Tia Scott’s face lit up with a wide and bright smile at the mention of her 3-point shooting.
The rising senior point guard buried two on back-to-back attempts in New Heights’ semifinal win over the NYC Lady Warriors at the Rose Summer Classic at Fordham University Wednesday afternoon.
“I have been working really hard in the gym,” said Scott, who plays at Cardinal Spellman. “I am there putting up a lot of shots and working on my shot off the dribble. It felt good to shoot the ball and see it go in the net twice in a row.”
It was one of the many highlights in a day that saw her lead New Heights White to an unbeaten day and the East bracket title with an easy 47-20 win over the Central Jersey Hawks.
Scott had nine points apiece in the final two games and was named the bracket’s most valuable player. Murry Bergtraum’s Cori Coleman also scored nine points and Antonia Smith of the Dwight School added eight.
“We are seeing her maturing,” New Heights coach Rock Rosa said of Scott. “I think she is really coming into her own now.”
Last summer Scott was recovering from the effects of Achilles tendonitis, but has put that behind her. All her skills were on display at Fordham.
She drove and scored in traffic and turned a quick steal into a 3-point play. Scott was patient, didn’t force the action on the fast break and found open teammates. In the semifinals, she got her arms between two defenders and hit Coleman for an easy feed.
“It feels great being able to get back to my old self and doing the things I am capable of doing and more,” said Scott, who is recieving interest from St. Francis, Rhode Island and Marymount.
New Heights couldn’t complete its chance at a second bracket title. Its Blue team lost to the Long Island Lightning, coached by Manhattan Center coach Jaywana Bradley. Seward Park senior Jaeivonnte Wright scored four of her 15 points in the final 30 seconds to give the Lightning a thrilling 56-53 win in the South Bracket final. Samantha DeFreese of New Milford (N.J.) also had 15 points. Lab Museum’s Jennifer Ramirez and Mary Louis’ Jasmine Nwajei each added eight. Mt Vernon’s Sade King led New Heights with 11 points.