Recap: Allisha Gray takes No. 4 spot as Team Hillmon defeats Team Harrison

Hillmon posted a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds to lead her squad to a 75-70 victory over Team Harrison in the penultimate game of the 2023 campaign at Fair Park Coliseum on Saturday night.

The win allowed Team Hillmon to finish the fifth week with a perfect 3-0 record, while Team Harrison closed play with a 1-2 record after its second straight setback.

Hillmon, who took over the lead in the league standings, earned MVP 3 distinction after her eighth double-double of the season. The former Michigan standout collected 456 leaderboard points to enter the final game of the campaign with a 355-point advantage over guard Odyssey Sims.

Hillmon received a massive contribution from guard Allisha Gray, who registered MVP 1 honors after finishing with a game-high 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 at the charity stripe. Gray secured a game-high 584 leaderboard points in the victory, including 194 stat points.

Guard-forward Ty Young posted her first double-double in Athletes Unlimited play to complete the MVP trio. Young, the game’s MVP 3 selection, scored 16 points with a career-high 11 rebounds while adding three assists and three steals.

Captain Isabelle Harrison paced her squad in the loss with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while guards Kelsey Mitchell and Layshia Clarendon each chipped 11 markers.

KEY MOMENT

Trailing by a 49-45 margin, Team Hillmon strung together 12 of the next 14 points to claim a 57-51 lead with 1:27 left in the third quarter. Young sparked the run with five points, including a three-pointer to cap the run.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Hillmon stands at the top of the leaderboard with 6,660 points ahead of Saturday’s finale between Team Sims and Team Smith. Gray, meanwhile, surged into fourth place on the leaderboard with 5,748 points after elevating her position by two spots.

GAME NOTES

• Team Hillmon and Team Harrison combined to make eight three-pointers in Saturday’s opener, moving the league’s season total to 432 triples through 29 games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every three-pointer made as part of its ‘Trees for Threes’ initiative.

• Team Harrison challenged a defensive foul against guard Kirby Burkholder with 3:56 remaining, which was unsuccessful … Teams are now 17-for-39 (.436) in captain’s challenges through 29 games.

• Gray registered 18 points in the first half, marking her seventh consecutive double-digit scoring effort … Gray, who finished the game with 25 points, reached double figures in scoring in 14-of-15 outings during her first Athletes Unlimited campaign.

• Harrison notched her 18th consecutive double-digit scoring performance with 23 points, including 13 points in the second half … In addition, she accumulated the 16th 20-point game of her Athletes Unlimited career.

• Harrison has now scored in double figures in 28-of-30 career Athletes Unlimited contests … She also grabbed 12 rebounds for the eighth double-double of her Athletes Unlimited career.

• Guard Natasha Cloud authored her sixth consecutive double-digit scoring effort with 14 points … Cloud, who shot 6-of-12 from the field, also contributed seven assists.

• Hillmon closed the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds to account for her eighth double-double of the season, including her third in a row … The eight double-doubles rank third on the league’s single-season and career lists pending Saturday’s second game between Team Smith and Team Sims.

• Clarendon amassed their eighth game with 10 or more points this season.

• Young, who made her fourth start of the year, reached double figures in scoring for the 10th time in her Athletes Unlimited career, including her fifth time this season.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Allisha Gray (Team Hillmon, +90)
• #2 – Ty Young (Team Hillmon, +60)
• #3 – Naz Hillmon (Team Hillmon, +30)