Georgia Pistols claim AAU Girls Basketball 12-Under Division I National Championship
September 10th, 2009
Originally found at www.timesnews.net
written by Amanda Marsh
Not only do free throws win ball games, they win national championships.
The Georgia Pistols claimed the AAU Girls Basketball 12-Under Division I National Championship on Wednesday at Dobyns-Bennett High School, defeating the Dayton Hoopstars 46-44.
The Pistols raced back from as much as a 14-point deficit and held off the Dayton Hoopstars with a round of foul shots.
The pressure mounted for Georgia’s Brianna Cummings, as the referee handed her the ball for two free throws with the score tied at 44 and two seconds left.
Cummings bucketed the first shot and then the second, landing Georgia the title.
“I was very nervous,” Cummings said, “but I just tried to concentrate on my form so that they went in.”
Brittani Rizzi hit 3 of 4 3-point goals in the first half, allowing the Hoopstars to hold a 27-14 lead at halftime.
With his team looking slightly sluggish on the court, Lady Pistols coach Lanny Martin took the break to pump up his girls’ spirits.
“We told them that we are a second-half team,” said Martin, a second-year coach of the Pistols. “We just wanted it. They buckled down, played good defense and they never stopped believing.”
After Georgia opened the second half with a pair of free throws, the Lady Hoopstars’ Kathryn Westbeld drained a 3-pointer to give her team a 30-16 advantage.
The Pistols then used a deep bench to wear down the Lady Hoopstars’ tandem of Westbeld and Makayla Waterman.
Westbeld was the game’s top scorer with 15 points.
Georgia’s Jasmine Carter and Te’A Omari Cooper brought the Pistols within four points of the lead midway through the second half.
Several layups and fouls filled the rest of the contest, allowing the Pistols to take advantage of their bonus shots.
“We missed some easy buckets,” Hoopstars coach Kent Depoorter said. “The Pistols are a great team. Things just didn’t go our way today.”
The Lady Pistols finished seventh in last year’s national championships.
Carter and Cooper led Georgia with 12 points apiece.
