MaxPreps 2015 Nike TOC tournament wrap

Video: Russell Wilson's sister can ball
See Bellevue's Anna Wilson in action earlier this season.

GILBERT, Ariz. – Tom Gonsalves, the fiery and intimidating coach of No. 1 St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), couldn't help it. His eyes got a little watery and his throat tightened up a bit as he talked about the seniors who helped St. Mary's hold off No. 2 Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) Tuesday in the championship game of the top bracket (Joe Smith Division) at the Nike TOC.

"Mi'Cole (Cayton) and Angel (Johnson) are our heart and soul," he said. "We had to fight through the turbulence, and it took everything out of us.

"I knew it was going to come down to the end," Gonsalves said, and even though the top team in the nation led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter, St. Mary's first Nike TOC championship didn't come easy. All-Tournament Team selection Kaila Charles hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to nine, and then came a bizarre sequence: Sierra Smith of St. Mary's was called for her fifth foul on a 3-point try by Teyjah Oliver – and followed by getting a technical. So Oliver shot five-straight free throws, hitting three, and then on the ensuing possession drained a 3-pointer from the left wing.

See the All-Tournament Teams at the bottom of this story

All the sudden it was a three-point game with 4:07 left, and a deep and talented Riverdale Baptist team felt its second-straight comeback win was in the cards.

"Yesterday we were down 12 and came back to win," said Charles. "I knew we could do it."

She did her best to make it happen, hitting a follow shot to get Riverdale as close as it had been since the opening minutes, but then Cayton, not known as a 3-point shooter, hit one from the left corner to push the margin back to four.

"We shoot threes in practice all the time," said Cayton, "and I was feeling real good."

That wasn't true for Cayton a few minutes later. She has had an ongoing stomach issue, and after she fed Aquira Decosta for a layup that made the score 74-67, the game was stopped when she threw up on the court with 40 seconds left. The delay didn't faze Riverdale Baptist, as Oliver then hit another 3-pointer with 29.8 seconds left to cut the lead to four, but the Californians defended down the stretch to hold on to that No. 1 ranking.

DeCosta topped all scorers with 24, and Oliver had 18 for Riverdale Baptist, but both teams featured balanced attacks with contributions from numerous players. And both teams proved themselves deserving of their national reputation.

"We never lay down," said Sam Caldwell, the Riverdale Baptist coach. "We missed 18 layups but we kept battling. I was very disappointed by our execution at the end."

So St. Mary's will remain No. 1 – at least until next week, when the Californians travel to Washington, D.C., for the Title IX Classic.

John Anderson Division wrap

Anna Wilson, sister of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, scored 16 points to lead Bellevue (Wash.) past Oaks Christian of Southern California, 44-39. Sydney Boyer topped all scorers with 21 in a game that featured five ties and eight lead changes before Bellevue overcame an eight-point third quarter deficit to pull out the win.

Mike Desper, other divisions wrap

Jaz'myne Snipes scored 29 points to lead ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) past Trinity (River Forest, Ill.), 55-51. Taylor Rusk added 14 for ThunderRidge, which led by 14 with one second left in the third quarter but had to hold off Annie McKenna and Trinity down the stretch.

Freshman Hanna Cavinder was the star in a 41-38 win for Gilbert (Ariz.) over in-state rival Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.). Cavinder hit eight 3's en route to 29 points to lead Gilbert to the Black Division title.

In the Gold Division, Fairmont Prep (Anaheim, Calif.) got 25 points from Cierra Hall to help knock off Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.).

Mullen (Denver), behind 11 points from Whitney Jacob, held Rosary Academy (Fullerton, Calif.) to just 24 points in a 39-24 win in the Diamond Division.

All-Joe Smith Division Team

MVP: Aquira DeCosta, St. Mary's

Jeannie Boehm, New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.)

Mi'Cole Cayton, St. Mary's

Kaila Charles, Riverdale Baptist

Justice Ethridge, Centennial (Las Vegas)

Madeline Holland, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)

Valerie Higgins, Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.)

Danae Miller, Long Beach Poly (Calif.)

Lindsey Pulliam, Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.)

Allyson Rosenblum, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Morgan Smith, Riverdale Baptist

All-John Anderson Division Team

MVP: Anna Wilson, Bellevue

Grace Berger, Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.)

Sydney Boyer, Oaks Christian

Katie Campbell, Oaks Christian

Sydni Harvey, Brentwood Academy (Tenn.)

Reili Richardson, Brea Olinda (Brea, Calif.)

Destiny Slocum, Mountain View (Meridian, Idaho)

Tatiana Streun, Bellevue

Alaysia Styles, La Jolla Country Day (Calif.)

Leilah Vigil, Highlands Ranch (Colo.)

Sydne Wiggins, Harrison (Kennesaw, Ga.)