The Guru’s UPSHOT League Report: Surging Charlotte With Six Straight Wins Heads for 1st-Place Showdown at Leading Jacksonville Friday

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

Time to do a little catch-up of recent results of the new four-team UPSHOT League and you should read Rob Knox’s excellent reporting for The IX having recently attended one of the games of the four-team operation based in the Southeast.

One game was played Wednesday with the Savannah Steel halting a recent slide by winning 90-74 over the Greensboro Groove at home in Georgia.

The winners took three of four quarters including both in the second half with a 20-12 outcome in the third creating separation.

Lasha Petree and Zee Spearman each scored 19 points for Savannah with Spearman, a former Tennessee star, grabbing nine rebounds.

Duquesne grad Megan McConnell had five points and six boards in 22 minutes.

Harmoni Turner, who starred at Harvard had nine points.

Greensboro’s Sahara Jones had 23 points and seven boards, while Jessica Timmons scored 19 points and Philly native Diamond Johnson had 11 points.

On Friday, first-place Jacksonville hosts the Charlotte Crown 2.5 at 7 p.m., while Savannah hosts Greensboro for the second time in three days.

Jacksonville does likewise with Charlotte at 4 p.m. while Savannah and Greensboro play again for the third time in the same place over four days, also at 4 p.m.

Jacksonville, coached by Philly native Jess Bogia, has been consistent all season, the Waves leading at 9-3 with a 2.5 lead over Charlotte, which got off to a slow start and then recently caught fire to move into second place at 7-6.

Savannah is two back of Charlotte at 5-8 while Greensboro, which was among the leaders in the first few weeks is now 5-9 a half game behind Savannah.

Games are free on the league’s YouTube Channel, and next year Baltimore and Nashville join the league, which this season is on a 40-game schedule, 20 home and 20 on the roaad for each team.

Greensboro’s Diamond Johnson leads the league in scoring with a 17.3 average, followed by Jacksonville’s Ariel Hearn at 15.4, Charlotte’s Deja Kelly, who played at North Carolina and Oregon, at 15.2 and Jacksonville’s Rennia Davis, another Lady Vol alum, at 14.7

Schaquilla Nunn of Charlotte is the leading rebounder at 9.0, ahead of Ugonne (Michelle) Oniyah at 7.6 and Rennia Davis at 7.3.

Charlotte was 2-5 and then surged winning six straight heading into this weekend.

In the most recent game, Sunday, an 82-72 win over Savannah, the Crown led the Steel for 33 out of the 40 minutes played with Kelly scoring 26 points with seven boards and three steals.

Nunn was 8-for-8 from the line and finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds.