If Teresa Weatherspoon’s body language was anything to go by, the final night of Unrivaled’s inaugural 1-on-1 Tournament was never going to be a relaxing evening.
The Vinyl head coach was a ball of energy, with her support for Arike Ogunbowale palpable from across the court. After warming up with the Vinyl guard, Weatherspoon uneasily took her seat—shifting back and forth like a boxer’s coach in the ring, hyping Ogunbowale up, elbows on her knees, chin in her hands. All intensity and focus.
That energy was needed. Ogunbowale, touted as possibly the best 1-on-1 player in the women’s game, fell to rookie Aaliyah Edwards 11-2 in the night’s first semi-final. Edwards, who has dominated the tournament all week and defiantly smashed expectations as a No. 8 seed, commented ahead of the game, “Seed is just a number.” She had the energy to back that up, minute by minute, bucket by bucket.
And just like that, a tournament that began with 23 competitors had only three left, and Napheesa Collier and Azurá Stevens were up next.
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