TOC: One, and Only One

In a tale of two superstars, Maya Moore of Collins Hill advances to the Nike Tournament of Champions semifinals while Elena DelleDonne's Ursuline Academy is upended.

STORY & PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

CHANDLER, Ariz. - A lot of people believe that whole Army of One thing doesn't play in team sports. And when Elena DelleDonne is limited to 16 points and Ursuline Academy goes down to Long Beach Poly 44-39 in Tuesday's quarterfinals of the Nike Tournament of Champions, that theory seems to be confirmed. Singular sensations don't appear to win championships.

But then Maya Moore happens, the way Maya Moore always seems to happen - in a manner expected but unbelievable when expectations are met - and the no "i" in team deal becomes a whole lot of yada, yada, yada.

Maya Moore

Not to say that Collins Hill High School, of Suwanee, Ga., didn't as a team play like the champions many peg them to be. After all, the Eagles hung on to a 78-73 victory over this week's It Apparent Team, Notre Dame Academy, with Moore relegated to cheerleader status after fouling out in overtime. But, c'mon, Notre Dame controlled the entire game, in fact led 61-49 with 2:47 to play only to have Moore detonate their Cinderella story with 31 of her career-high 42 points after halftime.

"We all know (that) Maya Moore is no joke," Notre Dame coach Mike Teasley said. "It takes a lot to control her, but you really can't control her."

In case anyone wondered about Teasley's expertise on the subject of individual phenoms, consider that he once coached his sister, Nikki, the former University of North Carolina star and WNBA player.

Like Moore and Teasley, DelleDonne surely appears ticketed to follow the same route to college stardom and professional success. A 6-foot-5 game-evolver because of her handle and sweet long-distance stroke, DelleDonne was coming off a 40-point explosion against Cleveland (Tenn.) on Monday. Plus she'd already helped vanquish Long Beach Poly in last year's TOC.

Not at all daunted, Candice Nichols, giving up seven inches in the matchup, gladly took on the challenge when Poly coach Carl Buggs offered it up. "I took it personally," the University of Washington signee said. Buggs had sound reasoning for using Nichols on DelleDonne.

"She's our best defender," he explained. "She is a big guard with a big wingspan. She can guard big players and small players. She's a unique defensive player."

Elena DelleDonne

Buggs figured if Poly could hold DelleDonne under 20 points, it had a great shot at winning. She scored 16 - three on a halfcourt shot at the halftime buzzer and another three-pointer late in the game. Nichols otherwise used her wingspan and speed to force DelleDonne's catches further out on the wing and Poly sent extra defenders to trap. DelleDonne said afterward that she was not forcing the issue against double- and triple-teams and, although she made sound decisions to pass out of the defensive stunts, many of her kickouts morphed into turnovers in the hands of Ursuline teammates.

Moore received significantly more help from teammates accustomed to performing in pressure-packed situations on a national stage. Junior post Taylor Dalrymple drained a three-pointer with 53 seconds left in regulation. Moore scored the game-tying layup with 10.5 seconds left, then nailed a top-of-the-key jumper, three-point play, then a sweep-and-up jumper with 1:43 left in overtime to put Jordan Jones, Shekeda Richie and Nikki Urbizo in position to close the win from the foul line.

Yet, clearly it was the ultra-competitive Moore who, disappointed in the team's rebounding and offensive tempo, played like a whirlwind at both ends to rescue Collins Hill from the jaws of seemingly certain defeat. Last year's TOC runners up will play Archbishop Mitty of San Jose, Calif., in Wednesday's semifinals, while Long Beach Poly takes on two-time defending champion Christ the King for a berth in this year's final.

"Anytime I'm in the game, I tell myself I can score or do whatever the team needs," Moore said. "It just happened to be my turn."

Which begs the question: With a game on the line, when isn't it Maya Moore's turn?

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