Of all the big-name players on the Norcross (Ga.) girls basketball team, Judean Hanks isn’t one of them.
Norcross freshman Kaela Davis had 21 points in state finals.
File photo by Mitchell Reibel
The senior made a rare start in the Georgia AAAAA championship game against the defending state champs and No. 10 squad in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings and handed
Redan (Stone Mountain, Ga.) a rare loss – the first in 58 tries – with a 76-63 triumph at Gwinnett Arena on Friday.
Hanks, no relation to Tom, had 17 points and made a 3-pointer with 6:25 left that, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, gave Norcross its first lead since the first quarter.
After that, the marquee names, Kaela Davis, Briana Jordan and Diamond Deshields helped to take over.
Davis, the daughter of former NBA standout Antonio Davis, had a team-high 21 points, and DeShields, the daughter of former major league baseball standout Delino, had 17 points. Both are freshman. Jordan, daughter of former NFL and Major Leaguer Brian Jordan, added 15 points. She's a senior headed to Tennesee Tech.
Norcross (28-4) had a 16-1 run starting late in the third quarter to break open a close game. It made 17 of 21 free throws in the final quarter. It was the school’s first state title, but with Davis and DeShields ready to return for three more years, it might not be the last.
Junior Kierra Paige had a game-high 22 points and Alisha Andrews 21 for Redan, which wasn’t the only Xcellent 25 team involved in a state-title tournament over the weekend.
Southridge (Beaverton, Ore.) 55, No. 14 Oregon City (Ore.) 47
In the 6A semifinals, Oregon City’s perfect season and dreams of a title went poof with a bitter defeat to the eventual champs. According to the Oregoneon, Taylor Ward had 15 points and Tiffani Brewer added 12 for Oregon City (27-1), which shot 53 percent in the first half but just 10-for-28 in the second.
Oregon City hadn’t lost to a team in its state since the 2008 final against Southridge, which won its fourth straight state crown that year, but was eliminated in 2009 by Oregon City.
Southridge (26-2) beat Jesuit in the finals 47-38.
No. 19 Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis, Mo.) 52, Blue Springs (Mo.) 43
At Mizzou Arena, Incarnate (30-1) overcame a sluggish first half and got 14 points and 10 rebounds by Brianna Puni to captured its third Class 5 title. Brittany Carter added 12 points for the winners who, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, used runs of 7-0 and 8-3 in the second half to take control.
Lake Taylor (Norfolk, Va.) 50, No. 24 Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.) 44
The third-meeting between the two national powers not only was the rubber game between them but decided the state AAA championship, as most predicted.
According to Hamptonroads.com, Lindsay Stepney had 17 points and keyed a 13-0 run in the third quarter run that helped Lake Taylor, in the Xcellent 25 most of the year, finish at 30-1 and avenge its only loss 59-49 on March 1.
Lake Taylor did a fantastic job defending 6-3 Elizabeth Williams, considered one of the nation’s top players from the Class of 2011. She had 16 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks, but went scoreless in the fourth quarter.
The only other loss all season for Princess Anne (29-2) was 48-45 in the championship of the Ronald Curry/Boo Williams Christmas Classic.
It was the first state title of any sport for Lake Taylor and was played before 7,500 fans at VCU’s Siegal Center.
