The Genies 14s bid for a third AAU state championship in the past four years came down to the very last second before being decided by a controversial official’s call with no time left on the clock in overtime. After trailing by as many as 12 points earlier in the contest, and with a lineup decimated from injury, fouls and absences, the Genies were down to just five available players at the end, and trailed the Arizona Best by two with less than ten seconds left in regulation. That’s when Cara Bomar stole the ball in the backcourt and fed Kelsi Haugo for a twisting lay-up that tied the score with two seconds remaining. The Best was unable to score in the final seconds and the teams entered overtime tied at 69. The lead changed hands twice before the Genies ended up with the ball and the score tied 75-75 with just 11 seconds remaining in the overtime period. However, the Genies committed a turnover without getting off a shot, and the Best had the ball at the far end of the court with six seconds left. There, they inbounded the ball to guard Simone Westbrook who raced up the court and attempted a desperation running shot from the high post area. The shot was off the mark, but the Genies were whistled for a foul after the release of the shot with no time left on the clock. In a remarkable coincidence, just as she had done three years earlier while playing for the Arizona Elite, Westbrook was sent to the foul line with no other players on the court and sank a free throw for the winning margin. The Genies were led in the championship contest by Bomar, who dropped in four three-pointers in route to an 18-point performance. Other top contributors in the title contest were Christine Stevenson (17 points/13 rebounds), Ashton Jones (16 points/14 rebounds), Haugo (11 points) and Alyssa Heeman (10 points/10 rebounds). In earlier tournament action the Genies had blown past the Arizona Storm 65-10 (Jones: 16 points/10 rebounds; Stevenson: 15 points; Cortnee Walton: 13 points), defeated the Phoenix Phenoms 61-34 (Jones: new club record 26 points; Stevenson: 14 points) and beaten the Arizona Elite 65-28 (Stevenson: 20 points; Heeman: 13 points; Bomar: 10 points) and had dropped a 71-63 decision to the Best (Jones: 18 points; Walton: 13 points; Stevenson: 10 rebounds; and Heeman: 13 points and new club record 13 assists). For the tournament the Genies were led in scoring by Jones with 82 points. She was followed by Stevenson (73), Heeman (49), Bomar and Walton (43 each), Haugo (26) and Shana Davis (14). The Genies, who now have a 2007 overall record of 14-8, have now qualified for the AAU DII Nationals which will be held July 10-16 at the Disney Sports Complex in Orlando. The Genies finished 7th at DII Nationals in 2006 at Nashville.
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2007 Tournament Results
Genies Team and Player Statistics
