The suspense in Saturday’s Dick’s Sports Goods national basketball championship game between No. 1 seed Miami (Fla.) Country Day and No. 2 Hamilton Heights lasted less than a quarter.
The Spartans jumped out to a 22-8 first-quarter lead and then rode the record-setting 26-point effort by sophomore Maria Alvarez and blasted the Lady Hawks 81-55 in Saturday’s title game play at Christ the King School in New York.
Country Day scored the game’s first nine points, led 42-24 at halftime and then blitzed Hamilton Heights 30-8 in the third quarter – the Spartans scored the first 11 points in the period – and turned the nationally televised game into a full-blown rout.
The 5-foot-7 Alvarez hit 9-of-16 shots, including 8-of-11 from 3-point distance and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
Alvarez made three straight 3-pointers in the big third period.
Kelsey Marshall added 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting. She also had five rebounds and four assists. Aasiya Berry scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Hamilton Heights (29-2) was led by Amber Hunt’s 14 points on 6-of-19 shooting. She was 2-of-10 from 3-point range.
Jazmine Massengill had 11 points and 14 rebounds. Massengill made 4-of-16 field goals. Treasure Hunt added 10 points and five rebounds.
Elizabeth Balogun finished with seven points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Hawks won the battle on the boards 47-35. Kamila Cardosa helped with seven rebounds.
Hamilton Heights shot 27.6 percent from the floor (21-76) and 26 percent (6-25) from behind the 3-point arc.
Meanwhile, Country Day hit 30-of-63 shots from 47.6 percent and 40.6 percent (13-32) of their 3-point tries.
It was Country Day’s second Dick’s championship in three years. The Spartans have won four straight state titles.
LINESCORE
Hamilton Heights 8 16 8 22 – 55
Miami Country Day 22 20 30 9 – 81
Hamilton Heights (55) – Jazmine Massengill 11, Williams, Treasure Hunt 10, Hickey-White 4, Amber Hunt 14, Balogun 7, Doumbia 5, Cardosa 4.
Miami Country Day (81) – Maria Alvarez 26, Lewis 7, Taylor 7, Kelsey Marshall 23, Jackson, Shaw 3, Fishman, McCormack, Gregoire, Sheppard, Aasiya Berry 15.
3-Point Goals – Hamilton Heights 6 (Massengill 2, A. Hunt 2, Balogun 1, Doumbia 1), Miami Country Day 13 (Alvarez 8, Marshall 2, Lewis 1, Taylor 1, Shaw 1).
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming 44)