Girls GASO: Urban DFW Elite claims WNCAA
CARROLLTON, Texas - Urban DFW Elite isn't just a household name for AAU boys basketball anymore.
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Jazzy Hartwell's basketball program has expanded into girls basketball, and the experiment has turned into an instant success. Urban DFW won its second tournament of the spring Sunday afternoon, defeating the Lady Ambassadors, 56-45, in the WNCAA Division final of the Girls Great American Shoot-Out at the Integrated Athletic Development.
Hartwell, who has been coaching AAU boys basketball for 27 years, started coaching the girls - which includes his daughter Jade Colbert -- at the end of the regular season for high school play. Since the start of the AAU spring campaign, Urban DFW has won a tournament in Baton Rouge, La., and finished second in the Next Level Baller tournament in Frisco.
"It's been the biggest challenge of my whole life," Hartwell said. "You have to change your whole philosophy of coaching for girls. But I'm loving it, because the girls listen."
Hartwell added: "I'm really happy for these girls. I remember when some of them couldn't even dribble. Yeah, it's good that we won, and you want to win, but it's good to see them developing first. They can go back to their high schools and do very well."
Urban DFW led the Lady Ambassadors by four at halftime, and the teams were tied at 30 with roughly 13 minutes remaining in the game. Urban DFW Elite, however, went on a 12-0 run in a 6-minute span and never looked back. Chontiquah White led Urban DFW's rally, scoring 16 of her game-high 20 points in the second half. She and Gjetoia Richardson controlled the inside lanes, grabbing rebounds on both sides of the court.
Colbert added 17 points for Urban DFW. JaQuan Jackson led the Lady Ambassadors with 14 points, and Monique Jamieson also was in double figures in scoring with 10.
DFW/IAD GREAT AMERICAN SHOOT-OUT
(At Integrated Athletic Development, Carrollton
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BOXSCORE
WNCAA DIVISION
Urban DFW Elite 26 30 - 56
Lady Ambassadors 22 23 - 45
Urban DFW: Cameasha Turner 7, LaQuencia Doresy 2, Tiara Fizer 2, Jade Colbert 17, Chontiquah White 20, Ri'Kell McWright 6, Gabby Thomas 2
Lady Ambassadors: Angela Delaney 2, Jasmine Goodwine 9, JaQuan Jackson 14, Monique Jamieson 10, Mariah Shaw 8, Lederica Degrate 2