Lady Flashes work overtime for 1st win
Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 15, 2001
[11/14/01]Jen Barnes and Amber Misiak didn’t hit many shots for St. Aloysius Tuesday against Riverside, but they hit the ones that counted.
Both players finished with only five points, but Barnes’ 8-footer at the buzzer sent the game into overtime and Misiak’s 3-pointer with two minutes to go in OT gave the Lady Flashes (1-1) the lead for good and sent them on to a 50-48 win.
Caitlin Moak led St. Al with 12 points, Carrie Neill added 10 points and eight rebounds and Laura Beth Lyons had nine points. Riverside’s Chantell McKinley led all scorers with 24.
“I think it’s pretty big, because the first game shook us up,” Barnes said, referring to a 55-28 loss to Loyd Star in the opener, a game in which the Lady Flashes shot just 22 percent. “This helped us realize that the season might not be so bad.”
The game was nip-and-tuck the whole way, but both teams failed to capitalize on opportunities to put it away late. The Lady Flashes missed a pair of free throws with 35.2 seconds to play in regulation and had a 3-pointer rim out with 11 seconds left that would have given them the lead.
Riverside (0-1), holding a 44-42 lead with eight seconds left, also missed two missed free throws. Misiak grabbed the rebound and, after a couple of quick passes, Carrie Neill found Barnes all alone in the paint. Barnes dropped in the short shot to send it into overtime.
“It just seemed like it took a very long time for the ball to get from Carrie to me,” Barnes said with a laugh.
In overtime, both teams took turns missing shots and turning the ball over until Misiak’s 3 gave the Lady Flashes a 47-46 lead.
St. Al hit went 3-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final minute to hold the lead.
Riverside’s Chaquita McKurry, who scored 10, hit two free throws with 35.8 seconds left to cut it to 49-48, but the Lady Bulldogs turned the ball over with 13 seconds left.
“They grew up today … Everybody that played, contributed,” St. Al coach Paul Hayden said. “Ten, 11 people played in this game … when they weren’t playing they were yelling. That’s the most cheering I’ve heard on our bench in a long time.”
Riverside 68, St. Al 47
St. Al started strong, but faded quickly as shots stopped falling and Riverside’s rebounders took over.
St. Al led 18-14 after one quarter, but shot just 32 percent from the floor the rest of the game and were outrebounded 25-14 over the last three quarters. Riverside’s Tim Bailey led the way with 26 points and nine rebounds, and Marcus Bean added 12 points and 13 rebounds.
“We’re still learning how to rebound,” Hayden said. “Both their post players killed us.”
Justin Williams led St. Al (0-2) with 15 points, Victor Segers added 10 and Matt Horn had 14, with 12 of them coming on 3-pointers. Horn scored eight points in the first 10 minutes of the game, but picked up four fouls in the same span.
Riverside (1-0) then went on a 15-3 run to take a 33-26 lead.
“That was big. He was hitting some shots,” Hayden said of Horn.
St. Al kept the deficit at seven points, 37-30, at halftime, but Riverside came out and pushed its lead to double figures and pulled away.
“We’ve had one day of practice … with all the football players,” Hayden said, pointing out that eight of his players, including Williams and Horn, didn’t begin practice until Monday. “We just have to grow up … .”
(G) PCA 49, C. Hinds 43
Brady Willis had 12 points and seven assists to lead Porters Chapel Academy (3-2) past Central Hinds, which overcame a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to make it interesting.
“We just quit blocking out,” PCA coach Mitchell Willis said.
K.K. Willis, who is still playing limited minutes after getting knee surgery last year, had eight points and 12 rebounds, and Kayla Barnette had eight points and eight rebounds. Jennifer Murphy led the Lady Cougars with 20.
(B) C. Hinds 52, PCA 42
The Eagles (0-2) were within striking distance with about a minute to go, but the Cougars hit their free throws down the stretch.
Joseph Ivey scored a game-high 18 and Andrew Embry chipped in 11, but the Eagles couldn’t overcome 16 first-half turnovers.
“We need to take care of the basketball,” said coach Thomas Walters, who is filling in for Roger Browning while he recovers from an illness.
The Eagles pulled within three several times in the second half after coming back from a 26-13 halftime deficit.
PCA hosts Manchester Thursday.