Blackman girls reach final of Nike Tournament of Champions

Blackman High will get an opportunity to play for a championship title in the Nike Tournament of Champions.

The Lady Blaze, who were the national champions in three major national media outlets, defeated St. Mary’s of Stockton, California 79-70 Saturday night in their tournament semifinal in Phoenix. Blackman has played this week in the Joe Smith elite division.

Blackman plays Mater Dei, California in the championship at 4 p.m. Monday. Mater Dei defeated Parkview, Georgia 60-53 in its semifinal.

“It’s been an honor to be able to be here and be invited to play the best of the best,” said Alex Johnson, an MTSU signee. “Every night here has been a battle. We’ve had to claw every quarter. And tonight was the toughest night we’ve had. Everybody has given us their 110 percent as we thought we would.”

Johnson scored a career-high 34 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Teammate Jazz Bond scored 16 points and snagged 11 rebounds.

“Our scouting report said they would leave the back side wide open, and they did the entire night,” Johnson said. “Our point guard Crystal (Dangerfield and Angel (Allen) had their eyes on us. It was them that got us the ball. So props to them for seeing us.”

Dangerfield, a Connecticut commitment, had 14 points and 15 assists

Blackman (10-1) has won seven straight since its lone loss — an 80-69 defeat to Potter’s House Christian of Florida on Nov. 28. The Lady Blaze have boasted a national schedule thus far this season. They have already played opponents from eight different states a month into the season.

Blackman, which is the defending TSSAA Class AAA state champion, is currently ranked first by ESPN, third by MaxPreps and seventh by USA TODAY. St. Mary’s is ranked seventh by ESPN, eighth by USA TODAY and 10th by MaxPreps.

Mater Dei is ranked fourth by ESPN, fifth by MaxPreps and 17th by USA TODAY.

Contact Tom Kreager at 615-278-5168 or tkreager@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kreager.