The Madison365 12U girls basketball team rolled through the Downpour Invitational in Madison last weekend. All three of the team’s games were halted early by mercy rule, as the Madison365 team built leads of 20 or more.
It was a costly win, though, as Maliyah Thompson went down with a foot injury and will be out four to six weeks, head coach Henry Sanders said.
The day started with a 34-14 win in a shortened game over Armory. It was a balanced attack with eight players scoring. Kennedi Castillo led the way with nine and Talia Sanders added eight. Castillo also grabbed six rebounds, with Sanders snagging five.
The second game, against Wisconsin Lakers, was also halted at 34-14. Again eight different players scored, with Aaliyah Crum, Alyse Winzer and Thompson all scoring six. Thompson also grabbed six steals and seven rebounds before going down with the injury.
After that game, the rest of the team pledged to win the championship game for Thompson. And they did just that, running up a 45-23 lead before the game was stopped. In the title game, Alyse Winzer led the scoring with 12 while Paige Nelson and Molly Murphy added 10 each.
“I’m extremely proud not about our winning the championship but how the team stuck together when one of our players got injured,” said Henry Sanders. “They fought together as a team and dedicated the championship win to their teammates. That’s what sports should be about.”
Next the team travels to Mukwonago for the Wisconsin Lakers Classic June 1-2. Full stats are available at Madison365.org/365Basketball.
