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A record and an upset victory for Jordan
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No one at Target Center on Friday had to be a Minnesota high school basketball historian to know Jordan's Brittany Chambers put on one of the best performances in state tournament history.
No one needed to hear her 47 points in the Jaguars' 79-74 victory over Class 2A top-seed Crookston set a tournament record to validate what they had just witnessed.
In a performance that was memorable for its emotion as well as its effectiveness, Chambers gave to the point where it seemed she had nothing left to give. Then she gave some more.
"Her will to win was the answer to the game,'' Crookston coach Kris Evje said.
As the weight of the game and the physical strain began to take its toll, the occasional timeout had Chambers shuffling to the bench looking like someone in desperate need of a bottle of Gatorade or a place to lie down. Then she'd be right back on the court leading her teammates.
The numbers: 36 minutes, 16 of 27 field goals, 14 of 16 free throws, 12 rebounds, 4 steals. She scored on drives to the basket and off offensive rebounds. She hit the mid-range jumper and made sharp cuts without the ball to get free for a pass and a lay-in.
And whenever the Jaguars needed a big play down the stretch, it most often was Chambers who delivered it.
"Forty-seven points is an amazing accomplishment,'' she said, "but I just did what I had to do to win.''
Not to be overlooked is the defense she played against Crookston's gifted guard Kamille Wahlin, bound for Iowa next season. What Wahlin offered in speed and court savvy Chambers answered with grit, determination and a gift for finding a way to put the ball in the basket.
Chambers said Jordan coach Paul Lambrecht pulled her out of her second period class on Friday to remind her that she would be facing one of the premier point guards in the state in Wahlin.
"He told me this was the matchup I wanted,'' Chambers said. "It was the matchup we had talked about since the beginning of the season. She's an amazing player. To have the opportunity to face a challenge like that was amazing.''
Chambers said she knew she had to take over five minutes into the second half with her team trailing 45-36. From that point on she scored 27 of the Jaguars' final 43 points. Crookston scored 29 points during the same span.
"She needed to step up tonight,'' Lambrecht said. "Some of our other players didn't quite play as good as they have in the past.''
Chambers, also a standout volleyball player, said she has received between 20 and 30 offers to play Division I basketball. The narrowing-down process will begin this summer, she said.
Minnesota is on her list, and Gophers coach Pam Borton was at center court Friday night.
Asked whether it was the best game she had every played, Chambers said, "By far.''
Ask many of those in the stands whether it was the best performance they had ever seen, and their answer might be the same.
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BRITTANY: GO TO THE GOPHERS, THEY NEED ANOTHER LINDSAY WHALEN & YOU CAN DO IT .....
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