Stars Beaten By Two, 99-92 One Scores 40, Accomplice Nets 38 As Cardinals’ One-Two Punch Stops Spokane
Shooting the lights out.
You’ve heard about it and seen it, when someone can hardly miss and scores a bushel of points in a basketball game.
Now think how the 18U Spokane Stars feel this morning after the one-two punch of Tiffany Brown and Katie Smrcka-Duffy knocked them out of the AAU Nationals 18U and 16U Girls Basketball Championships.
Brown, a 5-foot-6 guard headed to Maryland, poured in 40 points, and Smrcka-Duffy, a 5-9 guard going to North Carolina State, scored 38 as the Cardinals raced past the Stars 99-92 at East Valley High School Thursday.
It was a two-player shooting display rarely seen - especially in the West, since Paul Westhead took his gimmick brand of no-defense basketball from Loyola Marymount to George Mason.
Both girls would shoot any time, any place and were quick enough to drive to the basket, making it hard on the Stars, especially when they were at 3-point distance.
The game was decided in the first 7 minutes of the second half, when Brown buried the Stars with a 19-point barrage for a 70-61 lead, hitting all five of her 3s and two layups.
Jayme Morrisette tried to keep Spokane close with its first eight points of the second half and 15 for the game, and Alli Nieman did her part with 36. But the Stars fell behind by 17, and after cutting it to 92-88, couldn’t get over the hump.
Stacy Clinesmith added 18 for the Stars, most in the first half, when Spokane led 51-49.
The Stars finish the tournament tied for seventh, which is good for a medal. They got that far by beating the Maryland Freeplay Magic 83-69 earlier in the day. The Stars raced to a quick 9-1 lead, and the Maryland coach was ejected 5 minutes into the game. After seeing the lead cut to one in the second half, Spokane pulled away.
Nieman had 25 points, Clinesmith added 23 and Morrisette and Andee Schmick 10 each.
The 16U Stars finished tied for ninth after losing to Indiana Lady Legit 81-77 at Chase Middle School Thursday morning. That means the Stars will be seeded between ninth and 12th in the 18U tournament in Tennesee next summer.
The Stars played two games last Saturday, single games Sunday and Monday and two again Tuesday and Wednesday before losing.
Stars still left
There are two unbeaten teams in each bracket, and they are star-studded.
In the 16U, there is Nikki Teasley of the Maryland Chesapeake Hurricanes. They’ll face Shelbyville, Tenn., Sports Shack at 12:30 at East Valley High School. The loser has an 8:30 p.m. game at EVHS against the survivor from the loser’s bracket. The winner goes to Saturday’s 10 a.m. championship game at Eastern Washington University.
The 18U semifinalists are Team Texas, with Tamika Catchings, the second-most-sought-after junior behind Teasley, against Indiana Mohr Magic, with five Division I signees (Indiana, Duke, two Louisville and St. Louis). Their game is at EWU at 12:30. The loser has the 8:30 p.m. game and the winner waits until the championship game at EWU, Saturday at noon.
The Miller twins from Minnesota Tartan-Blue are also in. They play at EWU at 10:30; the Potomac sharpshooters play at 10:30 at EVHS.
All main games are at EWU and EVHS, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Give her an ‘M’ - please
The usual array of college coaches arrived to watch Teasley, the premier junior in the tournament by a whisper over Catchings, but all eyes were drawn to the bleachers.
It was there Sharon Hines played a loud, nonstop cheerleader for the Hurricanes. She stood and cheered and stomped and cheered and pranced and cheered. Several times she had about 20 Hurricane fans spelling out M-A-R-Y-L-A-N-D.
“I tried to spell Hurricanes but it has too many letters,” Hines joked breathlessly.
She was a little reluctant to reveal her name to protect her daughter.
“I’m embarrassing her. She already told me to be quiet,” Hines said. “I’m related to all of them. I’m mother to them all.”
After Rene Hines, a reserve forward, scored a couple crucial baskets in an overtime win, she said, “I’m used to it. I only hear her. I don’t hear anyone else.”
Exit smiling
Mike Watkins, whose daughter plays for the 16U Kansas Belles, went out of his way to find someone to talk to after his team was eliminated Wednesday.
“I just want to say what a great experience this has been for our kids,” he said. “The facilities were fabulous and the hospitality was wonderful. I think we got a taste of it when we first landed in Spokane. There was a welcoming committee with a tournament bracket and (candy) for our sweet tooth.”
He had special praise for tournament director Ron Adams.
“The people in this region are incredibly hospitable. These Spokane folks, everywhere we’ve been, have been so helpful.
“And, anyone who didn’t see a ton of great athletes at this tournament doesn’t know anything about basketball.”
With an 18U team, the Belles contingent was more than 50 people, including 21 players.
Clarification
The 18U Stars Too team played in the Shootout Tournament after not advancing out of pool play. They lost their first game on Tuesday, dropping into the loser’s bracket. They were scheduled to play the Lake Erie Bearcats, but Lake Erie forfeited its first game in the Shootout.
The Stars coaches were told by AAU officials that Lake Erie had dropped out, meaning Spokane would have a bye until a Thursday game. Guess what? Lake Erie showed up for Wednesday’s game.
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