So here we are. The meat of Bounce’s (sadly) hypothetical SAC Holiday Tournament for 2020.
With COVID-19 ravaging our plans all year, this tournament’s absence is a tough one for many fans. So Bounce is back with my third installment of a “What If?” series focusing on how I think the week would have played out.
Miss my first two columns about seeding and the extras I want added in? Have no fear, you can read them here:
What if the SAC Holiday Tournament was being played? Adding in the Extras
What if the SAC Holiday Tournament was being played? Seeding Edition
Now, let’s take a look at the girls side and project how I see this tournament going. For everyone’s sanity, there is no way that I am going to try and project quarantine situations because had this tournament been played, undoubtedly at least one would pop up. So instead, since we are pretending, we will pretend there is no pandemic in play for 2020’s hypothetical SAC Holiday Tournament.
The games listed are how the tournament would have actually been seeded using the mid-December Sagarin rankings that were used last season.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 28
#8 Bishop Dwenger beats #9 Wayne: The Generals are a team on the rise and this one would have been intriguing. I think Wayne has the chops to win. Dwenger gets the inside edge by having talent on the inside. Maggie Cheever has one of her better outings and cleans up on the offensive glass. She picks up a dozen boards and the Saints march on.
#7 Northrop beats #10 North Side: The Bruins have had some bumps to work around this year, but they get out. to a quick start here, jumping up by 10 points immediately. We see TiAuna White have one of the best performances of the tournament here as she comes three steals shy of a triple double with 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven steals.
#4 South Side beats #5 Snider: This one is even closer than their regular-season outing. The Panthers take a lead into the fourth with Destini Craig and Destiny Jackson each putting up 15 points through the first 3 quarters. This Snider team is tough and they give South everything they can handle. A late Olivia Smith three misses the mark but Lamyia Woodson boxes out for a big offensive rebound and putback. Snider gets the ball in quickly can’t convert on a quick triple and the Archers win by three.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29
#3 Concordia beats #6 Bishop Luers: The bracket keeps going by seeding as Chanteese Craig blocks six shots and the Knights clam up, taking too many shots from deep along the way.
#1 Carroll beats #8 Dwenger: The Chargers head into this thing with all of the confidence in the world. Carroll rallies off a 48-point first half and leaves Dwenger stunned. Emily Parrett, Taylor Fordyce and Saniya Jackson all score in double digits leading 10 Carroll scorers.
#2 Homestead beats #7 Northrop: The Bruins come out hot and keep Homestead on its heels for a half. But this is a much-improved Spartans team and they push through in the fourth quarter as Ayanna Patterson goes to work inside. Patterson finishes with a then tournament-high 28 points.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30
#4 South Side beats #1 Carroll: The first upset of the tournament takes us to double overtime. These don’t happen much in the SAC Holiday Tournament but this season has already been full of extra session basketball. Carroll pushes by hitting big shots and playing scrappy along the way. Delane Sheets and Kayla Gibbs get scrappy with the Archer guards and it forces South to look to the inside. Lamyia Woodson posts a big double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds and there is little Carroll can do to slow it.
#2 Homestead beats #3 Concordia: The Spartans return to the title game as Grace Sullivan explodes and hits five three pointers to counteract an equally hot shooting game from Grace Hedtke. The Cadets keep it close throughout and the game really comes down to the final four minutes before Patterson powers through again.
THE FINALS
The more things change, the more they stay the same as the Archers and Spartans guarantee that for the sixth straight season, one of these two teams will take home the title. South Side is tired at this point. It is on day three of some extremely tiring games as Snider and Carroll have pushed it hard. The battles between Woodson and Patterson and Smith and Sullivan are some of the best we’ve seen in years.
Patterson finishes with another 20-point outing and Sullivan hits four more threes to pace Homestead, who also get 16 points from Ali Stephens. South fires back with Woodson’s 18 points/14 rebound double double and Smith swipes the ball five times from the Archers. Who alters this game? Archer freshman Annika Davis, who scores 22 and completes the upset. #4 SOUTH SIDE 64, #2 HOMESTEAD 59
OTH ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Ayanna Patterson, Homestead
Grace Sullivan, Homestead
Emily Parrett, Carroll
Chanteese Craig, Concordia Lutheran
Lamyia Woodson, South Side
TiAuna White, Northrop
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
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