Carthage, South Jeff each capture FL girls hoop titles

Zakiya Saunders didn’t know what the Frontier League was five months ago and girls basketball coaches in the area had never heard of her.

While Saunders has warmed up to the league and her Carthage teammates, opposing coaches probably wish she was still playing in Virginia.

Saunders scored 22 points to lead top-seeded Carthage past No. 2 Immaculate Heart Central, 57-43, in the “A” Division championship game Tuesday night at Jefferson Community College.

In the “B” Division final, South Jefferson senior Amanda Roberts outscored No. 3 Altmar-Parish-Williamstown by herself, and Austin Stevens, donning a protective mask, matched the Rebels’ point total in the No. 1 Spartans’ 60-15 victory.

It was their 11th straight playoff title.

Carthage and South Jefferson will meet in the “A/B” crossover final in the same location at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

IHC and A-P-W will play in the preceding “A/B” consolation game.

CARTHAGE 57, IHC 43

Saunders made 9-of-13 shots and finished with 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals.

“She’s phenomenal,” Carthage coach Randi Smith said. “She is a complete package, She can score at will but yet she distributes the ball, she’s our top rebounder.”

Chrissy Cook added 13 points and fellow senior Adilen Cruz tallied 11 points, four assists and five steals for the Comets (15-2).

“We tried to get the ball out of (Saunders’) hands, but she’s such a good passer,” IHC coach Jeff St.Croix said. “A number of times we did double her to get the ball out of her hands, then the other players, especially Cook, made perimeter shots. I don’t know how many shots they missed in the second half, but it wasn’t many. Carthage is playing very well right now.”

Freshman Gabby O’Brien scored six points, blocked four shots and pulled down seven offensive rebounds for the Comets.

Saunders, who transferred to Carthage in November from Prince George High School in Fort Lee, Va., received the “A” Division’s most valuable player award afterward.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all to be honest,” Saunders said. “I thought somebody else would get it for being here and doing it longer, so, I’m excited.”

Christine Wright led the Cavaliers (9-8) with 15 points and four steals.

Briana McClusky generated eight points and Harpreet Aujla added seven.

SOUTH JEFFERSON 60, A-P-W 15

Roberts finished with 17 points, six assists and four steals, and the Spartans held a 40-3 lead over the Rebels with two minutes left in the third quarter. They improved to 17-0.

“Amanda Roberts has really taken over this ship and is playing the way we expected her to play,” South Jefferson coach Pat Bassett said.

“We’ve come a long way from this summer,” said Roberts, who was named MVP of the “B” Division.

“You look back and you think this probably wouldn’t have happened,” she added. “But we’ve really bought into what coach is teaching us. Spartan basketball, defense, rebounding.”

Stevens, who broke her nose the last time the Spartans played the Rebels on Jan. 24, finished with 15 points and five rebounds. She missed just one game due to the injury.

“She’s one tough kid,” Bassett said. “She put that mask on and she’s out there taking charges again today. I can’t stop her from doing some all the physical things that she does.”

“I like to play hard,” Stevens said. “I’m not going to stop because of some mask.”

Brooke VanCoughnett had nine steals to go with five assists and five rebounds.

Tessila Abbott scored six points to lead A-P-W (8-9), which was held scoreless in a stretch that lasted from a minute to play in the first quarter to 2 minutes, 12 seconds left in the third.

South Jefferson’s entire starting five, consisting of Roberts, Stevens, VanCoughnett, Arin Crowell and Clarissa Perry, received all-star honors.