GIRLS BASKETBALL: USA U19 WINS GOLDThe USA routed Spain, 69-46, to win the FIBA U19 World Championship basketball tournament in Puerto Montt, Chile.
The USA placed
Ariel Massengale and
Breanna Stewart on the five-member all-star team. Massengale set a USA record with 39 assists in nine games – including seven in the finale. The 6-1 Stewart, from Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.), is the nation's No. 1-ranked rising senior and had 21 points to go with 13 rebounds during a comeback 70-64 quarterfinal victory over France.
* Team Concept, based in Portland, Ore., crushed the field to win the 32-team Las Vegas Live Tournament. The powerful champions gave up just 11 points per game while averaging around 70. Highly recruited team members include rising juniors
Mercedes Russell (6-5) from Springfield (Ore.),
Kailee Johnson (6-4) from Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.), Jordan Reynolds (6-1) from Jefferson (Portland, Ore.), and rising sophomore
Jaime Nared (6-2) from Westview (Portland, Ore.).
* La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) routed perennial power Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 46-26, to win the Elite Division of the 25th annual San Diego Classic. Rising senior twins
Maya Hood and
Malina Hood, who both are 5-10, dominated the field. Maya had 24 points and seven rebounds in the finale, while Malina had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
* Alabama's Class 4A Player of the Year as a sophomore,
Marques Webb, has transferred from Brewbaker Tech (Montgomery, Ala.) to Hoover (Ala.). The powerful 6-1 Webb had 24 points and 30 rebounds as Brewbaker Tech won the 4A title and stopped Midfield's streak of titles at four.
* Rising eighth-grader Dijonai Carrington already is being mentioned in the same breath as former San Diego greats Candice Wiggins and Charde Houston. The 5-11 standout, who attends Horizon (San Diego) Junior High, is the ambidextrous daughter of ex-NFL player Darren Carrington and Vicky Carrington, a former track star at Northern Arizona who also is her coach.
* South Medford (Medford, Ore.) star
Tess Picknell has made a commitment to Stanford University, according to the Oregonian. The 6-5 center averaged 9.8 rebounds and 4.9 blocks as a junior. She blocked a school-record 13 shots in a single game.
BOYS BASKETBALL: BOYLE RELOADS AT MONTVERDEKevin Boyle's switch from St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) to
Montverde Academy (Fla.) has put the highly successful coach in a position to again bid for the national championship.
"I'd be disappointed if this team isn't better than the team I had last year," Boyle told MaxPreps. That team held the nation's top ranking until a season-ending loss to St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.). "We have more talent, but we don't have a Michael Gilchrist. To be fair to Kevin Sutton (former Montverde coach), almost all the kids were there (already)."
Boyle has added former St. Patrick youngster
Dakari Johnson, a very promising 6-11, 263-pound rising sophomore; and phenomenal shooter
Michael Frazier, a 6-5 guard from Plant (Tampa, Fla.) who is committed to the University of Florida.
* The Playaz rallied to defeat the Mac Irvin Fire, 80-72 in overtime, to win the Desert Duel in Gilbert, Ariz.
* Rising junior point guard
Conner Frankamp has committed to the University of Kansas, according to the Wichita Eagle. He averaged 27.2 points as a sophomore for
North (Wichita, Kan.) and set a City League record with a 52-point game.
* Former NBA player Jason Hart has been named head coach at powerhouse
Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.).
BASEBALL: FRANKLIN WINS WISCONSIN TITLEFranklin (Wis.) nipped West (Wis.), 5-4, to win the state summer baseball tournament. West was playing its third game in one day and had won its last 19 games. The Sabers became only the second team to win back-to-back titles in the 47-year history of the tournament. Jim Hughes added to his state record by posting his 777th career coaching victory.
* The Maryland Monarchs defeated Allen Baseball of Houston, 6-0, to win the championship during the National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series in Knoxville, Tenn. The champs posted a 6-0 record despite losing pitcher Rob Koski (neck injury) and two others during a first-round game fight that broke out after Koski hit a batter with a pitch and he charged the mound. Monarch shortstop Sean Miller was named MVP and right fielder Tom Labriola batted .470.
* The annual Under Armour All-American Baseball Game will be held Aug. 13 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The 36-player roster includes seven from Florida.
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