Elsik Returns To R3 Final 4

As anticipated, the Bellaire vs Elsik match-up would be a fight to the finish as you were looking at two teams that both had something to prove. Bellaire had not made it to the Region 3 Final 4 since A.J. Alix was a freshman and Elsik wanted to show everyone that last year wasn’t a fluke. Was the game pretty? Absolutely not as is it was filled with turnovers, missed opportunities and numerous slips and falls however if I could use any type of comparison I would consider it an epic battle between two great teams filled, both filled with seniors who understood what this game actually meant.

RAVEN BURNS & JASMINE OCANAS

Raven Burns got the Cardinals rolling early however Elsik was on the verge of opening things up as they went on a quick run only to go cold and watch an Alix floater tie the game at 11 after one. I’ve often spoke about teams coming out with no intensity, tonight wasn’t the case and what really impressed me was how they kept playing at that level all game and while Bellaire stayed close, Jasmine Ocanas scored 5 straight points to end the half to give a 29-22 Elsik lead. The role players played strong for both teams however the biggest ones of all were Elsik’s D’Jue Vaden and Lillian Taylor, who came off of the bench and hit several big shots early and continued to contribute throughout the game. Akunna Elonu was simply a beast throughout the game as she and Crystal Porter thwarted yet another Bellaire comeback as tempers flared from both sides but Elsik still led 39-30 after three. Alix and Burns were the primary offensive weapons for the Cardinals and an Alix three combined with a Burns lay-up and two free throws cut the lead to 42-37 and then something happened at the 4:53 mark.

D”JUE VADEN

Porter rolled her ankle and had to be taken out of the game. The Rams Taylor immediately responded with a bucket giving them a 7 point lead but to be honest with you I didn’t see them winning without Porter. Neither did she and after getting her ankle wrapped, she hits the floor a minute later and I’m thinking about the Willis Reed effect for the Knicks against the Lakers and if you remember that, well that’s impressive. The problem is these kids probably don’t know who Reed is and what it meant as a Lu Lu McKinney bucket followed by an Angel Williams three had the Cardinals down 45-42. Elsik wouldn’t fold as Gabby Ocanas knocked down a couple of threes and a big bucket from D’jue Vaden sandwiched a Burns a lay-up and that was all she wrote. Porter’s two lay-ups gave Elsik a 56-46 victory in a game that was closer than the 10 point margin and it’s a shame one of these teams had to lose. I said Elsik biggest problem would be losing their role players from last season, that has been addressed as Williams, Vaden and Gabby O have come through several times this season on various occasions and if ever they needed everyone on the same page, they will Friday night against Clear Springs

CRYSTAL PORTER