Girls’ Division I : Leslie Gets 21 to Lead Morningside to Title

Junior center Lisa Leslie of Morningside High School fashioned a different ending from last season Saturday in leading her team to the State Division I girls’ basketball championship at the Oakland Coliseum.

Leslie, a 6-foot 5-inch Parade All-American, led Morningside to a 60-50 victory over Oakland Fremont with 21 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Last season, Leslie missed a six-foot jumper at the buzzer as Morningside fell to Fremont in the State final, 53-52.

But Leslie, who averages 25 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots, was overwhelming Saturday.

“We really felt hurt last year,” she said. “It didn’t matter to us how much we won by, we just wanted to win.”

Morningside (32-1), ranked No. 1 in the state, won its final 23 games. The Monarchs’ only loss was to Southern High of Louisville, Ky.

“We expect to beat everybody we play,” Morningside Coach Frank Scott said. “That’s the attitude I’ve instilled in them, that there’s nobody that can beat them. This is a very young and hungry team.”

With 3:34 left Morningside held an 11-point lead after sophomore guard Bridget Williams made a three-pointer.

The Tigers (26-5), ranked No. 3 in the state, never got within 10 after that. Besides, Leslie, Morningside’s strong inside offense and aggressive defense were too much for Fremont. “They just out-hustled us up and down the court. They played very well,” Fremont Coach Lola Smith said.”

Despite its dominance in the second half, Morningside started slowly.

“I guess we were so anxious,” said Morningside guard JoJo Witherspoon, the team’s only senior. “But, you know, once we got going, we got going.”

The Monarchs went scoreless for periods of two and three minutes during the first quarter. It wasn’t until the start of the second quarter, when they went on an 8-0 run, that they showed signs of life.

The Monarchs were helped by 12 Fremont turnovers and the Tigers’ poor free-throw shooting (5-of-13) in the first half.

Morningside took advantage and followed its 8-0 run with six unanswered points and with 2:21 left in the half the Monarchs held an 11-point lead, 34-23, after Witherspoon’s runaway layup.

Leslie, who had 19 points in the first half, scored twice after that, on a layin and a six-foot jumper, to give Morningside a 13-point lead at the break.

Fremont was led by Senior Priscilla Smith’s 13 points and nine rebounds. Witherspoon scored nine and freshman forward Janet Davis and Williams each scored eight for the Monarchs.