Haley ClarkSUWANEE, Ga.Championship day at the Spring Showdown hosted a variety of games that ranged from a dominating defense performances to thrillers that came right down to the wire.
PROSPECTS NATION DIVISION
The Prospect Nation divisional final between Central Florida Elite and the Georgia Hoopstars was a high-energy game with a lot of possessions, but the poise and composure of CFE prevailed 52-45.
'14 shooting guard Haley Clark.
*Photo by Ty Freeman.
Destinee Walker, 5-foot-9 guard hit some huge 3-pointers down the stretch for CFE and Haley Clark, a 5-11 guard, was the emotional leader and glue player through out the game as well. Clark was able to break the press and facilitate the ball efficiently even with the full court pressure from the Hoopstars.
Makenna Pouengue, 5-10 guard made some impressive plays for the Hoopstars and Victoria Harris, 6-3 2015 center did a great job grabbing boards and making plays on both ends.
Walker finished with 15 points and Clark added 12 points for CFE and went 10-10 from the free throw line in the second half. Pouengue led the Hoopstars with 9 points.
PEACH STATE TV DIVISION
The first matchup of the morning featured the Atlanta Lady Celtics and Team Elite Pointer from the 2016 Peach State TV division. Team Elite had control the entire game and beat the Celtics 56-17. The defensive pressure from Quannecia Morrison , a rising 2017 prospect, and Narja Woolfolk a freshman, sparked a 14-0 start for Team Elite and it never let down the intensity.
Team Elite played very aggressive on both ends and it was a complete team effort from the starters and everyone else who came off of the bench. There was an array of great plays made including a 30-foot buzzer beater right before the half from 2017 guard Khayla Pointer.
It would be difficult to pick just one player as a stand out on this team because of its depth, but Woolfolk led Team Elite with 15 points so we can give her the honors for Team Elite.
PEACH STATE MEDIA
Our second game of the day featured a pair of very talented scoring guards in Tea Cooper, 5-8 scoring point guard for AOT and Jada Byrd, a 5-10 wing for the Atlanta Lady Celtics. Cooper maintained control of the game for AOT and led them to a 50-44 victory in the Peach State Media division.
After jumping out to a 14-5 start, Cooper had already put on a show with a reverse lay up in the lane followed by an impressive spin move that she scooped up with her left hand for a bucket on the next possession. Although AOT claimed the lead for most of the game, Byrd and 5-9 guard Brea Elmore made a run of their own by scoring a combined 11 straight points and pulling the Celtics to within two with 3:09 left in the game.
Cooper took over the rest of the game and did everything from grabbing rebounds to knocking down clutch free throws to seal the win. She finished with a game-high 24 points for AOT. Elmore led the Celtics with 19 points and Byrd chipped in 16 points.
PLATINUM NATION
A balanced attack led the Pistols 2015 to a 38-24 win over the Arkansas Lady Hawks in the final game of the Platinum Nation division. Christal Williams, a 5-2 guard for the Pistols had the hot hand scoring 11 points before suffering from an injury and leaving the game early in the second half.
Breasia McElrath, a sophomore, finished with eight points and a pair of 2015s, TeErica Eason and Brittany Stowers, also added six points for the Pistols. Jasmine Eckermann, a 5-11 guard, led the Lady Hawks with 12 points. Follow @RebeccaGrayPSB
