Hampshire easily claims Harlem crown

MACHESNEY PARK - So just who was the MVP of Hampshire's 66-19 win against Sycamore for the Harlem Christmas Classic tournament championship Saturday? It's hard to tell.

Tournament MVP Alex Dumoulin dominated the backboards with 10 rebounds and 11 points. Sixth man Jessica Van Dorin poured in seven more 3-pointers for a game-high 21 points and a total of 20 3s in the four games here. Point guard Kelsey Anderson had probably her best all-around game with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 7 steals, and 3 assists.

Cassie Dumoulin contributed 7 points and 3 assists, and joined Anderson at the head of Hampshire's stifling full court press. Chrissy Heine added 7 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. Karla Vietinghoff had a solid all-around game.

That's the problem for Hampshire's opponents - figuring out who to stop. The development of juniors like Anderson and Van Dorin has given the Whip-Purs even more weapons.

"The biggest thing for us from Thanksgiving time until now is how far the sophomores and juniors have progressed," said Hampshire coach Sue Ellett, whose program won the title at Harlem for the first time. "They have grown exponentially. The Big 3 are going to bring it every day, and they're still improving. However, their area for improvement isn't as great as the juniors have been.

"Nobody cares where the points are going to come from as long as we get them. Everybody knows they're going to get their hands on the ball. If I could throw 5 balls out there, I would."

Van Dorin has been torrid from 3-point range, despite drawing increasing attention from opposing defenses.

"It's kind of hard when they're all yelling, 'Shooter,' and I know that it's going to be hard to get a shot off," she said. "But my team helps me out with getting open."

The suspense was over early Saturday. The Whips (13-0) scored the first 11 points and led 28-4 at halftime.

The Whip-Purs shot 57 percent for the game and outrebounded the Spartans 29-17.

Cassie Dumoulin and Heine were also named to the all-tournament team.

Defensively, the Whips' pressure forced 16 first-half turnovers. The Spartans shot just 21 percent for the game.

"I really think this was a strong team effort," said Alex Dumoulin. "And I have to say thank heavens for Kelsey Anderson and Cassie Dumoulin, because they did an unbelievable job on our press."

Kianne Carter led Sycamore with 5 points despite not playing until the fourth quarter.