AAU Basketball
2006 Nike Nationals
By 4SHOT Hoops
Jul 31, 2006, 09:34 EST

2006 Nike Nationals

Riverview Park Activities Center - Augusta, GA

Maya Moore and her Georgia Metro teammates left last years Nike Nationals with a bitter taste in their mouths after loosing in the semi-finals; well that taste has been replaced with the sweet nectar of a Gold Division Championship. The Orlando Comets escaped a Storm out of California and caught some falling Stars to win the Silver Division crown.

Gold Division Finals

Georgia Metros vs. Tennessee Flight
"Metros" handle some unfinished business!
Reported by Larry Williams – 4SHOT Hoops

”. 6-1 Jr.-Maya Moore (Collins Hill H.S., GA)

The Georgia "Metros" play an aggressive attacking style of basketball on both ends of the floor and at times it causes them to turn the ball over or foul. In the Gold Division Championship Game against the Tennessee Flight fouls and turnovers hurt them early on, almost all of the fouls called the in the 1st half went against the “Metros”.

5-6 Jr.-Cetera DeGraffenreid (Smokey Mtn H.S., TN) and 6-2 Jr.-Victoria Dunlap (Brentwood Academy, TN) were the big guns for the “Flight”, in particular DeGraffenreid who was making things happen all over the court with her passing and scoring. As I mentioned early on the “Metros” attack on both ends of the floor and it was on the defensive end that kept them from being air-lifted by the “Flight”. 6-1 Jr.-Maya Moore (Collins Hill H.S., GA), 6-6 Jr.-Kelley Cain (St. Pius H.S., GA) and 6-1 So.-Alicia Manning (Etowah H.S., GA) did the job on the boards as the “Metros” took a 29-25 lead into the half.

There wasn’t a lot of scoring but the game was still full of high intensity action. The “Flight” continued to get to the free-throw line going 18-27 in the game. 6-0 So.-Natalle Novosel (Lexington Catholic, KY) picked up her game and hit some tough shots as the “Flight” pulled even.

5-6 Jr.-Cetera DeGraffenreid (Smokey Mtn H.S., TN)

The “Metros” are a resilient collection of all-stars, 5-6 Jr.-Ashlie Billingslea (Stephenson H.S., GA) made some nice assist and 6-1 So.-Charenee Stephens (Southwest DeKalb H.S., GA) made some tough put-backs as the two teams waged war.

In the end it was Moore (4SHOT Hoops 2-Time Player of the Year”), who is arguably the No.1 ranked junior in the country who was the difference in the game. Moore knocked down a runner to send the game into OT and then with time running out in the game she once again had the ball in her hands as the horned sounded giving the “Metros” a thrilling championship win. Moore finished with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists as the “Metros” completed some unfinished business from last year.
Final Score:  Georgia Metros 62 - Tennessee Flight 59

Scoring Recap

Maya Moore torched The Family with a 42 point outburst.

Last year in the Semi-Finals, “The Family” with Univ. of Purdue bound McDonald’s All-American 6-4 Amber Harris knocked off the “Metros” and 6-1 Jr.-Maya Moore (Collins Hill H.S., GA) and went on to capture the championship. Well it’s a year later and Harris is gone but Moore and the “Metros” are back and they didn’t forget how heated that game was and how they lost it.

5-9 Fr.-Skylar Diggins (S.B Washington, IN) is on her way to becoming “The Family’s” next top baller, if she isn’t already; the freshman dropped 25 points to record her forth 20 point game of the tournament.

But for now the rookie like everyone else will have to take a backseat to Moore who solidified her position as the 2-time 4SHOT Hoops “Player of the Year” and the nations No.1 ranked junior as she torched the defending champions with a tournament best 42 points, yea 42 points. Oh, I almost forgot she also grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, recorded 5 blocked shots and made 4 steals…enough said let’s move on…. the “Metros” handled their business.

Tennessee Flight 56 - All Ohio 53

Angela Puleo (TN Flight) and Ayana Dunning (All-Ohio)

With their version of the “Twin Towers” 6-4 Jr.-Jantel Lavender (Cleveland Central Catholic, OH) and 6-3 So.-Ayana Dunning (Cols. Eastmoor, OH) All-Ohio probably has the top rebounding team in the tournament. They pounded the “Flight” on the glass but still found themselves trailing 30-29 at the half.

They say that teams that like to press don’t like to be pressed so the “Flight” applied some pressure defense on All Ohio and recorded 11 steals that turned into some big points. Tenneessee’s “Big Three”, 5-6 Jr.-Cetera DeGraffenreid (Smokey Mtn H.S., TN), Angela Puleo (5-9, Jr.- William Blount H.S., TN) and 6-0 So.-Natalie Novosel (Lexington Catholic H.S., KY) once again paced the “Flight” combining for 37 of the teams 56 points as they squeaked out a tough win.

GA Metros Kelley Cain and the Gauchos Tatiyana Mcmorris

4SHOT Hoops 2006 “Co-Players of the Year”, 6-1 Jr.-Maya Moore (Collins Hill H.S., GA ) scored a game high 21 points and 6-6 Jr.-Kelley Cain (St. Pius H.S., GA) grabbed 9 rebounds as the “Metros” out-rebounded the “Gauchos” 31-12 to come away with the win. 5-6 Jr.-Tatiyana Mcmorris (Kennedy H.S., Bronx, NY) scored 15 points to lead the “Gauchos”.

The Family 80 - Fencor 57

The Family's LaTear Eason and Fencor's Elena Delle Donne

The defending Nike National Champions, “The Family” from Indianapolis, IN didn’t have a whole lot of trouble out of arguably the nations top sophomore 6-5 So.-Elena Delle Donne (Ursuline Academy, DE), and her teammate 6-3 So.-Chelsea Shine (Conestoga H.S., PA) despite each scoring 18 points and grabbing 8 rebounds apiece; because they had three players 5-8 Jr.-LaTear Eason (John Hope Acad, Il), 5-10 So.-Rebecca Gray (Scott City, KY) and 5-9 Fr.-Skylar Diggins (S.B Washington, IN) who each score 20 points or more as “The Family” cruised past Fencor.

Tennessee Flight 72 - Spokane Stars 59

Spokane's Angie Bjorklund and Tennessee's Cetera DeGraffenreid

Last year at the Nike Nationals the Spokane “Stars” and highly touted 6-1 Jr.-Angie Bjorklund (University H.S., WA) lost in the finals to “The Family” so they had some unfinished business to take care of. Bjorklund who has had a Not-So-Bjorklund like tournament had one against the “Flight” with a game high 25 points, unfortunately no one else really stepped up with her.

The “Flights” 5-6 Jr.-Cetera DeGraffenreid (Smokey Mtn H.S., TN) has been real solid throughout and her rankings just continues to climb as she put on another sterling performance scoring 23 points to lead Tennessee past Spokane. Teammates Angela Puleo (5-9, Jr.- William Blount H.S., TN) and 6-0 So.-Natalie Novosel (Lexington Catholic H.S., KY) also came up big in the win with 15 and 14 points respectively. 
 

All Ohio's Jantel Lavender and Boo Williams's Lynetta Kizer

Boo Williams got 13 rebounds from 6-3 So.-Lynetta Kizer (Potomac H.S., VA) and All Ohio got 10 boards from 6-4 Jr.-Jantel Lavender (Cleveland Central Catholic, OH) as two of the top post players in their respective classes battled in the paint.

 5-9 Jr.-Kimberly Rogers (Princess Anne H.S., VA) who had been averaging 14.6 ppg. had her hands full dealing with the pressure AOB’s defense was bring; Rogers finished with 8 points. Meanwhile All-Ohio’s other top baller 6-3 So.-Ayana Dunning (Cols. Eastmoor, OH) stepped up with another big performance as she lead AOB to the win finishing with 16 points and 6 rebounds.

---

Silver Division Finals
Fairfax Stars vs. Orlando Comets
"Comets" escape storm to win championship!
Reported by Larry Williams - 4SHOT Hoops

The Orlando Comets were led by "T3" - Brooke Thomas, Krystal Thomas and Sthefany Thomas.

I know teams don’t want to get a free pass to the championship game and generally they don’t but in AAU competition sometimes things happen like when a team has to leave early to meet a scheduled flight and that’s what happened to the California “Storm” who knocked off the Fairfax “Stars” in the semi-finals. So Fairfax who played tough throughout caught a break and represented in the Sliver Division Championship Game against the Orlando “Comets”.

Have you ever heard the old saying “Doubting Thomas”, well that was not the case when it came to the Orlando Comets. The "Comets" are in the championship game because of the Thomas's or as I call them ”T3” (5-3 So.-Brooke Thomas (Edgewater H.S., FL),  6-4 Jr.-Krystal Thomas (1^st Academy, FL) who has gotten thicker since last years Nike Nationals and it looks good on her and 5-9 Jr.-Sthefany Thomas (Wesley Chapel H.S., FL)).

6-4 So.-Chalysa Shegog did a nice job of matching up with the “Comets” 6-4 Jr.-Krystal Thomas.

Fairfax didn’t have one of their better shooting nights and the way they shot the ball in the 1st half it’s a wonder they made it to the championship game. It was an especially tough night for 5-10 Jr.-Jasmine Thomas (Oakton H.S., VA) who had been averaging double-figures in the tournament, Thomas would score only 2 points in the game. Despite their shooting woes the “Stars” still managed to take a 28-26 lead into the half.

The “Stars” 6-4 So.-Chalysa Shegog (Brooke Point H.S., VA) did a nice job of matching up with the “Comets” Thomas, finishing the game with 11 points and 8 rebounds to Thomas’s 12 points 4 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Poor shooting plagued both teams in the 2nd half and in the end the difference was defense. The Orlando “Comets” recorded 12 steals (5 by Brooke Thomas), a few of which they converted to points as they went on to fend off the “Stars” to capture the Silver Division Championship.
Final Score: Orlando Comets 54 - Fairfax Stars 50

Scoring Recap

Orlando Comets
Player		PTS	REB	AST	BLK	TO	STL	PF
Krystal	Thomas	12	4	1	3	0	1	3
Sthefany	Thomas	10	2	2	0	1	2	0
Tierra	Brown	10	2	1	0	1	1	2
Alexa	Deluzio	6	3	4	0	2	1	2
Brooke	Thomas	5	5	6	0	1	5	2
Brittany	Hardy	5	4	0	0	0	0	3
Jordon	Coleman	4	2	1	1	1	1	3
Jaimie	Givens	2	2	1	0	0	1	0
Sasha	Chaplin	0	3	2	0	1	0	0
	Total	54	27	18	4	7	12	15
Fairfax Stars
Player		PTS	REB	AST	BLK	TO	STL	PF
Chalysa	Shegog	11	8	2	1	1	0	2
Taneisha	Harrison	10	2	3	0	4	2	6
Dominique	Bryant	7	6	4	0	0	1	1
Katherine	DeHenzel	7	1	0	0	1	0	0
Adria	Crawford	6	1	0	1	0	0	2
Denay	Wood	6	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jasmine	Thomas	2	6	2	0	1	0	4
Domonique	Stroman	1	1	0	0	1	0	1
Catherine	Cockrum	0	2	0	1	0	0	1
Laren	Robinson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jessica	Taylor	0	3	1	0	1	0	1
	Total	50	30	12	3	9	3	18

---

Silver Division Semi-Finals
Reported by the Larry Williams - 4SHOT Hoops

Orlando Comets 55 - Alabama Roadrunners 39

Orlando's Alexa Deluzio and Alabama's Courtney Jones

The “Roadrunners” were running on fumes in their semifinals game against the “Comets” as they turned the ball over 17 times. Having just competed in the Showcase Nationals in Atlanta last week it appeared as if 6-0 So.-Courtney Jones (Midfield H.S., AL) was the only “Roadrunner” who had any legs left scoring 15 points. 6-4 Jr.-Krystal Thomas (1^st Academy, FL) nearly completed a double-double for the “Comets” scoring 10 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in the win. 5-10 So.-Alexa Deluzio a high school teammate of Thomas’s and  5-9 Jr.-Sthefany Thomas (Wesley Chapel H.S., FL) also had solid games scoring 14 and 10 points respectively.

---

California Storm 59 - Fairfax Stars 54

Shawna-Lei Kuehu a.k.a. "The Quite Storm" erupted for 21 points and 6 rebounds in the win.

Fairfax took advantage of the fact that the Storm’s outstanding 6-3 So.-Alyssia Brewer (still suffering from an earlier concussion) was still missing from the line-up to make some strong moves in the paint, especially 5-10 Jr.-Taneisha Harrison (St. John’s H.S., MD) and 5-10 Jr.-Jasmine Thomas (Oakton H.S., VA). With Brewer sitting this one out teammates Ashlee Brown (6-0 Jr.-Chandler H.S., AZ) and 6-2 Jr.-Nicole Hyslop (San Marcos H.S., CA) did the job on the glass combining for 19 boards as the “Storm” took a 28-26 halftime lead.

When it got right down to it the difference in the game was the play of 5-10 So.-Shawna-Lei "The Quite Storm" Kuehu (Punahou H.S., HI) who muscled and finessed her way to a game high 21 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists leading the “Storm” to victory.

Alabama's Yvonne Anderson and G/Lina's Brittney Lebby.

Just last week in the Showtime Nationals in Atlanta these same two teams matched up in the semi-finals and nothing changed but the score as the “Roadrunners” once again prevailed. 5-6 So.-Yvonne Anderson (Hoover H.S., AL) has been a thorn in the side of the “76ers”, just like in the ATL (team high 14 points) she was the catalysis behind the win; Anderson easily had her best game of the tournament finishing with a game high 23 points.

Another reason for the big win was the board play of the “Roadrunners” who out-rebounded the “76ers” 34-21 largely due to the play of 6-1 Jr.-Jasmine Tate (Wenonah H.S., AL) and 6-0 So.-Courtney Jones (Midfield H.S., AL) who combined for 14 of those rebounds. Brittney Lebby (5-5 Jr.- Rock Hill H.S., SC) scored 14 points to lead the “76ers”.

Orlando's Jamie Givens and California's Jeanette Pohlen.

It was a wide-open affair in this quarter-finals match-up between the “Comets” and the “Swish”, three-pointers were raining down from everywhere. The “Swish’s” Renahy Young (5-8 Jr. - Redonodo Union H.S., CA) started the week strong then fell off a bit, picked her game back up and along with Univ. of Stanford signee 6-1 Jr.-Jeanette Pohlen (Brea-Olina H.S., CA) helped keep the “Swish” close.

In a high scoring came such as this generally if the wealth is spread around that team will come out victorious and in the “Comets” case the wealth was spread around. Led by 6-1 Jr.-Jamie Givens (1^st Academy School, FL), Orlando had 6 players that scored 10 points or more. Givens saving her best game for the playoffs had a bigtime game scoring a team high 15 points and grabbing a game high 10 rebounds to help the “Comets” hold off the “Swish” to advance to the semi-finals. 

Fairfax Stars 50 - Liberty Belles 40

Fairfax's Adria Crawford and Liberty's Sky Lindsey.

The Fairfax defense did a great job of holding the “Belles” high scoring guard Lorin Dixon (5-6 Jr. - Christ The King H.S., NY) to just 8 points and their post players 6-4 So.-Chalysa Shegog (Brooke Point H.S., VA) and 6-0 So.-Adria Crawford (Edison H.S., VA) did the job on the glass hauling down 8 and 12 rebounds respectively as Fairfax held off a stubborn Liberty team. The “Belles” 5-10 Jr.-Sky Lindsey (Christ The King H.S., NY) had a big game in a loosing effort scoring a game high 16 points while collecting 9 rebounds. 

California Storm 65 - OGDL 60

OGDL's Reiko Thomas (top l) and the Storm's Casey Morris (btm l) and Shawna-Lei Kuehu.

I didn’t expect this game to be very competitive based on the up and down Pool play of OGDL but they fooled me and played the “Storm” straight up. Now granted the “Storm” was missing highly touted 6-3 So.-Alyssia Brewer (suffering from a concussion).

ODGL was able to stay within striking distance because of the play of 5-9 So.-Reiko Thomas (Narbonne H.S., CA), her high school teammates 6-2 Jr.-Ifunanya Ibekwe and 6-1 So.-Gabrielle Clark. The Narbonne Trio combined for over half of the teams 60 points. The “Storm” was able to hold onto a slight half time lead behind the play of 5-8 So.-Casey Morris (Piedmont H.S., CA) and 5-8 Jr.-Brooke Jackson (Mountain View H.S., AZ).

I ‘m sure that the only thing hoop fans east of the Mississippi know about Hawaii is how beautiful it is, oh yea and for the fellows the “Hula Girls”…man the ”Hula Girls”..oh my bad back to hoops. Well now they know about 5-10 So.-Shawna-Lei Kuehu (Punahou H.S., HI), who I ("L.A." - Street Talk/4SHOT Hoops) have dubbed “The Quite Storm”; in my book is a beast!. With Brewer on the sidelines the Honolulu native turned her game up another notch scoring a game high 26 points and grabbed a game high 7 rebounds to lead the “Storm” to the win.

© Copyright 2006 by 4SHOT Sports