[01/22/01] Mollie Richards was missing in action the last time St. Aloysius played West Lincoln. Friday night, she was everywhere.

The senior center poured in 26 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as the Lady Flashes beat their division foe, 55-50. Kristen Patrick finished with 20 points, 11 in the fourth quarter, as she and Richards combined for all 24 of the Lady Flashes’ points in the final period.

“Last time, it seemed like there were six of them out there,” Richards said of the West Lincoln defense in St. Al’s 31-24 loss on Jan. 9.

This time, St. Al (8-9, 4-5 Division 8-1A) got the Lady Bears (6-13, 3-3) in foul trouble. The result was a lot more points in the paint.

“They went to their big girl more this time,” West Lincoln coach Jason Case said of Richards, who scored 13 in the fourth quarter. “She was a force.”

Patrick overcame some shaky free-throw shooting in the first three quarters to hit 6 of her last 9 in the fourth to ice it. She hit two with 27 seconds left to give St. Al a five-point lead, then got two more after Chastity Avant’s three-point play made it a three-point game again with 24 seconds to go.

“We were only up by two or three, so I knew I had to make them,” said Patrick, who was 5-of-11 from the line in the first half. “I guess I just love pressure.”

Three West Lincoln starters fouled out, as did St. Al’s Danielle Klaus.

Patrick, who had five steals, said St. Al used a different defense this time to stop outside threats Dana King and Hanna Roberts. The two combined for just 11 points.

“We used a triangle and two this time,” St. Al coach Paul Hayden said, adding that Leslie Dyess, Laura Beth Lyons and Jen Barnes “did a great job of defending.”

As for the division race, Hayden said, “That’s a big one for us.”

The Lady Bears lost to Dexter, a team St. Al beat, earlier this week. The Lady Flashes have three more division contests.

“We’re starting to play together as a team,” Hayden said.

(B) W. Lincoln 59, St. Aloysius 35

The Bears were on target from the outside and the inside. St. Al couldn’t hit consistently from either.

Cody Mitchell and Luke Lofton combined for seven 3-pointers and Carlos Johnson seemed to get the ones they missed to cash in from under the basket. Mitchell had four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points and Lofton had 13. Johnson also had 16 points for the division-leading Bears (15-4, 7-0).

“When he’s on, he can be deadly,” Case said of Mitchell, who played point guard for injured starter Jamie Sisco.

The Flashes, on the other hand, were so “off” it was deadly to themselves. They shot just 28 percent (13-of-46) from the field.

“We’re just not shooting well,” Hayden said. “And when that’s happening, every turnover is magnified.”

Lee Wiles and Justin Williams had 10 points apiece for the Flashes (4-15, 2-4), who closed a 24-7 gap to 24-14 at the half, but never got closer.

“The guys never quit,” Hayden said. “You can’t do anything about (Johnson) unless you have the athletes to match up … he’s an animal down there.”