Young’s Danielle Campbell wasn’t thrilled at halftime of the Public League’s girls basketball championship game Saturday.
She and her teammates wanted to rock. But Hope, playing ball control, slowed the beat in the first half against the Chicago area’s No. 1 team.
The Eagles trailed only 15-13 in this Windy City Conference final at the DePaul Athletic Center.
“They were holding the ball a lot, and we wanted to pick up the tempo,” the 6-foot-4-inch Campbell said.
That’s just what the Dolphins did. Young scored the first 13 points of the second half and rolled to a 45-32 victory to win its first Public League title since 1995.
Amanda Thompson turned out to be the catalyst in the victory, which enabled Young (19-1) to remain perfect against its competition from Illinois–its only loss was at Dayton’s Chaminade-Julienne.
Thompson, a 6-foot junior, had five points, a rebound, a blocked shot and an assist in the first few minutes of the third quarter.
Young, which had trailed 13-10, suddenly led the Class A Eagles 28-13 in the first city championship game since 1977 that did not include Marshall. The Dolphins started their 18-0 run with 3 minutes 38 seconds left in the half on a Thompson basket.
Then Erin Dickerson scored with only 28 seconds left before halftime to give her team the lead for good at 14-13.
“We weren’t worried at all,” said Thompson, who tied Campbell for team scoring honors with 16 points. “We just knew we had a slow start.”
Thompson also had 10 rebounds and three blocks, while Campbell had three steals to go with her five boards. Precious Gaddis led Hope (18-10) with 17 points.
“This was one of our big goals,” Campbell said. “Now we’ve got to get ready for state.”
Washington’s 58-48 victory over Simeon in the Chicago Conference championship game means the Minutewomen will move up to the Windy City level for the 2005-06 season.
Delisa Green scored 18 points and Arianne Wilson 14 for Washington (15-11). Brandy Weeks, a transfer from Hope, led Simeon with 17.
