Manistee Catholic Holds on for
a
One Point Win Over Onekama
By MATT
WENZEL, Manistee News Advocate
Sports Editor
ONEKAMA —
Heading into Monday night’s game against Manistee Catholic Central,
Onekama girls’ basketball coach Nathan Bradford knew his team would have
to contain Sabers’ senior Ashley Bauman. While he thought his team was
successful limiting the All-Stater, it simply wasn’t enough.
Bauman scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as MCC held
on for a 56-55 win over Onekama in an exciting clash of West Michigan D
League rivals.
“This one here was a good one,” said MCC coach Todd Erickson. There were
two ties and eight lead changes — and that was just in the fourth
quarter.
MCC sophomore Alex Barnett made what ended up being the winning free
throw with 37 seconds left to give the Sabers (3-0, 2-0) a three-point
lead.
After Onekama’s Sherece Revolt cut the lead to one by knocking down a
long jump shot and Bauman missed the front end of a one-and-one with 14
seconds left, the Portagers (1-1, 1-1) had two shots at a potential
game-winning basket, but neither dropped.
“They played hard and were right in it to the end,” Bradford said of his
team. “I told the girls they played good, the ball just didn’t bounce
their way at the end.”
Barnett and Danielle Edmondson each scored nine points for MCC, Jennifer
Alway had five, Brooke Etheridge four, and Molly Howard scored two. “We
had only a bucket or two out of some younger kids,” Erickson said, “but
it was the timing of those buckets. They showed up.”
Revolt, who scored seven points in the fourth quarter, including a pair
of big shots, led the Portagers with 17 points, and added seven steals
and two assists. “The first game, I was a little off,” she said.
“Tonight I felt pretty on. I found my shot again.” |
Stacey Keith chipped in 14 points
and five rebounds for Onekama, Jennica Mathieu and Taylor Hagen had
seven points apiece, Chelsea Miller had six points and seven rebounds,
while Paige Rutowski had four points and a team-high eight rebounds.
MCC used three different scorers to open a 7-2 lead early in the first
quarter. The five-point advantage was the largest of the game for either
team, and neither led by more than four points the rest of the game.
Utilizing full-court pressure, which generated MCC turnovers, Onekama
quickly closed the gap and held an 11-9 lead after the first quarter.
Despite a 6-6 performance from the free throw line in the second
quarter, the Portagers trailed at halftime, 24-21.
At the half, Bauman had just 10 points and didn’t seem able to find a
comfort zone in the paint. “We tried to keep one girl on her at
all times — kind of like a box-and-one,” Bradford said. “I think we did
a good job containing her.”
Both teams traded baskets in the
third quarter, combining for 35 points, and Hagen’s basket at the buzzer
knotted the score at 40 heading into the fourth.
Bauman scored 10 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter, including six
straight on a 3-pointer and a 3-point play, to give MCC a three-point
lead with a little over a minute remaining.
Onekama responded as Revolt buried a 3-pointer of her own from the
corner to tie the game at 53. Edmondson scored on a lay up and Barnett
knocked down the free throw for a three-point lead. After cutting the
lead to one, the Portagers’ final two chances to win didn’t fall, and
Barnett secured the rebound as the horn sounded, and she received a hug
from Bauman.
“I was just happy that we pulled it off,” Bauman said. “It’s so loud in
here.”
Only three games into the season, the Sabers are still trying to figure
out where their younger players fit into the mix. Monday night’s win was
a step in the right direction.
“It was a big win,” Bauman said. “We’re still in transition. We don’t
know exactly what our set positions are ... but we’re working together
to make it a good transition on the floor.” |
