NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. - Succeeding in an elite tournament such as Nike Nationals requires a profound understanding of the stakes involved.

Brooklyn Pope of the DFW Elite Gold has it down to three, succinct words:

"Do or die."

Odyssey Sims of DFW

That was the 5-foot-11 Dallas wing's answer when asked the difference between her team's first game of pool play, a 78-54 pounding by The Family, and its upset of tourney favorite Boo Williams Summer League, 58-56, in the Gold Division quarterfinals on Mondday night.

Pope's three-word declaration really says it all. Two programs that were receiving heavy consideration for the best team of summer, Boo and Tennessee Flight Silver, were shelved in the quarters. The Flight was bombed 65-53 by Essence of Florida, which was led by April Sykes' 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists and another 14 points from Chelsey Lee. Essence earned a Tuesday morning semifinal engagement with the Cy-Fair Shock 90, the Houston -based team that beat The Family of Indiana 56-48 behind 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks from Nneka Ogwumike.

The other semifinal matchup will pit DFW against West Coast Elite, which beat the Philly Belles behind 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal from Briana Gilbreath of Katy, Texas.

One Silver Division semifinal will pit the Orlando Comets, which beat the Georgia Metros 63-41 behind 11 points from both Alex Deluzio and Kelsey Asserian and 10 assists from Brooke Thomas, against Cal Swish, which eeked by All-Ohio because 19 points and four steals from UCLA commit Atonye Nyingifa. The other Silver semi will have the NYC Gauchos, which beat North Tartan 44-37 behind 16 points from Da'Shena Stevens and 10 points, nine rebonds and three steals from Markel Walker, against the Fairfax Stars of Virginia, which beat the Alabama RoadRunners 57-43 behind 16 points, 14 rebounds, a block and a steal from North Carolina commit Chay Shegog.

April Sykes of Essence

No result was more surprising than the ouster of Boo Williams, which this summer had won AAU Junior Nationals and the U.S. Junior Nationals 17U championships. DFW had put together a more-than-solid summer behind its stars Pope, point guard Destini Hughes and super soph (to be) Odyssey Sims, but lost the championship game in Birmingham last week to Essence despite the presence of 6-foot-7 Brittney Griner, then was jumped in its first game here by The Family and a rare backcourt that matched it in speed.

Two straight losses certainly did not portend this.

"Sometimes it's tough when kids travel," DFW coach Daryl Horton. "There's something to be said for sleeping in your own bed, and our kids have been on the road since July 5. We were disappointed with our first game, but we just went back to the hotel and regrouped. Our time is now."

There's also something to be said for having players in big games who can create their own shots and DFW has some of the best. Sims had been the spark off the bench for the Dallas-Fort Worth team, but Horton paired her in the starting backcourt with Hughes, who is ranked 19th in the 2008 class by HoopGurlz.com but is hampered by what could be a dislocated left pinky finger. Sims had 15 of her game-high 20 points in the first half, which she ended with a flurry that bought DFW a 36-27 lead.

Lynetta Kizer of BWSL

Sims also scored the winning bucket on a run-out with 35.2 seconds to play, but between halftime and a nearly withering, 12-2 run by Boo, it was Pope who provided the glue to this victory. She scored twice on clearouts against one of the nation's top defenders, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt of BWSL, and hit teammate Teranie Thomas off penetration to stake DFW to a nine-point lead with 7:48 left. With Boo leading 56-52 and looking to break the game open, Pope tip- toed along the baseline to make a save, scored a reverse layup, got fouled and completed the three-point play with 1:01 remaining to set the table for Sims.

DFW didn't have the double-digit shot-blocking of Griner here, but another elite-level 2009 post prospect, Cokie Reed, came through with 10 boards and tough defense against Boo's Lynetta Kizer, the No. 1 post in 2008 who led her team with 17 points. DFW also got timely contributions from Thomas, who defended Boo's shot-making specialist, Ruffin-Pratt, down the stretch.

Alas, it was the moxie, as well as the 18 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks from Pope that made the difference. She not only is the 14th overall prospect in 2008, according to HoopGurlz, she also is the most enigmatic or, as Horton put it, the most misunderstood high-school girl's star in the country.

"Brooklyn was Brooklyn," he said. "We have played well all summer and she keeps being dropped by people. All I know is, if I'm walking down a dark alley, I want Brooklyn Pope on my team. I keep telling her to just keep playing and she'll get everything she deserves."

DFW's Nicole Terral takes on BWSL's Azania Stewart

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