom Gizzi’s team made two lay-ups in the opening minute of play and never looked back. Andrea Whittington went coast-to-coast for another lay-up, and then a put-back made it an 8-0 run. Sam Cassell’s finally got its first points on the board with 1:40 to go in the opening period as Anise Thompson got the basket, but trailed 11-3 at the end of one.
The Stars went on a 6-1 run early in the second, as Mayze Norton hit two from the line and Kierra Palmer hit a jumper to cut into the deficit and make it an 11-7 game. After a Sure Shots free throw, Kaylah Whittington showed perfect form on a jumper from the left wing and suddenly it was a three-point game.
The Sure Shots got the final points of the half as Aryonna Hutchinson got a steal at mid-court and drove in for the lay-up, two of her game-high 14 points. That pushed the lead up to nine, 19-10, at the intermission.
The Sure Shots were able to beat the Stars in transition for two key lay-ups to begin the second half, building a 23-10 lead. Both teams went cold for the next three minutes, partly due to some sloppy passing. Then the Sure Shots broke a 2-2-1 three-quarter court press and Whittington finished it by splitting two defenders for a nifty lay-up.
Sam Cassell’s finally got on the scoreboard at 2:40 on a put-back by Jade Porter. Dajah Logan hit a runner to make it a 26-14 game with two minutes to go in the quarter, and Palmer hit a basket 20 seconds later to make it a 10-point game, as the Stars kept hanging close.
Midway through the final period, the Stars were still within striking range, trailing by 11, when Brooke Fields hit a tough runner in the lane and was fouled on the play. She completed the old-fashioned three-point play. It was a big play, pushing the lead up to 15 points at 34-19 with only 3:30 to play. The Sure Shots would go on to protect the lead and win by 16.
The 11-3 first quarter proved to be the key, as the Stars were only a point or two off in the second and third periods. Another big key to the game was free throw shooting. The Sure Shots helped their cause by going 13-25 (52%), while the Sam Cassell Stars had their troubles from the line, going just 6-30 (20%). It’s hard to mount a serious comeback when you don’t hit free throws, and the Stars struggled even more so in the second half, going just 2-19.
“We knew it would be a tough game. We lost to this team in qualifying pool play; then we came out of the winner’s division and they came out as winner of the consolation division,” said Gizzi, the girl’s varsity coach at McDonogh. “Most importantly, instead of worrying about winning games, we focus on the intangibles: character, heart, teamwork, unselfish behavior, good sportsmanship. If we d those, wins will come with it. It was a total team effort; we have 11 committed girls and they all contribute.”
“Both our team and the Sam Cassell’s team have qualified for Nationals, so we will go to Disney in July and hope to represent Baltimore well,” added Gizzi.
AAU 10-under Championship Game 2008
Sure Shots-Blue 41, Sam Cassell Stars 25
Sure Shots-Blue – Fields 6, McDonald 2, Hutchinson 14, Barton 3, Whittington 8, Davey 4, Whitehead 4. Totals 14 13-25 41.
Sam Cassell Stars – Whittington 2, Thompson 2, Palmer 8, Norton 2, Logan 5, Porter 6. Totals: 9(1) 6-30 25.
Half: Sure Shots, 19-10.
Sure Shots-Blue 10-under roster:
Head Coach – Tom Gizzi
01 Jayda Pearson
03 Brooke Fields
05 Lauren McDonald
14 Aryonna Hutchinson
22 Hannah Gizzi
23 Brooke Bowers
24 Taylor Barton
25 Andrea Whittington
32 Erin Baker
40 Marissa Davey
45 Lea Whitehead
Sam Cassell Stars 10-under roster:
Not available
