Amazing individual performances ruled Day 3 at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix. In the end, two schools located less than 100 miles apart, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, California) and St. Mary's (Stockton, California), were left standing to play for the championship of the spotlight Joe Smith Division.
But first, Gilbert (Arizona), a regular at the Nike Tournament of Champions, took on Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) at Mesquite High School in a semifinal of the Mike Desper Division.
Sacred Heart dictated for the first three quarters, but remember how we told you about great individual performances? Enter Haley Cavinder. The Gilbert junior point guard hit a 30-foot jumper as time expired in the third quarter to cut Sacred Heart's lead to five. She then opened the fourth quarter with a bucket before hitting two 3-pointers in the final minutes to cut the lead to one. Finally, she found twin sister, Hanna Cavinder, for the winning points and a 56-55 Gilbert win.
"We were down by as many as 18 points today," Gilbert coach Kyle Pederson said. "I challenged them, asked them when enough was going to be enough. I told them to flip the switch."
The Cavinder twins and Gilbert take on Clovis West, champion of the Joe Smith Division a year ago, in the final. Clovis West features junior guard Madison Campbell, who was named tournament MVP a year ago.
And that was just the opening act.
In the first Joe Smith semifinal, No. 2 Archbishop Mitty ended Riverdale's (Murfreesboro, Tennessee) 53-game winning streak with a 64-50 win. Mitty held Riverdale to two points in the first quarter.
Behind 15 points from Alasia Hayes, Riverdale got to within seven in the fourth quarter but could get no closer as Mitty valued its possessions, executed in a half-court game and burned valuable time down the stretch.
Penn State signee Karisma Ortiz led all scorers, including four on her own team who scored in double digits, with 18 points.
The final game of the night, a 69-53 St. Mary's win over Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Maryland), belonged to Baylor signee Aquira DeCosta.
After a fast-paced start, St. Mary's led by a point at halftime. But the game turned lopsided after Maryland signee Shakira Austin picked up her third and fourth fouls in the third quarter. Behind 29 points from DeCosta, St. Mary's was able to coast into the championship game.
Day 3 standouts
Remember how we told you that DeCosta scored 29 points in the St. Mary's win over Riverdale Baptist? Well, that was only the half of it. The No. 4 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 posted an epic double-double that included 25 rebounds. The left-handed pogo stick got most of her points on tip-ins and free throws as she dominated the glass. It was one of most jaw-dropping performances in recent TOC history. "DeCosta took over the battle of the glass by herself," St. Mary's coach Tom Gonsalves said. "She was fabulous tonight."
Meet Mir McLean. The 5-foot-11 sophomore at Roland Park Country Day School (Baltimore, Maryland) is one of the most athletic prospects in any class. Her ability to leap, hang and draw contact in the paint amazes fans and opponents alike. McLean had 25 points in a 60-51 win over New Hope Academy (Hyattsville, Maryland) in a John Anderson Division semifinal. And that brings us to ...
Quinn Weidemann and Omaha Westside (Nebraska). The Wyoming signee is arguably the most underrated prospect around. The 5-9 guard had 25 points, including three 3-pointers in the second half, to lead Westside by St. Francis Prep (Fresh Meadows, New York) and into the John Anderson championship game against McLean and Roland Park. Weidemann is a skilled, fundamental guard who has been knocking down jumpers or setting up her teammates all tournament long. She is averaging 21 points per game through Westside's three wins.
Day 4 spotlight game
Bragging rights this year go to Northern California. The Friday final of the Joe Smith Division features No. 2 Archbishop Mitty of San Jose vs. No. 17 St. Mary's of Stockton. And impact players galore. It's Haley Jones and Ortiz for Mitty vs. Ariel Johnson and DeCosta of St. Mary's. Mitty has won its three games by an average of 21 points, including a 41-point win in its opener. St. Mary's, TOC champions in 2011 and 2015, has won its three by an average of 14.6.
