Staff Report
MaxPreps.com
MUNCIE, Ind. – Not in our house.
Indiana teams successfully defended their home turf at the T-Mobile Invitational on the campus of Ball State University as Lawrence North of Indianapolis and Washington of South Bend swept the boys and girls tournament titles Tuesday.
Lawrence North used its towering roster – featuring seven players 6-foot-7 or taller – to limit South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.) superstar Derrick Favors to just 10 points as the Indianapolis powerhouse cruised to a 58-44 win in the boys’ final.
On the girls’ side, Notre Dame-bound scoring sensation Skylar Diggins led the way once again for Washington, scoring 26 points in a 64-55 win over Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.).
Boys Final: Lawrence North 58, South Atlanta 44 [Highlights]
Indianapolis’ Lawrence North knows a thing or two about dominant big men. Wildcat head coach Jack Keefer, who coached three Greg Oden-led teams to state titles from 2004-06, has apparently mastered the art of stopping dominant big men, as well.
A night after Derrick Favors posted 30 points and 21 rebounds to lead South Atlanta past Duncanville, Lawrence North put the clamps on the 6-9 stat machine in a 58-44 victory for the storied Indiana program.
Favors managed 10 points and 12 rebounds but battled foul trouble and exited the contest with 4:12 remaining after picking up his fifth. That would leave the Hornets shorthanded in their effort to combat a Lawrence North lineup that may be unmatched nationally in terms of length.
The Wildcats started senior Stephan VanTreese (6-9), junior Dominique Ferguson (6-9), junior Justin Martin (6-7), sophomore Ryan Taylor (6-5) and senior guard Alanzo Bass (6-0). Jeff Robinson (6-9) and Chris Read (6-7) both played significant minutes off the bench, while Jan Maehlen (7-0) and Michael Chandler (6-10) did not play.
Bass led Lawrence North with 15 points and four steals. Three Wildcats broke into double digits in the rebounding column with Taylor grabbing 15, VanTreese snatching 13 and Ferguson nabbing 11 more. The Hoosier State squad outrebounded South Atlanta 54-28.
Andre Malone was a bright spot for the Hornets in the loss with 17 points.
Lawrence North is the third T-Mobile Invitational champion. Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) took home the title in 2006 while eventual national champ St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) captured top honors last year.
Girls Final: Washington 64, Bob Jones 56 [Highlights]
Skylar Diggins’ 26 points, five rebounds and four steals led Washington (South Bend, Ind.) to the T-Mobile Invitational title on the girls’ side with a 64-56 win over Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.).
The Panthers used a 19-9 second quarter surge to pull away from the Patriots and maintained a comfortable lead throughout. Jasmine Watson was the only other Washington player to score in double figures with 11 points.
For the second straight night, Jala Harris paced Bob Jones in the scoring column by dropping in 20 points in a losing effort.
Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) won the T-Mobile Invitational title in 2007 after Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) won the inaugural event in 2006.
Boys Consolation: Garfield 57, Duncanville 56 [Highlights]
The Tony Wroten eligibility saga took another unexpected turn Tuesday as the star sophomore was cleared to play and promptly led Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) to a 57-56 win over Duncanville (Texas).
Wroten, a 6-foot-5 point guard regarded as potentially the top 2011 prospect in the country, played all 32 minutes in his season debut, registering 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and six steals.
Glen Brooks added 15 points and DeAndre Taylor 12 as the Bulldogs rebounded from a 61-37 loss to Lawrence North without Wroten on Monday. Garfield will return to the state of Washington as a favorite for the Class 4A state title.
Duncanville leaves Muncie with a disappointing 0-2 record after beginning the season as a leading candidate for the mythical national title. Oklahoma State-bound Reger Dowell led the way for the Panthers Tuesday, scoring 15 points.
Girls Consolation: University 78, Gentry 48 [Highlights]
A day after coming up short in a thriller against Washington, University (Newark, N.J.) bypassed the drama Tuesday by dominating Gentry (Indianola, Miss.), 78-48.
Senior guard Nadirah McKenith paced the Phoenix with 25 points and five assists. Star junior Laurin Mincy added 19 points, six rebounds and five steals.
Laneisha Jennie scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Gentry.
