Or maybe it was the sloppy finish in the quarterfinals.

Or possibly it was even the stinging memory of an upset loss in another tournament before the start of the U.S. Junior Nationals.

Or it was just simply the natural evolution of playing together all month during the pressure-packed and competitive games of the NCAA Summer Evaluation period.

Whatever the reason, Boo Williams Summer League Elite put it all together against West Coast Elite in the gold Championship game of the talent-laden USJNs, taking the coveted title by a decisive 44-25 on Thursday.

Tierra Ruffin-Pratt of BWSL

Boo slowly and efficiently built on an early 5-4 lead against the talented WCE and went into halftime up, 20-11. Boo did this behind their team defensive intensity - treating each defensive possession like the game was on the line. WCE was challenged on every offensive move, pass, and shot.

The WCE is big, powerful, and quick. Make no mistake about it. But, they had to work so hard against Boo’s defense for everything they got, and that, combined with their lack of depth plus having played just over two hours before in a physically draining contest against The Philadelphia Belles, did not bode well for West Coast Elite.

The drained WCE continued to fight hard and, with 11:53 to play, cut Boo’s lead to just eight points. A pretty Brianna Gilbreath feed to Monique Oliver for a layin made it 23-15. But, then, Boo played their own beautiful, unselfish style of basketball the rest of the way. Beginning with a smart inside-out assist from post player Abby Redick to three-point specialist Shela White, with 11:22 left in the game, stretching BWSL’s lead to 26-15, Boo spent the better part of the next eight game minutes making the extra pass, driving and dishing for lay-ins, and penetrating and pitching for treys.

Leading this “set-your-teammate-up-for-success” mentality was BWSL's clutch guard and leader, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt. She put on a ballhandling and playmaker show during the game’s final 10 minutes that had not been seen throughout the USJN playoffs. Read the game notes during one stretch late in the game:

4:38, 38-23, Holston from Ruffin-Pratt, right-handed layin.
4:00, 41-23, Ruffin-Pratt penetration and pitch to Rodgers for a left baseline corner trey.
3:21, 43-23, Holston from Ruffin-Pratt, right-handed layin.

These plays were all made in quarter-court offense, not in transition offense. And it was simply pretty basketball.

Then, in the endgame situation - which had been a sore spot for Boo during the tournament - Ruffin-Pratt, Daniell Jackson, and their teammates showed great poise and excellent decision-making. At one point, Boo held the ball from the 2:16 mark until the :23 mark without taking a shot attempt or having a pass deflected.

All of this unselfish and smart offensive play came during the second half.

They came with the focused and challenging defense the whole game.

And this kind of dominance while star post player, Lynetta Kizer, played with her injured thumb in a splint.

The Boo Williams Team truly took a peak into their potential. Beware of them at Nike Nationals.

MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER:
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, BWSL