Lady Eagles Claim 2005 Title

“Inspired. United. Confident. On a mission.” These were words Lady Eagles Head Coach Olivia DiCamilli used to describe her team’s play against archrival Hillsdale in the 2004–2005 ACCA National Championship. The Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Saints 56-42 to claim their fourth national championship in seven years. They succeeded despite competing the entire season with only seven players after losing two starters to serious knee injuries.

“One of our mottoes this year was ‘No excuses,’” Coach DiCamilli said. “Excuses are stepping-stones for failure. We chose not to make excuses. We’ve got seven, and we only need five to play. Let’s win it!” And win it they did!

RHEMA controlled the game from the outset, with Priscilla Ibarra winning the opening tip and scoring the first two points of the contest. The Lady Eagles built a 10-point lead and sustained it throughout the first half. Jessica Mitchell’s three-pointer with 12 seconds left on the clock gave RHEMA a 28-15 halftime lead.

After the teams traded baskets for the first 10 minutes of the second half, Hillsdale went on a 9-3 scoring run to cut the Lady Eagles’ lead to 43-39 with 6:41 remaining in the game. However, RHEMA clamped down on defense, only allowing the Lady Saints three points (all free throws) for the remainder of the game to earn a hard-fought 56-42 victory.

Tournament MVP Jessica Mitchell scored a game-high 21 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in the victory. Priscilla Ibarra finished the game with 18 points, four steals, and three blocks, while Devonna Mitchell added 16 points and seven boards.

Even though the players racked up great individual statistics, Coach DiCamilli knows her squad won because of one reason. “It was a team effort,” she said. “Each person did their part. This team was a group of finishers. From the beginning of the year I told the girls that we have a national championship that we are going to win. No one was going to take their championship from them!”