NWAnews.com :: Northwest Arkansas Benton County Daily Record Rogers Edition

Attitude successful at national tournament

Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008

URL: http://www.nwanews.com/brog/Sports/62322/

BENTONVILLE — The NWA Attitude 13-and-under girls went 3-2 at the AAU National Tournament in Norman, Okla., last week.

The Attitude won all three games in pool play but lost twice in the bracket.

The Attitude started the tournament on a good foot by beating the Maryland Lady Shooting Stars. After falling behind 15-3 to the much bigger Stars, the Attitude rallied. After catching the Stars twice in the second half and then falling behind by as many as five points, the Attitude took a 46-45 lead with five minutes left and never looked back on the way to a 58-48 win.

Game 2 of pool play was an easy 62-27 win against the Claborne (La. ) Lady Sparks 62-27.

The Attitude then rallied to beat the Tennessee X-treme — seeded fourth nationally — to win the pool.

The Attitude jumped out early only to fall behind at half 31-30. The X-treme led by as many as five before the Attitude tied the game at 56-all with five minutes left. From there it was all Attitude as a 12-4 run to closed out the 68-60 win.

The victory gave the Attitude a first-round bye entering bracket play, where the team did not do as well.

The Attitude lost their opening game to the Missouri Dream Team, a mixture of a couple of teams out of the Springfield, Mo., area.

The Attitude jumped out to an 8-0 lead but the Dream Team rallied thanks to thanks to some three-pointers and trailed 29-27 at the half.

Another surge of treys helped the Dream Team build a 10-point lead with about eight minutes left.

The Attitude rallied to within 50-48 with 1: 30 left but the Dream Team — which finished seventh in the tournament — made enough free throws down the stretch for a 55-50 win.

The Oklahoma Select then beat the Attitude in an elimination game.

The Attitude erased the Select’s early seven-point advantage and had a 22-21 lead before the Select rallied for a 13-point halftime.

Foul trouble plagued the Attitude in the second half and the Select — which finished 13 th overall — won 71-58.

The Attitude will finish their season the last weekend of July when they play in the MAYB National Tournament in Oklahoma City, Okla.