The Mystics got shocked in the Under-13 Girls’ Basketball League championship.
Entering the Lakeside-Enamel Dental Centre Girls Basketball league playoffs with an 8-0 record, the Mystics lost the championship to the Shock, 32-18 on Sunday.
Grace Robinson led the Shock with 10 points, while Ella Simmons and Olivia Devito scored eight and six points, respectively, to push the Shock past the Mystics. Leading the Mystics in the loss were Tegan Elder with six points, while Liev Elder and Kalli Doell scored four points each.
“At this age, the improvement is so dramatic,” said coach Chris Terris. “It’s exciting to watch.
The Shock … pushed the ball in transition so well. The girls were unselfish and hit open teammates. It was good basketball.”
“It was really intense,” said Devito after the final. “I really wanted to win.”
The Shock advanced to the final after defeating the Storm 36-24. Kayley Davis of the Storm led all scorers with 18 points. Vanessa Edis and Simmons scored 12 points each for the Shock. Mackenzie Dunham and Kassandra Hintz each scored four for the Storm, while Keira Thompson scored six for the Shock and Sophia McNolty finished with four. The Mystics advanced with an 18-14 win against the Lynx. Liev and Tegan Elder along with Sophie Brydon scored four points, while Julia Cerutti and Emma Terris scored four each for the Lynx. The Storm took the consolation final 28-22 against the Lynx. Davis led the Storm with 20 points, while Kate Coombes was the Lynx’s scoring leader with 12.
During the final, Terris said the most obvious improvements were the pace and the girls’ aggressiveness.
“They really pushed the ball and got some easy hoops,” said Terris of the Shock.
Since the start in late September, Terris watched as the players gained confidence to be aggressive with the ball.
“The girls, especially at this age, are just like sponges soaking up information,” he said.
“For such a large group, they were unbelievably focused on improving their skills. Girls are by nature unselfish. If anything, they have to be encouraged to be more selfish and look for shots.”
Tegan Elder said playing was fun and challenging and admitted to feeling nervous Sunday. Elder enjoyed Terris’ coaching and said he was good at explaining what they did right and wrong.
“He doesn’t really get mad,” said Elder, who asked him a lot of questions.
During the season, Elder focused on improving her dribbling skills and layups.
Devito also enjoyed working on her skills and playing with friends. For her, it was also about playing at a higher level. She focused on ball handling and finding space.
“It’s not perfect but it’s better,” she said.
