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KEARNEY — By all
indications Tournament Gold has aquired the Midas touch this summer.
Tournament Gold, an
Omaha team, lifted its second tournament trophy this month by edging the
Sioux Falls Riders 48-40 in the championship game of the Miss Basketball
Showcase on Sunday.
Tournament Gold won the
Dakota Showcase that was held June 28-30 in Sioux Falls.
"We have had a
great couple of weeks," Tournament Gold I coach Doug Woodard said.
"I think losing a game in pool play was the best thing that could
have happened to us. We weren't getting after it like we had been, and it
seemed to wake us up.
"We may not get the
publicity of some of the other all-star teams, but these girls firmly
believed that they are the best team in this tournament."
Bellevue West senior
Kristi Woodard and Millard North senior Angie Janis were named co-MVP's of
the tournament after scoring 15 and 11 points, respectively, in the
championship game.
The Sioux Falls Riders,
who are comprised of players from Sioux Falls Roosevelt High School, were
led by Lindsay Thomas' 17 points.
The Rider players are no
strangers to success — Roosevelt High has won 86 straight games and
boasts four state championships in as many years.
"We felt like we
gave it a great shot considering that we are a high school team,"
Sioux Falls coach Charlie Luecke said. "We are glad to be a part of
this tournament, and I'm sure the Riders will be back again next
year."
Tournament Gold, the
sister team to the Mr. Basketball Invitational champions of the week
before, trailed by as many as nine points early in the first half, but
quickly turned the tide with superior defensive intensity.
Bolstered by several
late defensive stops, Tournament Gold took a 22-21 lead into halftime, and
never trailed in the second half.
"We are fairly long
and athletic," Coach Woodard said of his team. "And when these
girls get after it, they can really cause problems for teams on the
defensive end. Sioux Falls plays so well together. …We knew we would
have to match their intensity and take care of the ball."
They did.
Tournament Gold claimed
its largest lead of the game on a short jumper by Kristi Woodard that made
it 39-30 with six minutes remaining in regulation.
"We had a couple of
teams that we struggled with, but we pulled through and did what we had
to," Kristi Woodard said. "We worked together to get this win,
and that's probably what makes this team as good as it is." | 
