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| 2/28/2010 10:43:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Lady Rams stymie AE offense, win sectional final
By Cort Reynolds
Ada Herald writer
LIMA BATH - It wasn't very pretty when local rivals Allen East and Upper Scioto Valley battled it out in a rugged, defensive-minded Div. IV girls basketball sectional final Saturday night. But the end result was plenty attractive for the Lady Rams.
The cold-shooting Lady Mustangs could not generate any offense against the USV defenses, while the Rams punished AE inside repeatedly on offense to come away with a 45-27 victory and the coveted sectional title.
USV deployed a 2-3 matchup zone and man defense along with fullcourt pressure to stymie the Mustangs, who mustered just six field goals. After hitting several key three-point field goals in a rousing semifinal comeback win over Hardin Northern four nights earlier, AE did not sink a single triple vs. USV - despite several open looks.
"We stayed with the zone longer than I expected because they were not hitting from outside," said USV coach Mike Risner. "We had a really good effort from the whole team and are happy to be going to districts."
"We can't shoot like that and win," admitted AE coach Dave Moritz. "We have seen a lot of zones lately. We got pretty good looks but when it comes down to it, you have to knock down the ones you get. Still, we gave it a heck of an effort."
The victory gave USV a 13-8 mark while the Mustangs ended up 5-17 after the defeat. The Rams advance to play the first Div. IV district semifinal at Lima Senior Thursday, March 4 against Minster. The game will tip off at 6:15 p.m.
USV took advantage of size mismatches to score most of their 16 baskets in the paint. "They knew to go inside," said Moritz. "We expected that but usually we defend inside pretty well."
"We wanted to take it inside," Risner admitted, "and to get off to a good start, but we gave up too many offensive rebounds."
Versatile Ram senior Katie Hicks netted a post-up layin on the game's first possession. Junior guard Whitney Carroll canned a 15-footer and Hicks then drained a triple from the top of the key for an 8-0 Ram lead.
Kayla Crow got AE on the scoreboard with two foul shots at the 4:45 mark, yet Ram post Ginnie Critten powered inside for a layup. The Mustangs pulled within 10-6 on two Mallie Kirkendall foul shots and a stickback by Shelby Miller, the first AE basket of the game with 53 ticks remaining in the opening stanza.
Kayla Prater gave USV a 12-6 edge on two free throws. Crow cut the deficit to four on a pretty backdoor layup off a nice pass from Miller to open the second period. But Hicks scored inside on another easy post-up play.
Crow's putback off glass made it 14-10 midway through the period, but then the roof began to fall in on the upset-minded Mustangs. Hicks converted a fast break three-point play to ignite a 9-0 Ram run.
Prater tallied a follow hoop and Mikayla Coburn scored a layup after a diving steal by hustling Aspen Rose. Hicks posted once again to net the final goal of the half for her 12th point with 55 seconds to go, making it 23-10 at intermission.
Hannah Winegardner drilled a left side 14-footer to open the second half and end a scoreless drought of over four minutes for AE. But then USV reeled off yet another 9-0 splurge to put the game effectively out of reach.
Do-it-all Hicks again started it with an 18-footer from the right corner. Critten scored inside via a Hicks lob and Coburn netted an uncontested layup off an in-bounds play.
Carroll capped the run with a left wing 14-footer as USV led 31-12 with 4:30 to go in the period, prompting an AE timeout. Crow stemmed the tide with a determined follow shot, but Coburn banked in a 15-footer to give the Rams a 34-15 bulge after three periods.
Crow, battling hard inside, nailed five of six free tosses early in the final stanza. Meanwhile, Carroll tallied a layup off a good Coburn feed. A short bank shot by Critten and two Coburn foul shots built the lead to 40-20.
Yet the Mustangs would not quit battling. Feisty Sabrina Crist kept up the pressure defense and hit two free tosses. Winegardner stole the ball and made a layup and Miller added two more free throws to help AE win the fourth period, 12-11.
But it was too little, too late.
The heady Hicks topped all scorers with 16 points. Carroll contributed nine points and Coburn scored eight while dishing out a few fine assists. "Mikayla made some nice passes inside," Risner noted.
Mustang junior post Crow was a tower of strength on the boards and topped AE with 13 points. She canned seven of nine foul shots.
"We felt we had to hold them to 40 points or less to win," explained Moritz. "I am pleased with how we handled their press, I thought we did pretty well against it. We just could not put the ball in the hole."
AE converted 15 of 19 foul shots (79 percent) while USV made 12 of its 19 free tosses (63 percent). Mustang seniors Crist, Kayla Rowe, Winegardner, Shelby Richardson and Miller each played their final games.
"It was big for our seniors to win the sectional after going down hard the last few years," Risner summed up. "It is a sweet feeling for Katie and the seniors. But we are still a pretty young team."
AE 27 (5-17)
Kirkendall 0 2-2 2, Crist 0 2-2 2, Crow 3 7-9 13, Schafer 0 1-2 1, Winegardner 2 0-0 4, Richardson 0 1-2 1, Rowe 0, Miller 1 2-2 4. Totals: 6/15-19/27. 3-pointers: none.
USV 45 (13-8)
Carroll 3 3-4 9, Hicks 6 3-3 16, M. Coburn 3 2-2 8, Critten 3 0-2 6, Hunsicker 0, Conley 0, Prater 1 2-2 4, E. Coburn 0 1-2 1, Goldsmith 0 1-2 1, Rose 0 0-2 0. Totals: 16/12-19/45. 3-pointers: Hicks 1.
1 2 3 4 F
AE 6 4 5 12 27
USV 12 11 11 11 45
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