Lady Cardinals lose heartbreaker on late three-pointer
By MATT KING\Daily Journal Sports Writer
Feb 20, 2005 - 00:16:59 CST
PARK HILLS - The Mineral Area College Lady Cardinals were just seconds away from their first Region XVI win on Saturday night, but a three-pointer from Missy Whitney with 14 seconds left helped Three Rivers escape the Bob Sechrest, Sr. Fieldhouse with a wild 55-54 win.
Mineral Area (12-14) started the game with a roster of seven players, but saw it dwindle to five late in the contest as foul trouble was prevalent throughout the evening for both sides. Still, the Lady Cardinals played with an aggression and intensity which allowed them battle the Lady Raiders to the end.
MAC forced several Three Rivers turnovers in the early going, and broke out to an 11-4 lead when Alycea Wallace made two straight transition layups. Wallace would go on to lead all scorers with 21 points in a tremendous effort.
The Lady Cardinals quickly piled up seven team fouls, but the Lady Raiders struggled mightily to cash in at the free-throw line throughout the contest. Mineral Area would eventually build its advantage to 21-9 before the Lady Raiders finally rallied before halftime.
A jumper by Amanda Lance and a transition layup by Whitney broke the Three Rivers scoring drought, and an offensive putback by Jordanna Walk quickly cut the deficit to three points. A late exchange of free throws left MAC with a 28-26 lead at halftime.
Both offenses struggled to score during the early minutes of the second half, setting the stage for a close tussle down the stretch. A three-pointer by Lance gave the Lady Raiders their first lead of the night, but a key three-point play by MAC's Erica Anderson evened the score at 35-35 with 10:00 left.
Following a series of lead changes, Wallace turned a running jumper into a three-point play, giving MAC a 43-41 edge with five minutes to play.
Three Rivers regained the lead on a basket by Whitney following a MAC turnover, but Wallace made an athletic play to knock down a pass, then sprinted to the hoop for a layup, putting the home team back in front with 1:43 left.
The Lady Raiders answered with two free throws from Lance and carried a one-point lead into the final minute. MAC freshman Sarah Dietiker atoned for a rough shooting game by drilling a clutch three with 26 to give her team a two-point lead, but Whitney matched her at the other end with what proved to be the game-winner.
The Lady Cardinals had one last chance to win, but a running layup attempt from Wallace was too strong at the buzzer.
Whitney led Three Rivers with 18 points, while Lance chipped in 14. Anna Brisso reached double-figures for MAC with 10 points. MAC forced 22 turnovers while committing 18.
Mineral Area will host the McKendree J.V. squad on Monday.
Three Rivers - 26 29 - 55
Mineral Area - 28 26 - 54
SCORING:
Three Rivers - M Whitney 18, A Lance 14, O Key 8, E Ledwaba 8, J Walk 7.
3-pointers - A Lance 1, M Whitney 1, J Walk 1.
Mineral Area - A Wallace 21, A Brisso 10, E Anderson 8, S Dietiker 7, R Sane 5, E Hankins 3.
3-pointers - A Brisso 1, E Hankins 1, S Dietiker 1.
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Mineral Area (12-14) started the game with a roster of seven players, but saw it dwindle to five late in the contest as foul trouble was prevalent throughout the evening for both sides. Still, the Lady Cardinals played with an aggression and intensity which allowed them battle the Lady Raiders to the end.
MAC forced several Three Rivers turnovers in the early going, and broke out to an 11-4 lead when Alycea Wallace made two straight transition layups. Wallace would go on to lead all scorers with 21 points in a tremendous effort.
The Lady Cardinals quickly piled up seven team fouls, but the Lady Raiders struggled mightily to cash in at the free-throw line throughout the contest. Mineral Area would eventually build its advantage to 21-9 before the Lady Raiders finally rallied before halftime.
A jumper by Amanda Lance and a transition layup by Whitney broke the Three Rivers scoring drought, and an offensive putback by Jordanna Walk quickly cut the deficit to three points. A late exchange of free throws left MAC with a 28-26 lead at halftime.
Both offenses struggled to score during the early minutes of the second half, setting the stage for a close tussle down the stretch. A three-pointer by Lance gave the Lady Raiders their first lead of the night, but a key three-point play by MAC's Erica Anderson evened the score at 35-35 with 10:00 left.
Following a series of lead changes, Wallace turned a running jumper into a three-point play, giving MAC a 43-41 edge with five minutes to play.
Three Rivers regained the lead on a basket by Whitney following a MAC turnover, but Wallace made an athletic play to knock down a pass, then sprinted to the hoop for a layup, putting the home team back in front with 1:43 left.
The Lady Raiders answered with two free throws from Lance and carried a one-point lead into the final minute. MAC freshman Sarah Dietiker atoned for a rough shooting game by drilling a clutch three with 26 to give her team a two-point lead, but Whitney matched her at the other end with what proved to be the game-winner.
The Lady Cardinals had one last chance to win, but a running layup attempt from Wallace was too strong at the buzzer.
Whitney led Three Rivers with 18 points, while Lance chipped in 14. Anna Brisso reached double-figures for MAC with 10 points. MAC forced 22 turnovers while committing 18.
Mineral Area will host the McKendree J.V. squad on Monday.
Three Rivers - 26 29 - 55
Mineral Area - 28 26 - 54
SCORING:
Three Rivers - M Whitney 18, A Lance 14, O Key 8, E Ledwaba 8, J Walk 7.
3-pointers - A Lance 1, M Whitney 1, J Walk 1.
Mineral Area - A Wallace 21, A Brisso 10, E Anderson 8, S Dietiker 7, R Sane 5, E Hankins 3.
3-pointers - A Brisso 1, E Hankins 1, S Dietiker 1.