The energy level changed instantly from the players on the court to the buzz in the air from the spectators. The tidal wave that was Bone lifted her entire team up and they played with renewed confidence and vigor. West Coast Elite would take a 31-26 lead into halftime. Bone did some early scoring around the basket and from the high post and more important she lit a fire in both her front court teammates - Ashley Gayle and Monique Oliver. Between the time Bone checked into the game and halftime Oliver would score 10 of her team high 16 points. Also stepping up to help negate the 20 points for Ogwumike was Gilbreath ,who mixed up playing some point guard and wing and scored 11 in the game while starting point guard Chelsea Hopkins scored eight and had some huge buckets in transition late.

Lost to some degree in the shuffle was how solid Ogwumike looked. She showed much better with her club team than she did at the USA Youth Development Festival or the Nike Skills Academy. She played with more confidence and looked like a leader on the court, which comes from the chemistry of long time teammates. She often outran the defense to get early post position or to score in transition. Another improvement from earlier this summer is her shot which seems to have the arc missing at the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival and Nike Skills Academy. She hit some elbow jumpers but never had to shoot from long range.

All in all it was a great battle and the coaches and fans got to see enough of the marquee matchup between the two teams' front courts that nobody left disappointed. It will be interesting to see if the two teams meet again in bracket play.

Rim Shots
East Bay Xplosion Gold's Malia Nahinu looked good in defeat against Big Sky. The 6-foot-5, 2008 post player runs the floor pretty well and is outstanding from the high post. Her range extends to the three-point line which is rare for her size. She has offers from Arizona, Oregon State, San Diego and San Diego State, Washington and Washington State and also is interested in Arizona State and USC. ... Spokane Stars guard Ali Johnson of Coeur d'Alene, Id., shot the ball extremely well today to keep the Stars close against imposing OGDL. ... Big Sky's Joslyn Tinkle was very impressive. The 6-3 2009 forward does a lot of things both inside and out. She showed touch around the basket and stepping out to the short corner, knocking down shots, as well as extending to near the three-point line. To top it off, she runs the floor and finishes in traffic as well as finishes strong. North Tartan wing Hannah Draxten, from Fergus Falls High School lit up the net shooting from the perimeter. The 2008 sharp-shooter was dead on in catch and shoot situations in North Tartan's win over East Bay Xplosion 15u. ... Spokane Stars guard Brittany Kennedy has verbally committed to Oregon State. The 2008 defensive dynamo from two-time defending Washington State 4A champion Lewis and Clark High School committed the day the Beavers won the college World Series.