By Mike Buchanan
mbuchanan@digitalsports.com
They
only had Caitlin Bopp for the first half, but it was enough to build a lead
that would hold up by game’s end. Bopp
dominated the glass at both ends and scored a game-high 16 points to lead the
Lady Lions to a 70-58 win over the MYBA Wildcats and the 15-under AAU
championship title, Sunday at College of Notre Dame.
Leading
up to the MD District finals, the Lady Lions had cruised through pool play with
three easy wins: 77-15 over the Hurricanes, 77-55 over the Cougars and 82-64
over the Lady Clippers.
The
MYBA Wildcats beat the Hurricanes, 53-18 and edged the Lady Comets, 62-58, to
advance.
The
Lions beat the Wildcats in transition early for several easy scores. A Kourtney Salisbury three-pointer forced an
8-8 tie, but Bopp got behind the defense for a lay-up. That gave the Lions a 10-8 lead, one they
would hold the rest of the way.
Bopp
(IND) scored inside, Asia Logan (Digital Harbor) got a lay-up, and then Logan
fed Bopp for yet another score, making it a 16-8 lead. The run was not complete, though, as Bopp
collared an offensive rebound and made the put-back, and then did the exact
same thing the next time down-court. It
was all Bopp – at both ends of the court – and a 20-8 Lion lead.
After
a Lion free throw, Ariel Ross canned a “three” to break the run, and Dedra
Moore (Aundel) added another on the next possession. MYBA was unable to go inside because of the
presence of 6-3 Bopp in the middle.
Coach Paul Moore was fortunate that his team was hitting from three-point
land, or the deficit would have been far worse.
The Cats made five from downtown in the opening half, including three by
Moore.
Tasia
Bristow (St. Frances) and Logan added back-to-back lay-ups to push the lead
back up to 11 with 55 seconds on the clock and Bopp completed her impressive
first half with yet another put-back for a 33-20 lead. Salisbury netted a trey
with 10 seconds left to pull MYBA to within 10, 33-23, at the break.
Bopp
had to leave at half for a school musical recital; but her limited presence was
invaluable, as her 16 point/10 rebound half gave Coach Alexis Washington and
team a 10-point cushion.
After
the teams traded lay-ups and free throws in the opening minutes of the second
half, the Lions went on a key 7-0 run to open up some daylight. Bristow nailed a three-pointer, Ashle Craig (Western)
converted a three-point play and Iesha Wayne-Bell (Western) scored, and the
lead was up to 18 at 51-33.
The
game was seemingly over with seven minutes to be played out, but no one told
MYBA that the game was in the books yet.
A three-pointer, two free throws and a steal and a lay-up combined for
7-0 run in less than a minute, and with 2:16 on the clock it was a nine-point
game, 63-54. The Wildcats would get as
close as eight before the Lions sealed the deal by hitting four of four free
throws down the stretch.
MYBA
placed nine players in the scoring column, but only two were in double
figures. Salisbury and Moore scored 12
each to lead the way.
For
the Lions, five players were in double figures in a balanced attack. Bopp led all scorers with her 16. Bell was next with 13; she picked up the
slack to make up for Bopp’s absence by scoring 12 of her 13 in the final
half. Bristow and Craig added 11 each;
Craig also covered for Bopp, scoring all 11 of her points in the second
half. Logan added 10.
AAU 15-under
Championship Game 2008
Lady Lions 70, MYBA
Wildcats 58
Lady Lions –
Bristow 11, Craig 11, Stevenson 5, Logan 10, Bopp 16, Bell 13, Bonaparte 4. Totals 28(1) 13-23 70.
MYBA Wildcats – Harmon 9, Salisbury
12, Carter 5, Moore 12, Ross 5, Conklin 2, Chambers 5, Smith 4, Owens 4. Totals: 18(7) 15-25 58.
Half: Lady Lions, 33-23.
Lady Lions 15-under
roster:
Head Coach – Alexis Washington
Asst. Coach – David Craig
01 Ashle Craig
03 Briana Bonaprte
05 Iesha Wayne-Bell
10 Micquel Stevenson
21 Tasia Bristow
22 Asia Logan
23 Jakale Watson
33 Caitlin Bopp
35 Kirastin Spence
MYBA Wildcats 15-under
roster:
Head
Coach – Paul Moore
Asst. Coach –
01 Deanna Harmon
03 Kourtney Salisbury
05 Jermayne Starke
11 Lauren Carter
12 Dedra Moore
14 Ariel Ross
15 Carley Conklin
21 Alissa Chambliss
22 Aleisha Henderson
32 Natisha Fields
34 Jasmine Smith
55 Raven Owens
