Shannon's Three at Buzzer Gives Majors District Title

In a battle that came down to the buzzer, the Majors defense was the difference, as they squeaked out the National District championship with a 57-54 over Edison.

During warmups the head coaches dealt with the anxiety of a championship game differently. Edison coach Dianne Lewis commented that she was just as nervous about this game as she was every game as she stood and watched her girls get loose.

Meanwhile, Mount Vernon coach Courtney Coffer did his own version of the Dougie as he sat in his courtside chair. If Coffer was any bit uncertain as to what the outcome of the National District championship would be, he sure didn't show it.

At tipoff the Majors played a very aggressive full-court 1-2-2 defense. The pressure made it difficult for Edison to move the ball up court, but they were still able to get an early eight-point lead. On the other end, Mount Vernon had trouble penetrating the Eagles 2-3 zone and rushed to take outside shots. The defensive pressure from the Majors kept Edison from running away with the score, but Mount Vernon reached the foul limit early and began sending Edison to the line with three minutes left to play in the first quarter.

The Majors kept the pressure on to start the second quarter. Edison was forced to move the ball down court with long passes, which resulted in a few turnovers. Edison's Ruth Sherrill controlled the boards on both ends of the court, but Eagles captain Christine Dua had trouble getting her shot to fall in the post. The frustration of Dua could be seen on her face as she got physical with freshman Samantha Porter, who was voted to the district's All-Defensive team. With Edison up by 10 points, Chanel Shannon of Mount Vernon found her rhythm, and within the last minute of the half knocked down two 3-pointers. Taylor Dunham found her range as well and sank a triple to come within one point.

"I thought we did a good job against their defense," Lewis said. "We struggled this year because we have more post players than we have guards, so we're still working on being patient with the ball against the press."

Mount Vernon never swayed from its game plan, and to begin the third quarter Shannon got open on the wing and sank another 3-pointer to take the lead. Edison hustled to tie the game midway through, then Kelly Loftus got in on the long-range action and hit a couple triples to lead Mount Vernon on a 9-0 run and end the quarter up by seven.

At the start of the final quarter Loftus was holding her side as if she had a cramp, and it clearly affected her shot. Coffer left her in the game to work through it, and during that time Edison outscored the Majors to tie the game with 15 seconds left. With the game tied at 54 and every fan on their feet, Sherrill was fouled and sent to the line for two shots. She missed them both.

With fans in the bleachers all thinking overtime, Tiffany Webster dribbled the ball upcourt for the Majors and passed to Shannon who waited on the wing. In a moment that seemed to move in slow motion she sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the game.

"It was amazing," said Shannon after the game. "Our team has worked hard to come a long way and we proved people wrong who doubted us because we are a young team."

Shannon said she stays a little after practice every day to work on her long-range shot and she even visits the gym for two hours on Sundays. All of her field goals were 3-pointers and she finished with 12 points.

Coffer, who was an assistant when Mount Vernon won in 2009, was over joyous after the close win.

"This is a great feeling," said Coffer. "The funny thing about this season is that we are without any seniors. I can't say enough about the leadership I get from these younger girls. It speaks a lot to their character and they really deserve this."

Taylor Dunham finished with 12 points. Kelly Loftus and Tiffany Webster ended with 11 and nine respectively.

Ruth Sherrill led the Eagles in scoring with 17 points. Kierra Graham had 14 and Krystyna Watts finished with 12.