Humphreys’ Mikaila Thomas, dribbling against ASIJ’s Yume Rinon, led the Blackhawks with 10 points and was named the tournament’s MVP. (Isaiah Ramirez/Special to Stripes)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – Defense ruled the day Tuesday as Humphreys captured its first Far East girls basketball title in school history.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Mikayla Thomas led the Blackhawks with 10 points, four of them in the last quarter, and each team’s defense throttled the opposing offenses, with Humphreys prevailing 25-21 over American School In Japan.

“Defense. The name of the game,” Blackhawks coach Eddie Rozzi said. “I’ve said all season that defense is going to win us championships, and today was a perfect example. It’s been stellar all season, but today, it really shined.”

The Blackhawks’ focus in the final, Rozzi said, was keeping Mustang scoring options Chrissy Miller, who had 15 points, and three-time All-Tournament selection Alice Phillips in check.

“We face-guarded (Miller) in the last 30 seconds for a reason,” Rozzi said. “That’s a sign of respect on the court. Incredible players. We had to account for them at all times. Every time we had a timeout, it was 15 (Phillips) and 30 (Miller). That was the conversation.”

This was the second straight year that the Mustangs lost in the final; Kadena, which finished fourth in this year’s tournament, beat ASIJ 36-27 in last year’s title game.

From the start of the DI girls final, ASIJ’s Chrissy Miller set out to be an offensive weapon for the Mustangs, while Haley Mitchell and Humphreys did their best to contain her. (Isaiah Ramirez/Special to Stripes)

ASIJ's Yume Rinon tries to control the ball in front of Kadena's Jazlene Vergara. (Isaiah Ramirez/Special to Stripes)

ASIJ’s Alice Phillips, middle, was named the tournament’s best defender for the second straight year. (Isaiah Ramirez/Special to Stripes)

Kadena's Allie Sims shoots against ASIJ's Alice Phillips. (Hajime Reed/Special to Stripes)

Kadena's Jazlene Vergara dribbles against ASIJ's Isabel Tsuchida. (Hajime Reed/Special to Stripes)

Humphreys' Mikayla Thomas shoots over a Seisen defender. Thomas was named the tournament's MVP. (Hajime Reed/Special to Stripes)

Humphreys' Saniyah Sherman drives for a shot past ASIJ's Yume Rinon. (Ty Owens/Special to Stripes)

Humphreys coaches and players gather 'round the victory banner. (Ty Owens/Special to Stripes)

Tuesday’s final was a sort of turnabout for both teams. On Jan. 24, the Mustangs won their ASIJ Kanto Classic while the Blackhawks finished second in the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference Blue Tournament.

And for Rozzi, the son of former longtime coach of the old Pusan American Panthers Dennis Rozzi, it was his first title in a DODEA-Pacific Far East tournament in seven years of coaching.

The younger Rozzi coached two seasons at Seoul American, then three at Humphreys before coaching the school’s eSports teams the last three years. It was the Blackhawks players, Rozzi said, who coaxed him back to the sideline.

“They asked me to come back. They brought me back to the court when I didn’t think I’d come back,” Rozzi said. “And I finally got a title.”