National Highlight Reel: Elizabeth Williams is a shot blocking machine

Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.) girls basketball coach Darnell Dozier still laughs when he recalls a video taken of Elizabeth Williams when she was in sixth grade.

"She looked just like a long giraffe," he told MaxPreps. "Her father gave it to me (when she was a freshman). I needed a laugh."

Early in her career, she was nicknamed "Spider."

Once she reached high school, however, she no longer was a laughing matter, because she has developed into one of the premier players in the country and one of the greatest ever produced in Virginia.

The 6-foot-3 senior solidified her legacy over the weekend when she led Princess Anne to the Group AAA state championship with a solid 65-39 victory over Stonewall Jackson (Manassas, Va.) by amassing 19 points, 19 rebounds and nine blocked shots.

Jami Frankenberry, who covered the game for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, said Williams "was just dominating at both ends of the floor. She can really change a game. She's the best post player we've ever had (in the area)."

It was the second title in her brilliant four-year career, during which she scored 1,628 points and pulled down 1,205 rebounds. The Cavaliers finished with a 31-1 record and 24-game winning streak.

The Duke University recruit probably will be best remembered for her amazing shot blocking.

Boo Williams, who has been coaching youth basketball for 30 years, calls her "one of the best female players to come out of the state. She is a female version of Alonzo Mourning. She can dominate a game on defense like Alonzo."

Mourning, who starred at Indian River (Chesapeake, Va.), also was noted for his shot blocking (12 per game as a senior), which helped him earn National Player of the Year honors. Williams averaged between 5.3 and 6.9 blocks and between 10.7 and 11.8 rebounds during her career.

"That's why she came to play for us – because we are a defensive-minded team. That's all I think about," Dozier said. "She's the best player I've seen (in 18 years). I used to live in New Jersey and I've seen players from all over the country. I can't recall her ever fouling out of a game."

* St. Marys (W. Va.) senior Kelsea Fickiesen made a state-record 15 steals during a 76-29 rout of Greater Beckley Christian (Prosperity, W. Va.) in the Class A state quarterfinals.

* Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) senior Temi Fagbenle has been named Gatorade New Jersey Girls Basketball Player of the Year. The 6-4 native of London, England, who will attend Harvard University, averaged 18.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.9 blocks.

* North Marion (Farmington, W. Va.) defeated South Charleston (W. Va.), 71-62, to win its record-tying third consecutive Class AAA state title, finishing the year with a 25-0 record and 43-game winning streak.

* Junior forward Michelle Wright was poetry in motion on Saturday night. She poured in 40 points and grabbed 21 rebounds to lead the Poets of Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) to an 80-62 victory over Northern (Accident, Md.) in the Class A state championship game.

* Holton (Kan.) won the battle of unbeatens with a 41-21 victory over Cheney (Kan.) in the Class 4A state title game. Cheney had won its previous 52 games.

* Superstar senior Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis made a school record nine 3-point baskets as Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) routed Fairfax (Los Angeles), 79-25.

* Kendall Noble of Perry County Central (Hazard, Ky.) - one of the state's top juniors - suffered a torn ACL during the state tournament and soon will have surgery. The 5-10 standout averaged an impressive 20.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.3 steals and 5.6 assists.

* Santa Fe (Edmond, Okla.) defeated Midwest City (Okla.) by a convincing 56-36 margin to win the Class 6A state title and end a 50-game winning streak. The winners drilled 28 free throws in 32 attempts.

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