It took all 32 minutes, multiple lead changes and superstar performances by superstar players.
But when the buzzer sounded and the 73-72 score went final, Archbishop Mitty staked its claim to being the best girls basketball team in America, taking the mantle and the victory from Long Island Lutheran.
The Monarchs had won their previous six games by double-digits, often in routs of 30 and 40 points. Big scoring totals and an abundance of flashy highlights made it clear that the San Jose private school was the top program in Northern California.
But at the Nike Tournament of Champions final on Thursday night in Arizona, facing the nation’s No. 1 team in the MaxPreps rankings, Mitty did all the little things down the stretch to win the prestigious tournament.
Trailing by one point with 16 seconds to go, Morgan Cheli drew a foul while in the bonus. The UConn commit, who finished with 17 points, calmly sank both free throws.
Once the New York school got possession, it was an unsung Mitty reserve who came up with the biggest defensive play of the night.
Freshman guard Tee McCarthy hounded the ball handler and forced a jump ball, giving possession back to Mitty with five seconds left.
By the time Lutheran got the ball back, it had just three seconds to work with. Its desperation shot missed, and Mitty’s players mobbed one another at midcourt, and then started to put on the championship hats.
Archbishop Mitty takes home the title at Nike Tournament of Champions @mitty_wbb | @niketoc pic.twitter.com/7k3na5c9rS
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) December 22, 2023
Long Island entered the night a 9-0 juggernaut, with two players ranked in the Top 11 in ESPN’s girls basketball recruiting rankings for the class of 2024, and looked the part until the very end.
Mitty trailed 54-51 after three quarters, but regained the lead behind super-sophomore McKenna Woliczko, who had eight of her 22 points in the period.
Woliczko was often the recipient of Cheli’s pinpoint passes. The 6-foot-2 guard carved up Long Island with her playmaking and had 10 assists.
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The Monarchs also saw Belle Bramer and Elana Weisman make timely baskets, with Weisman canning a 3-pointer and making an and-1 layup in the final three minutes.
They needed every basket, with talent-laden Long Island keeping pace all night.
Senior wing Syla Swords made two three-pointers late in the fourth, and then gave Lutheran a lead with 30 seconds left in the game.
But when Mitty kept its composure down the stretch, and a half-minute later, the Monarchs defeated the defending tournament champs.
