North Carolina lands four of the top 20 players in the 2013 class -- and it's not done

Chris Hansen | email

ESPNHS HoopGurlz

The "Fab Five" -- Michigan's 1991 men's basketball recruiting class -- is considered by many the greatest class ever recruited. Two decades later, a trio of high school players is plotting to take the women's game by similar storm.

On Saturday, three of the top 20 players in the 2013 class -- No. 3 Diamond DeShields, No. 15 Stephanie Mavunga and No. 18 Jessica Washington -- dialed North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell and dropped a bombshell on the coach who just finished her 26th year at the helm of the Tar Heels.

Glenn Nelson/ESPN.comThe addition of Diamond DeShields to prospects that North Carolina have already amassed put the Tar Heels in national title contention.

DeShields, a 6-foot-2 wing from Norcross, Ga., called Mavunga, a 6-2 forward from Brownsburg, Ind., to put the plan, which was two weeks in the making, into action.  The two then used three-way calling to loop in Washington, a 5-foot-8 point guard from Tulsa, Okla.

"I was shivering," Mavunga said.  "I didn't know what I wanted to say."

Phase I of the trio's Future Five plan was under way.  Washington then used three-way calling on her line to reach Hatchell and, one at a time, Mavunga, then DeShields and then Washington each announced their commitments.

"Great players want to play with other great players," said DeShields, who is the daughter of former Major League Baseball infielder Delino DeShields.

Following the Boo Williams Nike Invitational in Hampton, Va., in late April, DeShields -- who plays for the A.O.T. Lady Rebels and was also considering Connecticut, Tennessee, Maryland and Duke -- and Washington -- who plays for Jenks (Okla.) and the Oklahoma And-1 -- together made the trip to UNC's campus.  It was there in Chapel Hill that Washington was offered in person by Hatchell (DeShields had already received hers), realizing a childhood dream.

"I just knew it was the right school," Washington said of North Carolina.  "Everything just fell into place."

But both DeShields and Mavunga had more work to do to bring Phase II of their master plan to fruition.  DeShields' fellow Peach State star -- 6-foot guard Allisha Gray of Sandersville, Ga., also committed on Saturday. The sharpshooter is the No. 8 prospect in the 2013 class.  Mavunga plans to lean on her close friend Mercedes Russell, a 6-5 post from Springfield, Ore., who is the top-ranked player in the class.

Two weeks ago, a series of text messages and direct messages via Twitter linked these somewhat unlikely conspirators  who have never played on the same team, even at the national level -- into friendships rooted in basketball.

"I (messaged) Diamond on Twitter and we just kept talking about [where we wanted to commit]," Mavunga said.  "We were up until 2 in the morning that night.  We said 'bye' about three times that night and kept talking about it."

Glenn Nelson/ESPN.comThe commitment of No. 18 Jessica Washington of Tulsa, Okla., gives North Carolina a classic point guard to put with its growing collection of elite wings and forwards.

DeShields triggered the action on Saturday, calling the other two and letting them know that she was going to make her commitment that day.

"I feel like once you get that feeling, you should do it," DeShields said.  "I've had this feeling about other schools but never for this long.  I just said, 'Diamond, stop second-guessing yourself.'"

With these commitments, the Tar Heels - who went 20-11 in 2011-12 and missed the NCAA Tournament -- are clearly on the road back to becoming a national title contender.  Time will tell if these signings lead to success similar to what North Carolina enjoyed during the Erlana Larkins and Ivory Latta years, but with the elite players in the trenches fighting for the Tar Heels before they even step on campus, it seems likely that, at minimum, North Carolina and its Future Five will be dancing soon.

No surprise to see Baylor on top

By Charlie Creme | espnW   

Charlie Creme | email

The 2012-13 season doesn't tip off for another six months, but it's never too early to take a look at next season's top 25

rankings.

When you go 40-0 and return almost everyone who contributed to a national championship season, it's impossible not to be the big favorite the following year. The Lady Bears will have a target on their back from the opening tip, but they played with one most of 2011-12 and flourished. Records for Brittney Griner will fall as regularly as Baylor opponents. Odyssey Sims should only get better, and she's already at worst the second-best point guard in the country. Griner will still get plenty of help up front from Destiny Williams and Brooklyn Pope, and a top-20 recruit, 6-foot-2 Alexis Prince of Maitland, Fla., arrives. Getting to the Final Four in coach Kim Mulkey's home state of Louisiana might be the new rallying cry.

Only Tiffany Hayes leaves a team that coach Geno Auriemma felt maybe overachieved a bit to reach the Final Four. The overachieving is over. With the top recruiting class in the country on its way to Storrs, the Huskies will be a big favorite to reclaim their spot atop the Big East and stand as the biggest challenge to Baylor. Stefanie Dolson has gotten better each of her two seasons, and that should continue. Still, the biggest improvements should come from Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Kiah Stokes as they move from freshmen to sophomores. Sprinkle in 6-3 forward Breanna Stewart, HoopGurlz's No. 1 overall prospect, and 5-7 Moriah Jefferson (HoopGurlz's No. 2-ranked recruit) and 6-2 Morgan Tuck (No. 15), and the depth problem that has been a weakness for the Huskies the past two seasons will be gone.

The Blue Devils under Joanne P. McCallie have been knocking on the door of a Final Four, but have yet to break through. Next season will be their best shot yet. After Griner and Sims, Elizabeth Williams and Chelsea Gray are the best post-point guard combination in the country. Both will compete for spots on All-American teams. Haley Peters and Tricia Liston made big strides this season and are solid third and fourth options. If Amber Henson, a top-10 recruit from a year ago, can return with a healthy knee, she and Williams will form a front-line tandem that will be create big matchup problems.

The Terrapins certainly will miss program mainstays Lynetta Kizer and Anjale Barrett, but just having back All-American Alyssa Thomas as a junior makes them a threat. Also helping put Maryland in position for another run at the Final Four are second- and third-leading scorers Laurin Mincy and Tianna Hawkins. Brene Moseley should be ready to move into Barrett's spot as the starting point guard and actually will give Maryland more quickness. Katie Rutan, a transfer from Xavier, becomes eligible to give the Terps a deep threat.

The Wildcats will enter the season as a big favorite in the SEC, and it won't even be close. The defending regular-season conference champs lose Keyla Snowden and Amber Smith, but return SEC player of the year A'dia Mathies, SEC freshman of the year Bria Goss, plus guard Kastine Evans and post Samarie Walker. Jennifer O'Neill's return from a foot injury with give coach Matthew Mitchell the point guard to replace Smith.

The post-Nneka Ogwumike era begins at Stanford, and she will be missed dearly. The Cardinal are now completely turned over to her sister, junior-to-be Chiney, who made the 10-member WBCA All-America team in April. Even with Chiney, the loss of Nneka transforms Stanford into a more perimeter-oriented team. Toni Kokenis, Amber Orrange, and the healthy return of Jasmine Camp -- who missed most of this season with a stress fracture in her left foot -- will be vital. The Cardinal's days of multiple talented bigs on the roster are gone for now.

The growth of Coquese Washington's program should continue in 2013. Guards Maggie Lucas (a 19 points-per-game scorer) and Alex Bentley (14 per game) and post Nikki Greene (who averaged 10 points and eight rebounds) are back. Penn State will be the favorite to repeat as Big Ten champ.

Skylar Diggins and Muffet McGraw will have to get used to life without Devereaux Peters, Natalie Novosel and Brittany Mallory. Natalie Achonwa, who improved substantially during her sophomore season, will be a huge key, because the Irish are otherwise devoid of post players.

The Lady Bulldogs, not Tennessee, likely will challenge Kentucky for SEC supremacy. Jasmine Hassell, Khaalidah Miller, Anne Marie Armstrong and Jasmine James -- each of whom are double-figure scorers -- are back. This will be the season for this group at Georgia to take a next step.

Kim Barnes-Arico will be at Michigan next season, but she truly built something at St. John's before heading to Ann Arbor. The building blocks that began the program's ascent have matured into upperclassmen. The vitally important Nadirah McKenith returns for her senior season at point guard. She is joined by backcourt running mates Eugeneia McPherson and Shenneika Smith, and Amber Thompson in the frontcourt. Joe Tartamella, associate head coach the past three years, has been named Barnes-Arico's successor.

Given the injuries that the Cardinals suffered through en route to an appearance in the NCAA tournament's second round, 2012 had to be considered a success. A healthier roster should make next season much better. Leading scorer Shoni Schimmel is back, as is Bria Smith, who is coming off a solid freshman year. If Tia Gibbs can return from the shoulder injury that cost her this past season, coach Jeff Walz will have a backcourt to at least rival UConn, Notre Dame and St. John's in the Big East.

A young Sooners team gets a year older and healthier. Once again, Sherri Coales' club will be driven by its backcourt, which is led by Whitney Hand and Aaryn Ellenberg. The improvement of another guard, Sharane Campbell, from her freshman to sophomore season will be a key.

Elena Delle Donne alone makes the Blue Hens the favorite in the CAA. The NCAA tournament did prove that she needs more help. Classmates Lauren Carra, Danielle Parker and Trumae Lucas were solid all season, but they will have to do even more to disprove the notion that this team is all Delle Donne.

Sydney Wallace's growth will be a key for the Yellow Jackets. MaChelle Joseph will be building around speedy guard Tyaunna Marshall. Replacing post Sasha Goodlett and guard Metra Walthour won't be easy.

All-Pac 12 guard Layshia Clarendon, point guard Brittany Boyd, who made the league's all-freshman team, and everyone else returns for coach Lindsay Gottlieb. The Bears are still the most likely program to threaten Stanford, which won't be as formidable.

The Cornhuskers were better than anticipated in their first year in the Big Ten. With Lindsey Moore, Jordan Hooper and Emily Cady returning, they should be even better in 2012-13.

Coach Gary Blair will have to figure out how to replace program mainstays Sydney Carter, Adaora Elonu and Tyra White, plus his chief assistant and right-hand man Vic Schaefer (Bob Starkey, who spent 22 seasons at LSU, was hired as an assistant in mid-April). Look for Blair to build around posts Kelsey Bone and Karla Gilbert. The backcourt gets a boost from a year of experience for Alexia Standish and the arrivals of freshman Jordan Jones (HoopGurlz's No. 14 overall prospect)  and Courtney Williams (No. 9).

The long, successful career of Brittany Rayburn is over, so next year's Boilermakers will be built around the backcourt tandem of KK Houser and Courtney Moses. Sam Ostarello, a 6-2 forward who averaged 8.4 rebounds per game, good for third in the Big Ten, also will be key.

The WNIT championship was a great ending to an otherwise impossible season for the Cowgirls. The emotion of losing head coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna won't go away, but the players and coaches now have the confidence to keep playing successfully. There also wasn't a senior on the roster, so everyone is back to build on the WNIT title and continue the recovery process.

The Commodores return the SEC's leading scorer in Christina Foggie and the conference's assist leader in Jasmine Lister, plus four other players who started at least 15 games. Vandy should have no problem running its NCAA tournament streak to 14.

Don't be mistaken -- these rankings were assembled shortly after the national championship game. The Lady Vols are this low for the first time in years simply because of the uncertainty in the program. Even before Pat Summitt stepped down, the coaching situation at Tennessee was sure to be the biggest story in women's basketball during the offseason. Summitt, assistant Mickie DeMoss and all five starters are gone. Next year's team will be built around the talents of guards Meighan Simmons and Ariel Massengale.

The Jayhawks' run to the Sweet 16 should serve as a huge confidence builder for a program that hadn't even reached the tournament since 2000. Angel Goodrich will be right behind Diggins and Sims on any list of the top point guards. Chelsea Gardner emerged late in the season out of necessity and should be an able replacement up front for the departed Aishah Sutherland. If Carolyn Davis, the Jayhawks' best player most of the season, comes back from her knee injury suffered late in the year, Kansas will have a chance to go even further than the Sweet 16.

The Longhorns might have needed a fresh start with Gail Goestenkors stepping down, but she didn't leave the cupboard completely bare for new coach and one-time Texas assistant Karen Aston. Chassidy Fussell finished the season playing well. If former McDonald's All-American Tiffany Moore can return from her allergy issues, Cokie Reed's foot problems are finally behind her, and last year's star recruit, Cassie Peoples, is back after a year lost to foot injury, the Longhorns should be back in the mix for chasing second place in the Big 12.

The emergence of Samantha Logic late in the season, coupled with the return of Morgan Johnson in the post, put the Hawkeyes in good position for a sixth straight trip to the NCAA tournament. The big question mark will be the health of Jaime Printy. Iowa's leading scorer suffered a torn left ACL, for the second time, late in the season.

The Big 12 looks to be an even better league in 2013, and the Cyclones' improvement is part of that. If point guard Nikki Moody can take her game to the next level, Iowa State should do the same. Top scorers Chelsea Poppens, a 6-2 forward, and 6-3 Hallie Christofferson are back for their senior seasons.

Other teams to watch:

Virginia: Ataira Franklin and nearly every other key member of the Cavaliers are back as they try to return to the NCAA tournament.

Middle Tennessee: The core of Ebony Rowe, Kortni Jones and Icelyn Elie are all back for a Blue Raider team that has dominated the Sun Belt the last two seasons.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers return all five starters from the team that beat Notre Dame in the regular season and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. The size that Asya Bussie and Ayana Dunning provide will allow West Virginia to again compete with the Big East's best.

And it was a moment that came even before the first tip-off.

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Eric GayGeno Auriemma and Pat Summitt shared a brief moment during UConn's practice Saturday at the Women's Final Four.

A woman wearing a bright chartreuse jacket made her way out onto the Pepsi Center floor. Not too long after she arrived, Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma made his way to the woman, and the crowd noticed.

It was Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who was here to show support for forward Glory Johnson during Saturday's State Farm All-America Team ceremony. Auriemma and Summitt, two college basketball coaching legends simply sharing a moment for the whole arena to see. Before long, fans moved in, asking Summitt for autographs; other admirers yelled from afar.

"We love you, Pat!"

"Come back next year, Coach!"

And that's what made the scene that much more powerful: the unknown. Will Summitt return for 2012-13 after revealing before the start of this season that she was diagnosed with early onset dementia?

Many will speculate her future for weeks to come. On Saturday, at least, the women's college basketball world simply appreciated Summitt was where she belonged.

Polish your game for club season

Now that you've hopefully cut down the nets and possibly hung a state championship banner for your high school team, you might be wondering how you should be adjusting your focus for the club basketball season.

Everyone is different in how they approach and treat these situations, but I have a few tips that might ease the adjustment.

It is important to stop and take a step back to allow yourself to switch gears and refresh your state of mind. At the end of each high school season, I made sure to give myself a couple days of complete rest to not only rejuvenate my body, but to refocus my psyche for the long summer ahead. The style I played in high school was not too different from my club team, but it was a complete change in mentality.

High school is where the team must come together as a group and work as one to advance as far as possible in hopes of winning a championship. The club season, on the other hand, places more of an emphasis on the individual and what you can show the scouts along the way. Now, you are still playing on a "team" in the club season, but there are many more working parts that go along with it because you will be playing in front of scouts every game of every event and competing for their attention.

The state of your game after high school season and before club ball could be very different for everyone. After my short rest, I had a better sense of what my strengths were on the court and what still was in need of polishing. Since the break between the two seasons is limited, you don't have too much time to make drastic changes in your game. Instead of looking to change everything completely, just build on what you already have in place.

You should work on your strengths to stay sharp and then start making small efforts to extend your game outside of your comfort zone to add more versatility. This could come in the form of adding an additional post move, extending your range as a shooter, working on mid-range jumpers off the dribble, improving on footwork, increasing ballhandling skills, and many other forms of development. Remember that it takes time to develop these skills. You cannot become frustrated if you do not see immediate success with the new extension of your game.

In the end, do what you do best and stick to your strengths and what I call your "meal ticket." The worst thing you can do during the club season is try to be someone you are not. If you are a shooter, for example, and have not had a chance to refine another dimension to your game yet, then be the best shooter out on the circuit. Once you show your skills as an excellent shooter, pretty soon you will see more and more opportunities to drive on opponents who have overplayed you on the perimeter. That is when you can put your mid-range jumpers and other new additions on showcase for the scouts.

Some of the best advice I received when I played was to just relax and play the game the way I knew how to play it. If you are able to relax out on the court and play to your strengths, your confidence will grow with each play. Club season is the place where you are expected to put your individual skills on display, so don't be afraid to step up and make a big play on your own.

If you are now rested and still working on some new additions to your game, then keep up the good work. You still have a little bit of time before the club season officially kicks off, and there will always be room for improvements along the way. Remember that the spring and summer seasons are the time for you to showcase your skills. So stick with your "meal ticket," and refocus your mentality on the individual state of your game.

Rebecca Gray is an intern for ESPN HoopGurlz. She previously wrote a column for the website about her experiences as a freshman on basketball scholarship at the University of North Carolina. She transferred to and played at Kentucky and now plays basketball and golf at Union College. A 5-foot-10, sharp-shooting guard out of Georgetown, Ky., Gray was named Miss Basketball in the state of Kentucky after averaging 25.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 4.8 assists during he senior season at Scott County High School. She can be contacted at rebecca@hoopgurlz.com.

 Rebecca Gray |

Some freshmen enter a big-time program and eventually make an impact. Few enter a big-time program and make an immediate one. Duke's Elizabeth Williams is one of the latter.

Mark Dolejs/US Presswire
Duke's Elizabeth Williams is the only freshman among the 15 finalists for the Wooden player of the year award.

While Williams' post game is solid (and still developing), her defensive talents were already at an elite level when she arrived in Durham, N.C. The 6-foot-3 center posted a double-double with four blocks in just her second game and maintained a consistency not often seen with first-year players. Williams' triple-double (18 points, 16 rebounds, 12 blocks) against Wake Forest on Jan. 6 was one of the greatest individual performances of the season for any player.

A strong argument could be made that no rookie in ACC history had more influence on defense than Williams. Her 109 blocked shots were a conference single-season record, and Williams' 3.8 blocks per game ranked second nationally behind Brittney Griner. Williams even was second on the Blue Devils with 47 steals.

The Virginia Beach native also averaged a team-leading 14.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. Williams was also third on the team in assists.

With all of the great players who have come through the ACC, only three freshmen have been selected first-team all-conference: Williams, Duke's Alana Beard and North Carolina's Camille Little.

With teammate Chelsea Gray earning all-freshman team honors last season, Duke now has the point guard-post foundation most coaches drool over for the next two years. The scary part, however, is that for as good as Williams was as a freshman, she doesn't appear close to her ceiling. -- Charlie Creme

ESPN.com Names Williams Freshman of the Year

Friday 03/09/2012  -  Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. -- Blue Devil rookie Elizabeth
Williams continues to receive the hardware this season and the 6-3 center
was awarded one of the biggest so far on Friday as she was named ESPN.com’s
National Freshman of the Year.

Williams, who was the ACC Defensive
Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year and named to the All-ACC First Team,
has led the sixth-ranked Blue Devils this season averaging 14.3 points, 8.3
rebounds, 3.8 blocks, 1.6 steals and 1.5 assists.   She is also one of 15
finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, which honors the national player of the
year.

A native of Virginia Beach, Va., Williams tied the ACC single
season record with nine ACC Rookie of the Week selections this season and became
Duke’s fourth Blue Devil to be named ACC Rookie of the Year.  Her nine weekly
selections matched a record set in 1992-93 by Wake Forest’s Tracy Connor.

Williams joins only Alana Beard as Blue Devils who have been named
National Freshman of the Year as Beard received the honor by USBWA, Sports
Illustrated, Women’s Basketball Journal and CBS Sportsline in 2000-01.

Last week, Williams became just the third freshman in league history to
be named to the All-ACC first team.  She ranks second nationally with a 3.8
blocks per game average and owns the ACC freshman record for blocks in a season
with 109.  Williams also became the first league freshman to be named ACC
Defensive Player of the Year.  Her 109 blocked shots is more than 200 Division I
women’s basketball teams.

Williams posted one of only two triple-doubles
this season in the league with 18 points, 16 rebounds and an ACC-record 12
blocked shots.  In the ACC, the 6-3 center ranks fourth in rebounding (8.3),
seventh in scoring (14.3), ninth in field goal percentage (48.8) and first in
blocks (3.8).

In the Duke freshman record book, Williams is moving up
many of the charts -- fifth in points (415), fourth in double-figure rebounds
(8), 10th in free throws made (80), fifth in free throws attempted (135), tied
for fourth in double-figure scoring games (23) and tied for eighth in 20-point
games (3).

- d - u - k - e -

Dr. T.J. Allan, Pharm.D, 4th Quarter Training

Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all-time. In fact, he's arguably one of the greatest athletes of all-time. For over a decade, he was the face of the NBA.

And then he made THE decision: a career change. How could a man, at the pinnacle of his success, walk away from success? Not only did he walk away, but he did the unthinkable. He risked his athletic prowess by trying to play baseball, a sport he hadn't played since he was a teen, knowing that millions of people will be watching his every swing, his every throw, and his every pop fly.

Was it ego? Was it boredom? No. It was psychological. It was the mindset he had since he was in high school; a mindset that was burned in his soul after being cut from his basketball team.

To understand why he risked everything, let's take a peek into the mindset of Michael Jordan, the competitor:

"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

"I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come."

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

"My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength."

"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."

As Carol Dweck, author of Mindset, would say, Michael Jordan is a prime example of the growth mindset. It's the mindset that almost every successful athlete (long-term success) has. It says genetics may determine the starting line, but hard work determines the finish line.

Failure isn't just accepted; it's expected. When you stretch yourself past your current limits, failure is inevitable. It spawns growth. You only reach the top and stay at the top by continually improving. Winning isn't everything. Growing is.

The Result of Hard Work, Not Genetics

Jordan may have become bored with basketball. He may have craved another challenge. However, he wouldn't have risked everything if he honestly didn't believe hard work conquers all. MJ wasn't dumb. He didn't think just because he was successful at basketball that he'd be successful at baseball. He wasn't so egotistical that he thought he couldn't fail at anything. Not at all. What MJ believed is what every person who has the growth mindset believes: hard work conquers all.

Coach John Wooden felt the same way. He rarely discussed wins and losses in his pregame speech. Instead he focused on making sure his players were willing to give 100 percent and leave everything on the court.

Coach Wooden stated numerous times that some of his most proud moments were not after winning national championships, but were after losses when his much less talented team gave it their all and still came up short. He knew by focusing on the process, the results would come. 10 national championships later proved his theory.

Mindsets matter. Rarely will a coach discuss psychology. Yet how often do we hear a coach say basketball is as much mental as it is physical? What are we doing to practice the physiological component of basketball? Are we instilling the growth mindset in our players? Or are we just yelling at them, and blaming them for the losses? If you want to breed success, you better start trying to find out its root cause.

Understanding why MJ switched from basketball to baseball is a good start!

FAIRFAX

It was only her first shot of the game, but Aisha Foy had a feeling.

"Usually when I hit one they start rolling," Princess Anne's Radford-bound guard said.

Foy rolled on, with a total of six 3-pointers that were pivotal in the Cavaliers' 57-42 Group AAA quarterfinal victory over Potomac on Saturday.

Princess Anne (26-3) advanced to Wednesday's semifinals at Virginia Commonwealth's Siegel Center. The Cavaliers will face Highland Springs, a 53-46 winner over West Springfield, at 2 p.m.

Woodside will take on Oakton at 7 p.m.

The defending state champion Cavaliers beat Potomac (25-3) of Dumfries in the 2005 quarterfinals en route to a 28-3 record and state title. Should Princess Anne manage a fifth state crown, it would also finish 28-3 after starting with a victory over Potomac.

For any chance of that, the Cavaliers will need a similar performance from Foy.

Facing a second-straight tall and long-armed zone defense, Princess Anne needed a few outside shots to fall.

"It's really important for somebody to hit a few," said Foy, who finished with a game-high 24 total points. "As a team, when we're not hitting our shots, somebody has to come through."

Foy did, especially in the first half.

She hit her first three treys as Princess Anne built an 11-0 lead in the opening four minutes.

"I've told our girls all year that you have to come out to play," Potomac first-year coach Tiffany Jenkins said. "We started out very slow... no intensity. We just got down too far in the first half.

"Dug ourselves in way too deep."

Foy hit a fourth 3-pointer in a first quarter that saw the Cavaliers race to a 21-7 lead that grew to 36-15 at the half.

"Can't think of a time when we've performed that poorly," Jenkins said. "We were getting outshot and outrebounded."

While Foy was bombing away from outside, Chandace Golden was mixing it up inside in response to some ribbing dished out by her teammates after the Cavaliers' loss to Woodside in the Eastern Region final.

Golden responded with 15 rebounds, three blocks and three steals despite going up against a trio of 6-foot-3 opponents.

"It was mostly words of inspiration in a tough type of way," Golden said of her teammates' talk following Princess Anne's blowout loss. "I told them I'd pick it up.

"It was just boxing out mostly. When we were beating them pretty badly, they started pushing and trying to talk me out of my game. I didn't listen."

Potomac tried to dig out of its rut in the third quarter, using a 9-0 run that took up just 50 seconds and cut Princess Anne's lead to 14. Panthers guard Te'Shya Heslip accounted for seven of the nine points.

Princess Anne answered when Morgan Cooper hit a layup and foul shot, and Golden scored inside.

Potomac would get as close as 10 early in the fourth, only to watch Foy drop another trey.

The Panthers then had to watch helplessly as Princess Anne sealed the victory by spreading the offense and connecting on 13 of 14 chances from the foul line in the final 1:52.

Lee Tolliver, 757-222-5844,lee.tolliver@pilotonline.com

12:14 a.m.
EST, February
28, 2012