The biggest girls basketball game of 2008-09 didn’t disappoint. In fact, it may have even surpassed the enormous billing.
There was plenty of that.
Ben Davis (Indianapolis) sophomore Bria Goss banked in a 15-foot leaner with 1.4 seconds remaining giving the appropriately-named Giants a 71-69 5A state championship-game victory over Washington (South Bend) before 13,300 fans at Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday night.
A last-second halfcourt shot by National Player of the Year candidate Skylar Diggins fell short as did Washington’s hope for a perfect season and mythical national championship.
Instead, Davis became the first girls team in state history to go 30-0 while Washington finished 26-1.
The Giants came into the game No. 2 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and remain right there behind top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana) which absolutely breezed to a Southern Section title.
If Mater Dei falls over the next two weeks – the Monarchs need four wins to win a state crown – Ben Davis will finish as mythical national champions.
Washington came in No. 3 and remained right there based on a virtual dead-even game with Davis, which got 18 and 12 points respectively from seniors Alex Bentley and DeAirra Goss, who both had fouled out.
That helped Washington erase a solid 11-point cushion with just under three minutes left after a barrage from Diggins, who scored eight points of her game-high 29 points in a 55-second span.
Her last bucket with 45 seconds left tied the game at 69-69 before Bria Goss took the last shot. She told the Indianapolis Star that she was falling down so she lost sight of the ball.
But she could hear it.
“I didn't even see it go in,” she told the Star. “They were all yelling and screaming, so I guess I made it.”
Bria Goss finished with 15 for Davis, which won its third state title after winning in 2000 and 2001. The Notre Dame-bound Diggins, who made 8 of 21 shots and 12 of 13 free throws, was backed up by Jasmine Watson and Karis Phillips with 12 apiece.
Diggins, who played in four straight state title games, winning one, told the South Bend Tribune: “We have nothing to hang our heads about. We played our hearts out.”
Staff photo by Keith Owens
Summit's Starr Crawford (50) was the Texas 5A MVP.
Texas Surprise: We’ve had a carousel of Texas powers roll through the Xcellent 25. Didn’t get the right one in the end. Summit (Mansfield) shocked previous No. 15 Nimitz and the other top national Player of the Year candidate Brittney Griner 52-43 for the Texas 5A title on Saturday. Summit (34-4) got 12 points and 10 rebounds from Starr Crawford, the 5A tournament MVP, and made 17 of 21 from the line compared to 7-of-19 by Nimitz, which got 22 points and 12 rebounds from the 6-8 Griner. The night before, Griner busted loose for a Texas tournament-record 44 points in a 74-47 semifinal win over Pflugerville. For Summit, it was the second win in two nights over a nationally-ranked opponent as it upended previous No. 21 Cy-Fair 49-39 in the semifinals. See our comprehensive stories on all the Texas championships from John Hillman on Saturday and Friday.
More Indiana News: Previous No. 14 Heritage Christian got a 15-foot bank shot by Claire Freeman to beat Oak Hill 60-58 in overtime to win the Indiana 2A state title. Heritage (26-1) became the second Indiana girls team ever to win four straight state crowns, the other being Bishop Luers (Fort Wayne) from 1999 to 2002. Connecticut-bound Kelly Faris battled foul troubled but finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. See story.
Illinois Showdown: Previous No. 11 Bolingbrook (25-4) proved that its tough non-league schedule would pay dividends as it had little trouble defeating previous No. 4 Whitney Young 53-29 in the 4A State Illinois championship game. Morgan Tuck, perhaps the most skilled freshman in the country, had 15 of her game-high 17 points in the first half. Ariel Massengale, Satavia Taylor, Nicolia Henry and Mercedes Griffin combined for 34 points for the winners, while Porsha Harris and Chanise Jenkins combined for 17 for Young (33-2).
Staff photo by Dirk Dewachter
Cajon guard Layshia Clarendon (23) had 28 points in win over Poly
Battle-Tested Cowboys: After a rough-and-tumble loss at top-ranked Mater Dei a month ago, the previous No. 12 Cajon Cowboys have simply dusted themselves off and won seven straight, by far their most impressive was Friday’s 52-44 win over three-time defending state Division I champion and previous No. 8 Long Beach Poly. As usual, McDonald’s “should-be” All-American (she was left off the team), Cal-bound point guard Layshia Clarendon carried the squad with 28 points and eight rebounds along with Arkansas-bound Darshae Burnside (nine points, 22 rebounds, seven blocks). The victory snapped a 28-game Southern Section I-AA playoff win streak for Poly, which never led and got 10 points and nine rebounds from McDonald’s All-American Monique Oliver.
About the Rankings: MaxPreps already provides the most comprehensive high school sports ratings with the MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard, a computer model developed by Ned Freeman. Now, it’s time to get the human element involved.
Each Monday, Mitch Stephens will run down the top 25 girls basketball teams in the country – weighing record, quality wins and losses and other factors to determine the best of the best.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 30-0 (1-0 last week) – In a word, wow. The Monarchs won their Southern Section II-A playoff championship game over the state’s No. 41 team No. 41 Beverly Hills 81-42 as perhaps the nation’s top sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis outscored the Normans herself with a career-high 44 points. In three quarters. Mater Dei averaged a 45-point margin of victory in fourth playoff games and now enters the South Region play Tuesday with a probable finals date with No. 5 Brea Olinda.
2. Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 30-0 (1-0) – Wins despite being outscored at the line by 16.
3. Washington (South Bend, Ind.) 26-1 (0-1) – Diggins finished her career with a record of 102-7.
4. Brea Olinda (Brea, Calif.) 29-2 (1-0) – Beat Edison 62-40 to claim the Southern Section I-AA title, a stronger division than Mater Dei’s I-A championship.
5. Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati, Ohio) 23-1 (1-0) — Claimed District title with 60-40 win over Glen Este.
6. Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 24-2 (3-0) – Dropped Oak Hill Academy twice last week, 74-57 and 58-48.
7. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 26-1 (2-0) – Ho hum, the Irish won their 10th straight CCS title with big win over very good St. Ignatius team.
8. St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.) 27-3 (2-0) – The Rams get challenged but fend off very good Sacramento squad. Everyone awaits possible rematch with Sacred Heart Cathedral on Saturday.
9. Bolingbrook (Ill.) 25-4 (3-0) – Look for this team to contend for a mythical national title the next two seasons.
10. Cajon (San Bernardino, Calif.) 30-2 (1-0) – Can Cowboys get through four more grueling games with little bench help?
11. Heritage Christian (Indianapolis, Ind.) 26-1 (1-0) – Freeman on her game-winning bank shot: “I didn’t call bank.”
12. Whitney Young (Chicago, Ill.) 33-2 (2-1) – First loss to an in-state team came at bad time.
13. Westbury Christian (Houston) 43-1 (0-0) – Season ended last week but still leads the nation in wins.
14. Kentwood (Covington, Wash.) 28-1 (4-0) – Jumped five spots with convincing wins over Kamiak (73-39), Pasco (59-44), Federal Way (49-43) and Snohomish (60-47) en route to the 4A state championship. Courtney Johnson had 18 and Lindsey Moore 16 in the finals.
Staff photo by Juliann Tallino
Kentwood celebrates a Washington 4A title on Saturday.
15. Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa) 27-1 (1-0) - Had little trouble with West York 59-42.
16. Cardinal O’Hara (Springfield, Pa.) 25-2 (1-0) — Scored a 56-51 win over Council Rock North.
17. Summit (Mansfield, Texas) 34-4 (2-0) - The Jaguars haven’t lost one all year, going 17-0 since a 50-45 loss to cross-town rival Timberview on New Year’s Eve.
18. Nimitz (Houston) 37-2 (1-1) - Griner’s 44 broke the previous high of 43 in 1979 when the girls played 3-on-3. The game has come a long way baby.
19. Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 27-3 (0-1) – Don’t be surprised if Cajon and Poly face Saturday with state bid on the line.
20. Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.) 32-0 (1-0) - With a 65-39 win over the Academy de Notre Dame the Patriots captured the Independent School Basketball championship and finished undefeated, thus gaining the honor of ringing a bell in front of campus. Maggie Lucas had 21 points and Jesse Carey 17. It was the school’s first unbeaten girls basketball team since 1979.
21. Highlands Ranch (Colo.) 24-2 (2-0) - Crushed two more playoff opponents including a 91-65 win over Heritage to move into Wednesday’s semifinal against Monarch (20-6). Waiting on the other side of the bracket is No. 22 Regis Jesuit versus previously ranked Horizon (25-1). The semifinal winners meet Friday in Boulder.
22. Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) 22-4 (2-0) - Beat George Washington (88-45) and Chaparral (52-28) to move into Wednesday’s semifinal.
23. Fargo South (Fargo, N.D.) 22-0 (3-0) - Not much competition for Fargo South, which scored a 102-41 win over Wah Peton before pair of 30-something wins.
24. East Lansing (Mich.) 24-0 (3-0) - Trojans have almost doubled the output of opponents this season, 1,503 to 809.
25. Dulles (Sugar Land, Texas) 36-3 (0-0) – If they played the state 5A tournament 10 times, there might be six different winners.
On the Bubble: Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas) 32-4; Detroit Community (Detroit, Mich.) 22-0; Detroit Country Day (Mich.) 22-1; Fayetteville (Ark) 31-0; Foothill (Santa Ana, Calif.) 29-1; Jones (Madison, Ala.) 33-3; Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio).22-2; Murry Bergtraum (New York, N.Y.) 20-1; Neptune (N.J.) 26-0; St. Michael Academy (New York, N.Y.) 20-3; Westlake (Atlanta) 27-2
Past weeks: Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 20, Jan. 26, Feb. 2, Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 23. March 2.
Click Here for MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard.
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.