Summer Jam Winners

#2 posting 6.15.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

NORTH TARTAN LARSON TAKES SUMMER JAM
North Tartan Larson took the Summer Jam title this afternoon with a 70-48 win over a short handed and exhausted MN Stars Borowicz. Amanda Zimmerman had 20 points, all in the first half as NTL raced to a 39-21 lead at half. In the early going it was 15-1 NTL. Zimmerman at one point scored 11 straight for NTL. MSB had a couple players go down with injuries in the game. Cassie Rochel hurt her ankle in the first half and didn't return. Rachelle Eckmann also was injured, but returned to action.

That was the fourth contest I saw on the day, and the game that was over fairly quickly.
In game one it was MN Stars Borowicz beating Metro Stars Black 58-35. This game was only two point differential (Borowicz 24-22) at half. An 11 possession drought dried up any Black chances of victory. Borowicz led 41-24 when Black scored again. By that time the game only had 7 minutes left and Black used up their comebacks in the Team WI Select Samuels game the night before.

In game two it was youth vs veterans and the youth rallied from 14 down to upset the vets 51-49. North Tartan 15 trailed 36-22 early in the second half. Metro Stars 19s led 39-26 with 11 minutes remaining. That is when Courtney Boylan, Miss Basketball 2008, sat down. MS didn't score for 7 straight possessions and NT15 scored 8 unanswered points. NT15 didn't take their first lead of the second half until a three by Sari Noga 47-45. Adrea Holler tied it with two free throws. Gabby Boever hit a jumper for a 49-47 NT15 lead with one minute left. MS19 had two chances to pull even but missed the free throws and also missed the lay up. NT15 cashed in two more free throws with Katy Winge to go up 51-47. Boylan hit a jumper to finish the scoring. Youth was served.

That set the table for two outstanding semifinal games. Both were decided by one point. NTL beat IBCA Select 60-59. MN Stars Borowicz topped North Tartan 15s 59-58. Both went down to the last second. We were there for the entirety of the NTL game and caught the last few seconds of the MSB game.
NTL led 31-27 at the half, but there were six ties and nine (#9) lead changes AFTER the game was tied at 49 all. The ebb and flow, crispness, and aerial show was fitting of championship standards. Jennifer Dowd hit a three with 1:13 left to put NTL up 58-56. Two IBCA possessions later Trisha Nesbitt knocked down a three of her own to put IBCA up 59-58 with 12.4 seconds left. IBCA had fouls to give and did so. That whittled the clock down to 9.6. On the next play, Katie Loberg drove the lane and found Amanda Zimmerman with the game winner. Zimmerman had 19 in this contest. There was 1.7 seconds left when Nesbitt tried another 3, but the off balance shot was off and NTL moved to the final in a classic.

In the MS Borowicz/NT 15 game it came down to two free throws as Ameshia Kearney drove the lane with less than two seconds left. She missed both and Amber Dvorak got the rebound preserving the MSB win and they moved on to face NTL.

The tournament brackets aren't updated with today's winners yet, but the 15 title went to MN Fury in a 51-46 win over All Iowa Attack, and in the 14 division it was NT 14 beating their younger NT 13 sisters, score unknown.

I will have the following game reports up during the week:
Monday
Metro Stars 15/IBCA 14
IBCA Select Red vs MN Stars Eckmann
Fury 16 vs Iowa Elite
Tuesday
North Tartan 15 vs All Iowa Attack 16
Metro Stars Black vs Team WI Select Samuels
Wednesday
MN Stars Borowicz vs Metro Stars Black
North Tartan 15 vs Metro Stars 19s
Thursday
North Tartan Larson vs IBCA Select Red
North Tartan Larson vs MN Stars Borowicz

Next up: tomorrow morning

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY