Moon girls awarded Sportsmanship Award at Diamond State Classic
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Friday, January 4, 2019 | 7:09 PM
The Moon girls basketball team just missed a title, but was a winner in another way at the 28th Diamond State Classic tournament Dec. 27-30 in Wilmington, Del.
The Tigers were among 20 teams from six states. Proceeds go to Delaware charities, including Special Olympics and a cancer nonprofit.
People helped are paired with teams. A 3-year-old girl who has cancer was assigned to the Tigers.
Moon coach Jody Powell said the Tigers communicated with the child before the event. They brought her arts and crafts items and other gifts, and plan to keep in touch.
“We hit it off great,” Powell said.
For that and their behavior on the court, they were the first team to be unanimously selected for the tournament’s John King Sportsmanship Award.
“Those girls were great,” tournament director John Gretchen said.
Senior Ava Mancini and junior Aubree Evans, both captains, said they liked that the tournament was more than just about basketball.
“I speak for my teammates when I say that we’ve taken away more compassion for each other in the four days at DSC than the program has seen in the last three years,” Mancini said.
Part of a four-team bracket, the Tigers beat the Howard School of Technology, of Delaware, 67-60, in overtime, before falling to Padua Academy, of Delaware, 50-44, in the championship game.
The Tigers were without one of their top players, junior Sofia Mancini, who was attending a USA Rugby camp in California.
Freshman Reilly Sunday, junior Mikala Powell, Evans and sophomore Cassie Depner were top scorers.
Sunday, a 5-foot-10 guard, poured in 35 points in the first game.
The Tigers (5-3 overall, 2-1 in Class 5A Section 1) were one of two teams from the WPIAL. Mt. Lebanon lost all three of its games in a larger bracket.
Teams apply to play. The Tigers have been invited to the 2020 tournament, in two years.
“A team like that deserves to come back,” Gretchen said.
Karen Kadilak is a freelance writer.
Tags: Moon
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