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Delle Donne's team takes Round One from Sykes
By Jason Jordan | jjordan@dailypress.com

[size=2]Newport News — April Sykes and Elena Delle Donne don’t know each other.

[size=2]Never played against each other, never talked on the phone and up until Friday night in the opening round of the Boo Williams Girls Invitational, neither had ever seen the other one play. [/font]

[size=2]But, quite frankly, both of them are tired of each other. [/font]
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[size=2]"You get annoyed with people comparing us,[/font]" Delle Donne said. [/font]"That stuff is just about the hype.[/font]"
[size=2]That[/font]’[/font]s because Sykes, a 6-foot guard, is rated the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2008 and Delle Donne, a 6-5 forward, is rated No. 2 in the same class. [/font]
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[size=2]"It[/font]’s what people wanted to see,[/font]" Sykes said. [/font]"I told my team coming into the game that I wouldn[/font]’t try and take over the game just because it was my first time playing her.[/font]"
[size=2]Round one went to Delle Donne. [/font]
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[size=2]She and her Comets of Philadelphia AAU team rolled past Sykes and Essence Girls Basketball, out of Florida, 58-48, in front of a capacity crowd and more than 75 college coaches on Saturday at the Midtown Community Center. [/font]
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[size=2]"I just get tired of the discussion because all of that doesn[/font]’t really matter,[/font]" Sykes said. [/font]"People try and make a big thing, but we[/font]’re just kids. We[/font]’re not in college or anything.[/font]"
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[size=2]Delle Donne added: [/font]"[/font]We[/font]’[/font]re two totally different players. I mainly wanted to come here and get a win. I didn[/font]’[/font]t want to get into that whole [/font]‘[/font]who scored more points[/font]’[/font] thing.[/font]"[/font]
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[size=2]Delle Donne, who lives in Wilmington, Del., won that battle too. She scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out five assists in the win. [/font]
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[size=2]Sykes, who hails from Crawford, Miss., struggled with her jump shot all game, but still managed 18 points, four rebounds and two blocks. [/font]
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[size=2]The two were matched up against each other a few times throughout the game, but never really attacked each other, much to the dismay of onlookers. [/font]
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[size=2]"She[/font]’s a great player,[/font]" Delle Donne said. [/font]"It would be fun to play against her in college or maybe even with her. We[/font]’re considering a lot of the same schools.[/font]"
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[size=2]Sykes[/font]’[/font] list includes Connecticut, Louisiana State, North Carolina, Rutgers, Tennessee and Georgia. [/font]
[size=2]Delle Donne is considering Connecticut, Maryland, Tennessee, Villanova, Middle Tennessee State and Texas.[/font]
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[size=2]"That[/font]’s a possibility,[/font]" Sykes said of the two teaming up in college. [/font]"I like her game. She[/font]’s poised and always gets her teammates up. She never takes a play off and when she[/font]’s not scoring she[/font]’s getting her teammates the ball.[/font]"
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[size=2]For now both players took something from the big showdown.[/font]
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[size=2]Sykes learned not to take plays off, and Delle Donne reiterated her belief that getting caught up in the hype of being No. 1 is a waste of energy. [/font]
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[size=2]"It[/font]’s not about a No. 1 and a No. 2,[/font]" Delle Donne said. [/font]"It[/font]’s more about how you play with your team and if you[/font]’re a composed player. It[/font]’s a team thing, not individual.[/font]"«