Team North Carolina (photo courtesy Robin Wood) |
OTHER PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Team North Carolina mowed through nine straight opponents, the last being Fairfax, Va., 81-74 in the championship game on Wednesday, to claim its fourth-ever national girl's basketball title at the AAU Junior Olympics.
Brittany Strong of Winston-Salem, N.C., led the victorious team with 17 points in the title game.
The Boo Williams Summer League Miracles finished third and Boo Williams Red Tide was fourth. The Wichita Spooks and Tulsa Swoosh finished fifth, while the Oklahoma Stars and North Carolina Force finished seventh.
The AAU Junior Olympics features 20 sports over 15 days and is considered the largest multi-sport event for youth in the country.
North Carolina was coached by former Tar Heel great Al Wood and its roster featured his daughter, Candace, a 2008 guard prospect who recently committed to UNC. The team also included fraternal twins Britny Edwards and Whitny Edwards, also 2008 prospects out of Charlotte, N.C., the daughers of Blue Edwards, who excelled at East Carolina then played 10 years in the NBA. Edwards coaches two teams, the Carolina Classics and Charlotte Fire, on which many of the Team North Carolina members play during the club-team circuit.
Rising senior guard Epiphany Woodson of Charlotte, a Miami Hurricanes commitment, and Brittany Strachan of Winston-Salem, who has committed to N.C. State, also played for Team North Carolina. Other members included Brittany Blackwell of Raleigh, N.C., Kanita Sheperd and Tiahana Bowens of Garner, N.C., LaShonda Pratt Winston-Salem, N.C., Allison Spivey of Asheboro, N.C., Marli Bennett of Pilot Mountain, N.C., and Stefani Shuey of Charlotte, N.C.
North Carolina beat Boo Williams Miracles 71-61 in the semifinals, Tulsa Swoosh 82-60 in the quarterfinals, Fairfax 76-65 in the second round and the Fillies from New York 101-51 in the first round of bracket play after going 4-0 in pool play.
Team North Carolina previously won three straight AAU Junior Olympics championships in 2001-03. The 2003 team featured artina Wood, Candace's older sister, who now is a sophomore post for the Tar Heels. The 2001 and 2002 teams featured current Tar Heels Ivory Latta and Camille Little.
Britny Edwards of Charlotte, N.C.
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Epiphany Woodson of Charlotte, N.C. |
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