Led by athletic 6-foot-1 forward Quistelle Williams (2008 class), clutch sniper shooting guard Maddie Burnett ('08), and do-everything combo guard Emma Veach ('08), any time The Rebels would threaten to cut their deficit to under eight points throughout the game's final sixteen minutes, this trio of LWM players would have an answer. Whether it was a powerful Williams put-back, or Burnett getting loose in a wide transition lane and spotting up for dagger trey after dagger trey, or Veach penetrating down the lane or along the baseline with her strong drives & finishes, LWM always made a play to stay a step or two ahead of The Rebels.

The Rebels, for their part, had a poor shooting day as they missed routine layups and they had an uncharacteristic poor day from the free throw line. But, notice that it is not mentioned that the Rebels missed a lot of three- point attempts. That's because the Rebels did not take a lot of three-point attempts. Lacks Western Michigan team defense was fundamentally sound, and they moved on the pass into their harassing, but controlled, closeouts on almost each and every perimeter look that the Rebels might have had. To put it simply, the Rebels were not able to get many open perimeter looks against LWM's tough man-to-man defense.

A Look at the Remaining "A" Championship Playoffs Quarterfinal Battles: Combo guard Devon Kane ('09) and plays-bigger-than-she-looks forward Diamond Beckford ('09) led the Comets (Pa.) 15-A's to an upset over the talented Maryland Hurricanes. The youthful Comets dominated play from the start with typical Comets disruptive in-your-grill man defense and with its selfless share-the-ball mentality on offense. The Comets are the early odds-on favorite to win The Blue Chip Invitational, in 2008.

Lessons Learned Hoops fought and clawed to a dramatic overtime victory against a scrappy Hudson Valley Knights squad. The heart and hustle of combo guard Lauren Massie ('08) and her teammates were on display as the story of The Never Quit Kids began to take shape over the last two days of these Championship playoff rounds.

Down 11-5 early, the Long Island Lightning went on a 15-2 run and never looked back in their quarterfinal win over the Bay State Magic Elite 90. Again, fueled by physical and early-help-oriented team man defense, as well as by the offensive prowess of 6-2 forward/center Jackie McKenna ('09), and deep-threat shooting guard/wing, Janine Aldridge ('08), a William & Mary commit, the LI Lightning advanced to the semifinals - and a date with the bracketbusters, Lacks West Michigan.

FEATURED GAME OF THE SEMIFINALS

Lessons Learned Hoops vs. The Comets (PA) 15-A's: Perhaps it is not fair to say a 15-U team was the favorite to win a 16-U tournament semifinal game. But, that is exactly the position in which The Comets found themselves against Lessons Learned Hoops of Northern Virginia. And it was a well-earned position because The Comets had decisively handled all the elder competition they had faced up through, and including, The Blue Chip Invitational "A" Championship Bracket Quarterfinals.

Entering the semifinal game, several college coaches believed a comfortable Comets victory was in store. However, the upstart players of Lessons Learned Hoops decided to teach their doubters a thing or two. Motivated by the memory of a former player in their organization, the young athletes of Lessons Learned played by their "No Regrets" philosophy, and they came into their semifinal battle against The Comets armed with a sense of urgency and a seize-the-day mentality.

Devon Kane of the Comets

Led by the trio of versatile combo guard Lauren Massie ('08), lightning quick point guard Chelsea Dunn ('08), and athletic rebounding forward J'Quita Babineaux ('08), LL Hoops jumped all over their younger opponents with aggressive man defense, one-and-done defensive rebounding, taking care of the ball on offense, wise shot selection, hitting the offensive glass, and finishing the high-percentage shots. It was as if the Comets were looking at themselves in a mirror – but, they were seeing a version of that was a step quicker.