It seemed unlikely with no neighborhood bragging rights to fight for, no history to share and no known similarities. But a week after the two played point-for-point in the Lancers Christmas Classic championship barnburner at Cambridge, they faced each other again in the Beef O'Brady's Holiday Classic final at Armwood.
This meeting was even more heated than the last, which was clearly displayed in the players' faces and the fans' jeers. The outcome, though, was somewhat similar: Cambridge defeated Armwood 53-50.
"All I can say is this is the little school that could," Cambridge coach Karim Nohra said. "They have more kids absent in one day than we have in our whole school. This is huge, to beat them twice, that's incredible."
After losing to the Lancers 49-47 in the last tournament final, the Hawks (8-5) wanted badly to show they could overtake Class A's third-ranked team. They had seen Cambridge's defensive variety, perhaps its biggest strength, and applied some presses of their own.
Both teams seemed a little too careful and slow at the start, as the Lancers led 18-16 at halftime. But Cambridge (10-2) quickly changed the pace by going from a half-court zone press to a full-court man-to-man, resulting in a 13-point run to end the third quarter 41-28.
Armwood's full-court defense promptly caught on and strong outside play by Monique Reynard (15 points) helped the Hawks catch up.
A Reynard 3-pointer with just more than a minute left brought the Hawks within two points of tying the score. Armwood once again found itself in a mad dash to catch the Lancers.
The Hawks failed at three jumper attempts during the final minute, and after they fouled Stephanie Grace and she made a free throw, their chances of making a desperate 3-pointer became more and more slim. A final attempt by Willonda Windham (15 points) fell short before the buzzer sounded.
"If we hadn't been so cold that first half, I think it would have been a closer game," Armwood coach Don Fields said. "They (the Hawks) will never quit, though, and I think they've improved."
Fields said he had a "good time" in the final, especially facing the Lancers and giving the fans a good show.
Cambridge post player Betsy Brown was named the tournament's MVP after scoring a game-high 18. Freshman Alexis Walker scored 12.
