Rich South coach Brian Mays didn’t hide his feelings after a 53-51 victory over Bloom in the semifinals of the Galaxy Tournament.
“Man,” he said, smiling. “I think we’re for real.”
But which was the “real” Rich South?
The Stars looked powerful in building a 13-point lead with just six minutes left to play. However, they looked anything but in
failing score on eight straight possessions, allowing the Blazing Trojans to close to within one before CiErra Garrett hit a couple of free throws to save the win.
Rich South showed a little of both sides in the title game against Hillcrest, falling behind by 11 with under six minutes left, then roaring back with a volley of three-pointers to prevail 58-55.
Mays? He’s still convinced.
“We’ve got a good team,” he said, “as long as we don’t … I won’t say choke, but fold under the mystique with Hillcrest and teams like that. I really feel we can play with the best of them.”
Sophomore guard Tierra Webb was the MVP of the Galaxy, pumping in 22 points, including two three-pointers during the late rally. Tierney Lockett, off the bench, added three treys as the Stars went 5-of-7 from three-point range in the final six minutes.
“Tierney was a three-point shooter last year,” Mays said. “She understands her role this season. Everybody wants to start, but you can only get five in. But she comes off the bench and is learning.
“We’ve always said, ‘Look, when it’s your time, you come in and make it happen.’ And that’s what she’s been doing. I mean, shoot, I was looking at the video and she was way out there shooting threes.”
… Speaking of which …
Stagg coach Bill Turner expects every Chargers three-point shooting record will be eventually smashed by junior guard Casey McMahon. McMahon made 58 threes in 2011-12, and so far this season has 13 treys to her credit in three games.
Maggie Green (2009-10) holds the record for single-game threes with seven. Jessica Joyce (1996-2000) has the single-season (67) and career (121) standards.
