Eagles soar back for victory, but Mill Creek proves a winner in 7-AAAAA showdown
BY STEVEN BEARDSLEY
Midway through the third period of last Friday’s game against Collins Hill, Mill Creek was making the impossible appear very possible, if not inevitable.
The Lady Hawks were dominating the nation’s number one team to the tune of a 22-point lead, looking energized and unruffled in the process.
The team was playing the game it had hoped to play — fast, angry and with success at the 3-point line.
They out-rebounded the Eagles and moved the ball downcourt with speed. They found open teammates inside and dished to the perimeter for 3-pointers. They played heavy against national phenom Maya Moore and held her to five points in the first half.
Collins Hill, meanwhile, appeared exposed and exploited, playing a game that was too fast and, never allowing the team a chance to make its own decisions or run its own offense. For much of Friday night’s game, the team appeared at the mercy of Mill Creek.
That situation had changed by the fourth period, when Moore found her groove and the rest of the team followed. Mill Creek’s shooting had dried-up, and momentum had shifted toward the Eagles. In the nail-biting final minutes, Moore made the rebounds, made the shots and gave her team the win.
The loss was difficult, and it was heartbreaking at first, but overall it was a sign of Mill Creek’s rising influence in the region and state.
After the game, junior guard Porsha Porter was clear-headed about what had happened.
“They’re a good team. That’s what they’re going to do is come back,” she said. “But we made history.”
Senior guard Shelbi Pool agreed. “We came so close to beating the number one team in the nation.”
As with much of the season, Porter and Pool offset each other enough on Friday night to keep Collins Hill guessing. Porter moved fast downcourt, gunning for running layups or quick moves inside and against the glass. She also proved a danger outside, hitting three 3-pointers. Porter finished the evening with 17 points.
Pool balanced Porter’s quickness with a deft touch at field goals inside and outside the perimeter. A number of her first-period shots, including two three-pointers were key in helping the Lady Hawks pull away early in the game. She ended the night with 20 points, making four 3-pointers and going 4 for 5 behind the free throw line.
Tia Williams finished with eight points; Moneshia Simmons had six points and Olivia Towers-Solis finished with five.
Mill Creek head coach Ashley Phillips said that after the game he told his team to use the result to their advantage.
“I told them they played a great game and to remember what it feels like right now and to use that to be motivated,” he said.
Judging by Porsha Porter, however, motivation shouldn’t be a problem when the team next meets Collins Hill on February 6.
“We’re going to bring it again the same way we brought it tonight.”
