Happy Ending for Baugh

Vicki Baugh steps up late in the semifinals to lead Sacramento High School to the title game of the Nike Northwest Invitational against Auburn Riverside of Auburn, Wash.

STORY & PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

BEAVERTON, Ore. - As evidenced time and time again in basketball, having a superstar on one's team is not a mere convenience. It is, as Sacramento High coach John Langston put it, "a blessing." Langston certainly was counting his (blessings, that is) after his superstar, Vicki Baugh, the No. 5 player in the 2007 class, per HoopGurlz.com, made the pivotal play in a Nike Northwest Invitational semifinal against host Southridge that was so hotly contested, you could have closed your eyes and imagined it was march.

Vicki Baugh of Sacramento

With the Southridge crowd in a frenzy because the Skyhawks had tied the score with 3:42 left, then regained possession, Baugh stepped in front of an entry pass intended for Michelle Jenkins, then propelled her 6-foot-4 frame the length of the court for a left-handed finish that ignited a 6-0 Sacramento silencer of a run and set the stage for 38-33 victory under the Friday night lights.

"I was going to keep going until someone stopped me," said Baugh, who had 12 points and three steals.

"That was the key right there," Langston said.

Baugh earned Sacramento, the defending Northern California champions, a title-game date with Auburn Riverside, ranked by HoopGurlz.com as the best team in the state of Washington, without regard to classification. The full-tilt Ravens held Villa Park, a Southern California state regional finalist last year, to just eight first-half points en route to a 64-36 romp during which their defense-ignited offense shot a blistering 57 percent. Villa was led by the 14 points of promising freshman point guard Nicole Ballestero.

A couple of stars also shined brightly in the two loser's bracket games. Kate Lanz, whom many consider the best 2009 guard in Oregon, showed why, nailing 9 of 14 shots, including three three-pointers, for 23 points to go with eight rebounds and two steals during Central Catholic's 53-44 victory over Beaverton. Then Georgia Tech signee Alex Montgomery showed off her greatly improved handle and perimeter game, sticking 10 of 14 shots, including three three-pointers, and collecting 26 points, 13 rebounds and four assists as Lincoln of Tacoma, Wash., beat Benson (Ore.) 56-31.

Alex Earl uses her head for Southridge

After Sacramento barely escaped a donnybrook of a first half with a 12-11 lead in the second semifinal, Riverside coach Adam Barrett to quipped, "I don't think we can match up with them."

"Them," meaning the Tennesee-bound Baugh. Though Barrett does not have a 6-3 Jenkins who is being recruited by the Pac-10 and beyond, he does have Stephanie Wilber, an Arizona State signee, who may be a better matchup for Baugh. Wilber, at 6-1, has more of a perimeter game, which she showed off by torching Villa Park for 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including a pair of threes.

Wilber presumably can draw Baugh out of the paint, which she shut down against Southridge. If she wasn't blocking or altering shots, her presence alone prompted the Skyhawks to rush their interior shots, leading to dismal 22-percent shooting in the first half. The Southridge offense didn't come untracked until its firebrand and sweet-shooting junior point guard, Alex Earl, started attacking the rim and hitting jumpers.

For their part, the Skyhawks, whom Langston called the most balanced and well-coached team he's faced, were able to contain Baugh, though she seemed out of place tethered to the blocks as opposed to facing up with the ball 10-15 feet away, from which she could attack off the dribble or launch mid-range jump shots.

However, Vicki Baugh certainly didn't seem out of place in territory usually reserved for the best of the best - at the end, with a big game on the line.

Alex Montgomery of Lincoln

Kate Lanz of Central Catholic

Nicole Ballestero of Villa Park

Vicki Baugh of Sacramento & Michelle Jenkins of Southridge

Kyra Dunn of Sacramento

Dorothy Wood of Lincoln

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