Mackenzie Mendez Caps Title Run as Tournament's Top Scorer

Mackenzie Mendez earned MVP honors with a case that needs little embellishment: the top scoring average in the field, three Player-of-the-Game nods, and a championship for the Top of Texas Stars.

The line across four games sets the frame. Mendez averaged 8.0 points and totaled 32, the best mark of any player in the field, all of it coming from inside the arc with no threes on the run. She led the Stars in scoring through every step toward the title.

The signature game came against the Lady Scorpions, where Mendez put up 12 points and collected Player of the Game. She matched that recognition against the Lil Ladyz, scoring 9 and again taking the game's top honor. The meeting with the Dalhart Divas added 6 more. Three of her four outings ended with a Player-of-the-Game distinction, a stretch of coach recognition that ran across the bracket.

The argument for Mendez rests on the components. She finished first in the field in scoring. She led her own team in points. She claimed Player of the Game in three of four games. An MVP run built on a tournament-high average and three POG honors leaves little to debate.

And she did it on the team that won. The Stars took the title, which means Mendez's run was not a standout performance attached to an early exit but the engine of a champion. The numbers, the honors, and the trophy all point the same direction, closing the case on a championship.