Ohio Locker Room - Lady Rockets fall in OT thriller at ‘The Nest’

Sponsor

Lady Rockets fall in OT thriller at ‘The Nest’

Wednesday, 10 December 2008

Photo: Ripley senior Brigett Spradling fires up a jumpshot in the win over Fayetteville.

By WADE LINVILLE
Sports editor

Another season of Southern Hills League high school hoops is officially underway. High school girls basketball squads have already taken the court to do battle for an SHL title, and it’s impossible to accurately predict at this point in time who will come out on top at the end of the 2008-2009 season.

On Thursday, Dec. 4 the Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington Lady Jays held onto a slight advantage in overtime for a 71-69 win over the Fayetteville-Perry Lady Rockets. Last Thursday’s match-up at “The Nest” in Ripley was nothing shy of a “barn burner,” and a confidence booster for the Lady Jays, and could the league opener win be just the momentum they need to soar to their first league title in more than two decades? First year Ripley varsity girls basketball coach Chris Coleman certainly hopes so, and the coach was happy with the team’s effort in round one of league play.
“We play hard, but not smart at times. They don’t quit. They didn’t quit at all tonight, even when they were down in overtime,” said Coleman.
With more than 290 victories over a 20 year span, topping Fayetteville girls basketball coach Toby Sheets and his Lady Rockets isn’t easy, especially for someone in his first year of coaching varsity girls basketball.
“He (Toby Sheets) is one heck of a coach,” said Coleman. “He’s been there a long time. He has a good ball team. I think we’re lucky we got them early and that we got them at home.”
Dominating on the boards and racking up 28 points to lead all scorers in last Thursday’s win was Ripley senior Brigett Spradling. Spradling not only battled in the paint for her 28 points, but she was also hot from the outside. She knocked down nine field goals and one three-pointer in the win.
The Lady Jays led by nine at the end of the third quarter, but the Lady Rockets put together a fourth quarter rally backed by aggressive full-court pressure defense to outscore the Lady Jays 18-9 to send the game into overtime.
Fayetteville sophomore Shelby Sheets found herself at the charity stripe four times in the fourth quarter, burying seven-of-eight free throws in the frame to head the rally. Sheets finished with 26 points.
Fayetteville’s senior duo consisting of guards Erica Iles and Liz Terrell teamed up for nine of the Lady Rockets’ fourth-quarter points.
The Lady Rockets took a 66-63 lead after Sheets nailed down two free throws with just under three minutes to go in overtime, but Ripley sophomore Sadie Grisham banked in a long two-point field goal seconds later to cut the Fayetteville lead to one.
The Lady Jays recaptured the lead with 1:50 to go in overtime, as junior Whitney Plymesser scrambled through the Lady Rockets full-court defense and dished a pass to senior Shana Jackson for an easy score to make it 67-66.
Spradling then pulled down a defensive rebound and looked up the court to junior Meagan Kirschner for an easy score on transition, giving the Lady Jays a 69-66 lead with a little over a minute to go.
Iles ventured to the charity stripe with 49 second to go, burying two free throws in the double bonus to cut the Ripley lead to one.
With 34 seconds left on the clock, Ripley sophomore Kelsey Carpenter stepped to the foul line to sink one-of-two, putting the Lady Jays up 70-68.
In search of an open look, the Lady Rockets were denied while down two with the clock at 20 seconds running. Sheets drove to the basket in an attempt to draw a foul, but was cut off by Ripley defenders. Fayetteville sophomore Jill Ryan then took a pass inside and was fouled and found herself on the charity stripe with a chance to tie the game while only 1.5 seconds remained on the clock.
Ryan missed her first, but knocked down her second free throw. The Lady Jays took over possession with a 70-69 lead and 1.5 seconds away from a win in their first league outing of the season.
The Lady Rockets were quick to foul Plymesser to stop time from running out in a last second attempt. Plymesser sank her first but missed her second foul shot to put a cap on a two-point Ripley victory.
For the most part, Lady Jay seniors have put up good numbers so far this season, with Spradling racking up 28 points in the league opener against Fayetteville, and Jackson battling in the paint for 10 points in last week’s win. But the Lady Jays are also getting exceptional play from six skilled juniors and a few sophomores who split time on the varsity and junior varsity teams.
Ripley junior guard Meagan Kirschner came through with eight points in the overtime win over Fayetteville, and was the Lady Jays’ leading scorer with 18 points in the season opener win over Bethel-Tate, Saturday, Nov. 29.
Lady Jays’ junior guard Melissa Mitchell has scored 11 points over the first two games, and junior Mollie Malone has been an aggressive post player with the ability to score big so far this season.
Plymesser rifled in three shots from beyond the arc and a field goal, ending up with 14 points in the win over Fayetteville.
Two exceptional sophomores who split time with junior varsity are Carpenter and Grisham.
“Sadie Grisham and Kelsey Carpenter split time with J.V. and come in to help us handle the ball (on varsity). I don’t think we have anybody who goes at it harder than Sadie does,” said Coleman. “They both do a nice job.”
On Dec. 11, the Lady Jays will be back in action as the travel to Whiteoak to take on the Lady Wildcats in their second league game of the season.

Fayetteville 18 8 17 18 8 – 69
Ripley 18 16 18 9 10 – 71

Fayetteville: Sheets 6 14-15 26, Stahl 1 0-0 3, 3 2-6 8, Terrell 5 0-0 12, Dozier 2 1-2 3, Moore 2 0-0 4, Iles 4 5-7 13. Three pointers: Terrell 2, Stahl 1. Team Totals: 20 22-30 69.
Ripley: Spradling 10 7-13 28, Grisham 1 0-1 2, Carpenter 0 2-4 2, Kirschner 3 2-3 8, Mitchell 0 3-4 3, Plymesser 4 3-7 14, Malone 2 0-0 4, Jackson 5 0-2 10. Three pointers: Plymesser 3, Spradling 1. Team totals: 25 17-34 71.