2002 Showcase Champions

The 2002 Miss Basketball Showcase featured 32 prep girls all-star teams from 10 states. Nebraska/Iowa Elite finished 8-0, winning their pool and five tournament games to capture their first Miss Basketball title. Congratulations to these players and all who participated for a job well done! The following article is from the July 15 issue of the Kearney Hub newspaper.

Nebraska/Iowa Elite wins title from Daubert

By JASON LUTH, Hub Sports Writer

07/15/2002

KEARNEY – Nebraska/Iowa Elite posted a 70-64 overtime win versus Daubert Pinnacle Nebraska in the championship game of the Miss Basketball Showcase on Sunday – the first time in the tournament’s seven-year history that two Nebraska teams clashed in the finals.

“It says something about the quality of basketball in Nebraska,” Tournament Director Doug Koster said. “It was a great game between two great teams.”

Nebraska/Iowa Elite led by as many as 14 points in the first half as Nebraska recruit Andrea Lightfoot scored nine of her game-high 23 points. Lightfoot was named the game’s MVP.

Teammate Elisha Turek scored 11 of her 20 points in the first half as Nebraska/Iowa Elite attacked from inside and out.

“We always expect to get to the finals,” Nebraska/Iowa coach Jim McClurkin said. “We walked through the tournament pretty easily until this game. We are proud of the girls. I think they enjoyed winning it.”

But Nebraska/Iowa almost started celebrating too early as Daubert Pinnacle Nebraska opened the second half by hitting a pair of 3-pointers.

South Sioux City’s Jenni Flynn got the ball rolling by knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the key in the opening moments of the second half. Falls City Sacred Heart’s Katie O’Grady splashed another 3-pointer on Daubert Pinnacle’s next possession to cut the deficit to 36-32 with 13 minutes remaining in the game.

“We basically played the entire game with six players,” McClurklin said. “I think it tired us out in the second half, but they refused to quit.

“I was starting to think about the South Dakota tournament. I think they (Daubert Pinnacle Nebraska) hit about 19 three’s in that game.”

Daubert Pinnacle tied the game at 52-52 with five minutes remaining, and eventually led by as many as seven points.

But Lightfoot hit a baseline jumper with 15 seconds remaining to force the game into overtime.

Nebraska/Iowa Elite quickly took a slim lead in overtime by getting to the free-throw line. Haley Fries knocked down a pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining to seal the win.

“I thought we were a shot or two away from putting it away,” Daubert Pinnacle Nebraska coach Kelly Flynn said. “But we started putting them at the free-throw line, and it slipped away from us.

“We wanted to run, but it turned into a halfcourt game. They played like champions down the stretch.”

TEAM ROSTER: