ROCK HILL, South Carolina – After three consecutive days of basketball from sunup to sundown, the ninth and tenth grade women wrapped up their tournament at the 2024 USA Basketball Club Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
A total of five squads across the ninth and tenth grade cohorts departed the hoopla as champions, including FBC United (GA) in the ninth grade Gold bracket and Philadelphia Rise (PA) in the tenth grade Gold circuit.
The final match of the ninth grade division pitted FBC United (GA) against Missouri Phenom (MO).
While both ensembles entered the title game with five Club Championship bouts under their belts, the atmosphere surrounding this battle appeared slightly differently.
Staged in Rock Hill Sports and Events Center’s arena, a combination of college coaches, enthused family members and broadcast members congregated to witness the closing contest.
FBC United and Phenom combined to tally four lead changes and two ties after the first quarter. All but three of FBC United’s 15 first points arrived in the paint, a theme that would pay dividends down the stretch.
Facing a 23-21 hole early in the second frame, FBC United rattled off nine unanswered points to establish a 30-23 lead. The crew from Georgia would end the half with a 36-25 at the break courtesy of a relentless inside attack and ferocious defense.
While Phenom attempted to counter with a 1-3-1 zone in the third, FBC United guard Giaunni Rogers and Co. were unfazed. Spearheaded by Rogers, FBC United’s advantage ballooned from 11 to 21 in the third with several buckets arriving through scrappy team defense.
“I don't get too frazzled about those eyes or anything,” Rogers said. “I just keep playing my game and just stay poised the whole time. It's such a blessing because at this tournament there are so many people that can put you on the big stage.”
FBC United would continue to deploy its offensive firepower and ultimately cruise to a 62-43 victory.
With all nine of the team’s athletes slated to graduate high school in 2027 or 2028, head coach Desmond Cambridge knew his cadre would represent the program well.
“The players know each other,” Cambridge said. “They see each other and have to battle against each other in practice. Everybody knew their strengths and weaknesses. They're winners, and they just find how to make a play.”
On the Silver bracket side, Team Exodus (NY) downed the Philadelphia Comets (PA) in the final.
For the tenth grade Gold group, Philadelphia Rise prevailed against the Wisconsin Lakers (WI) in a thriller.
The Lakers, who entered the Gold bracket final unbeaten in its previous five contests, faced an early 6-0 hole but fired back with nine answered tallies. From that point forward, the two groups traded buckets for the rest of the 36-minute title game.
Whenever the Lakers would seem to discover momentum, Rise would counter with a timely layup or jumper from the outside. Despite opening the second period with a six-point edge, the Lakers would head into halftime tied at 30 apiece.
Following a frenzied third quarter, the two went back-and-forth for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Following seven lead changes and three ties, the Rise set up in the half-court down by one, 53-52, with less than 20 ticks remaining.
After an initial miss inside, Rise forward Jordyn Marie Palmer tracked down an offensive rebound and went up with 0.6 seconds to spare. The rising sophomore drew a foul, prompting a roar from those watching attentively from the rows of arena bleachers.
Palmer sank both free throws and sealed Philadelphia’s victory over the Lakers, 54-53.
Even with the seemingly countless lead changes, the Rise battled to overcome.
“Once we started punching the ball inside, I think that's a tough cover for them with our strength and their size,” Rise head coach Tony Lee said. “Once we were able to slow down, manage the game a little bit, use some shot clocks, punch it in and get a post touch, I thought we were locked in.”
For girls aspiring to contribute on the NCAA stage, these pressurized moments provided a glimpse into what they may encounter on the next level.
“It means everything,” Lee said. “I think it's a tribute to some of the work that the kids have put in. We have a ton of young kids on this team, and this will help them prepare for that next level. They've seen a lot of these types of games already in their young basketball careers.”
Outside the Gold bracket games, Miami Suns Select (FL) secured the Silver title over Exodus NYC (NY) while Team Elevate Elite (VA) defeated TN Flight Silver (TN) in the Bronze final.