Prep powers set for TOC showdown

All the pieces fell into place Friday at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona.

First, No. 1 Notre Dame Academy of Virginia took care of business, cruising to a 54-31 win against Southridge of Oregon. Then, after allowing Highlands Ranch of Colorado to lead much of the game, No. 4 Long Beach Poly of California took the Black Division’s second semifinal game, 66-61.

With their victories, the Dragons and Jackrabbits set up a 5:40 p.m., East vs. West showdown for Saturday's championship.

It will be a battle of Notre Dame's strong team defense and on-point shooting versus the frenzied speed and bench of fresh legs at Long Beach Poly's disposal. "I told Poly's coach (Thursday) night, there's so much talk about the anticipated matchup between you and I, it's like a heavyweight bout between the two of us," Notre Dame coach Mike Teasley said. "But we wanted to come here to win this championship. It wasn't about playing Poly."

Notre Dame's defense, especially when focused on one player, can control a game as well as any offensive plan. Using that strength on Arizona State-bound Alex Earl paid off, as Southridge's point guard scored just six points in her team's loss Friday. "They didn't leave me at all," Earl said. "I had to create my own shots and that was tough. I shot a three-pointer five feet behind the arc with a hand up. That's the only kind of shot I could get."

Offensively, Notre Dame Academy, led Friday by senior Azania Stewart's 18 points, has a tough inside game as well as strong guards who can hit nearly any outside shot. "We just played great (Friday)," Teasley said. "We're just defending so well, and we executed real well in the halfcourt."

As for Long Beach Poly, the Jackrabbits have depended more than normal on their depth this week. "I think 75 percent of the team is sick," coach Carl Buggs said. "But you go as far as you can. You just gotta play."

That includes freshman guard Ariya Crook-Williams, who almost singlehandedly guided the Jackrabbits into the championship despite nursing a chest cold for two weeks. Off the bench, Crook-Williams scored 12 points -- all in the fourth quarter – including a layup, a baseline jumper and a long two-pointer that banked in, all on consecutive possessions. "We were down and I wanted to get my team up so we could win this," Crook-Williams said. "I had to do what I had to do."

"She had nerves of steel," Buggs said. "And the reason why she's with us is she has that potential. She showed what we knew that she had today."

With seniors Jasmine Dixon and April Cook, as well as junior Monique Oliver, leading the rest of the troops, Long Beach Poly can become a handful in a hurry. And although the Jackrabbits have already lost this season, to San Francisco's Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Dec. 8 championship of the Northwest Nike Invitational, they want a shot at claiming the national title.

So do the Dragons, who share a common thread with Long Beach Poly: Both teams' only loss during their 2006-2007 campaigns was at the TOC to a Maya Moore-led Collins Hill team. If Notre Dame Academy wins and goes undefeated after returning Virginia and California, the Dragons -- who have some intersectional games still on the schedule -- would have a strong claim to the top spot. Poly, however, would have to hope that Sacred Heart Cathedral loses somewhere along the way, though the Irish do not have as strong a schedule left.

But that’s down the road. Today is for the Nike TOC championship, which is prestigious enough all by itself. "That's what we came here for," Buggs said. "We came here to win this thing."

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In other games, Lynwood beat Ursuline, 39-26, and H. D. Woodson beat Christ the King, 65-57, for a shot at 13th place. Shelbyville Central beat Narbonne, 46-44, and Sapulpa beat Punahou, 58-41, to play for ninth place. Sequoyah beat Auburn Riverside, 72-63, and Archbishop Carroll beat Bishop Gorman, 50-44, to battle for fifth place Saturday. Auburn Riverside senior Katie Grad had the game of the day, scoring 37 of the Ravens' 63 points, including 11 from the line.