By Nathan Joyce
MaxPreps.com
The top-ranked girl basketball player and her top-ranked team are in Seattle
for a two-day swing that starts today.
Maya Moore, a 6-foot forward who will play at Connecticut, plays for
Collins Hill of Suwanee, Ga., the No. 1 team in the nation according to USA
Today.
Collins Hill will play another top-ranked program today at the inaugural
T-Mobile Invitational at Edmundson Pavilion on the University of Washington
campus. Collins hill plays No. 15 Winter Haven, Fla, at 1 p.m.. In the other
girls game, No. 11 St. Elizabeth of Wilmington, Del., plays Class 3A state
runner-up Issaquah at 4 p.m.
On the boys side, state power O'Dea, which has played in three-straight
Class 3A state title games, plays Los Angeles power Fairfax at 5:30 p.m. In
the other game, Solon, Ohio, plays plays No. 11 LeFlore of Mobile, Ala., at
2:30 p.m.
The championship games are Thursday (girls at 4 p.m., boys at 5:45 p.m.).
Collins Hill is coming of a win in the Tournament of Champions in Chandler,
Ariz. Moore won MVP honors after leading her team, which has won two-consecutive state titles in Georgia, past three nationally ranked teams.
Moore brings a Paul Bunyan-esque reputation with her to Washington. They say
she's versatile enough to play all five positions and could dunk as a
sophomore.
"I feel like when I talk to people about Maya, they must be thinking, 'This
kid can't be this good. She's too good to be true.'" Collins Hill coach Tracey
Tipton, told the Seattle Times. "But she continues to amaze me all the time.
If you took basketball out of the picture, she would still be one of the
most incredible people you have ever met."
Basketball: Bellevue Wins Tourney at Buzzer
Chase Anderson was the unlikely hero as Bellevue beat South Kitsap 40-39 in
the championship game of the Oh Boy! Oberto Christmas Classic, the state's
top pre-Christmas tournament.
Anderson averages 2.5 points points per game but the 6-foot-5 forward hit a
layup at the buzzer for Bellevue.
"I wasn't expecting to be in at the end of the game," Anderson told the
Seattle Times. "I'm usually a defensive guy, and at the end of the game when
we need points, I don't expect to be in."
South Kitsap point guard Tippy Burk hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to play
to give the Wolves the lead.
Luke Sikma, son of Seattle SuperSonics star Jack Sikma, was tournament MVP.
Courtney Vandersloot earned MVP honors as she led Kentwood past Auburn
Mountainview 70-37 in the championship game of the girls Oh Boy! Oberto
Classic.
Basketball: Roosevelt Proves Best
In a matchup of two of the top girls programs in the state, Roosevelt of
Seattle beat Prairie of Vancouver 71-64 at the Roosevelt Holiday Festival.
"This definitely felt like a state game," Roosevelt guard Ariel Evans, who
had 10 points, eight assists and nine steals, told the Seattle Times. "We
really wanted to win it."
Ashley Corral, a 5-foot-9 junior guard and one of the state's top recruits,
led the Vancouver team with 26 points.
Roosevelt's Mackenzie Argens, a 6-3 center bound for Washington, had 20
points and 15 rebounds.
Football: AP Names Moore Top Player
Prosser's record-breaking quarterback Kellen Moore was named Washington
state player of the year by the Associated Press, in a vote of sports
writers across the state.
Moore, bound for Boise State, threw for 4,260 yards and 67 touchdowns,
guiding the Mustangs to the Class 2A state semifinals.
Moore's career numbers are staggering: 11,358 yards passing, 787
completions, nearly 66 percent completions and 173 touchdowns against just
34 interceptions.
Oak Harbor quarterback Marshall Lobbestael was the Class 4A player of the
year after he threw for 2,700 yards and 34 touchdowns to lead his team to
the state title.
Kennedy running back Nate Williams (committed to Washington) won the Class
3A award. Tyler Slesk of state champion Meridian won the award for Class 1A.
La Salle running back Lawrence Cacchiotti won the award for the 2B
classification, and Joe Campbell, Tri-Cities Prep's record-breaking back,
won for 1B.
For the complete All-State team, Click Here.