|
By Bret Mitchell
HCC Sports Information
Saturday, December 8, 2007
The Hutchinson Community College women’s
basketball team let Neosho County hang around for through the first half and
well into the second, before exploding in the final 19 minutes to roll to a
66-28 victory in the final game of the 2007 Airport Steakhouse Classic.
The Lady Dragons scored 40 of the game’s
final 42 points to pull away after the game was tied at 26-all with 18:50
left in the second half. HCC scored 22 unanswered points in the run and
held Neosho County without a field goal for the final 18 minutes, 50
seconds.
That came after Neosho County started the
game on an 11-0 run, holding HCC scoreless for the first 6 minutes, 10
second. But the Lady Dragons responded with a 15-0 run to take the lead 4½
minutes later.
Hutchinson’s second-half explosion was led by
the bench, which scored 41 of the team’s 66 points. Freshman Morgan
Leatherbury led HCC off the bench with 13 points, to go along with six
steals, which tied a season high. Sophomore Amanda Fessenden was the only
other Lady Dragon in double figures, with 12.
“Everybody on the bench has to be ready to
come in and play,” Leatherbury said.
“It’s good to know that at any point anyone
can go in and score,” Fessenden added. “If one girl has an off night, the
next one will step up.”
Freshmen Brittany Hines and Lauren Sparks and
sophomore Fairen Lepaio all had eight points each.
For the game, the Lady Dragons shot 24 of 59
overall (40.7 percent), but shot a red-hot 53.6 percent (15 of 28) after
only shooting 29 percent in the first half (9 of 31). HCC was 7 of 19 from
3-point range and 11 of 16 from the free-throw line.
After getting outrebounded by three in the
second half, the Lady Dragons wound up outrebounding Neosho County 41-29,
including a plus-24 in the second half.
The HCC bench also played tight defense in
the second half, allowing only seven points, a season best for HCC. The Lady
Dragons forced 32 turnovers, the fourth time this season the Lady Dragons
have forced 30 or more.
HCC held Neosho County to 9.1 percent
shooting (2 of 22) in the final 20 minutes. The Lady Dragons outscored
Neosho County 42-7 in the second half.
The 28 points for Neosho County was a
season-low total for a Lady Dragon opponent. The stingy defense was a
constant in this weekend classic, as Oklahoma Baptist managed only 30 points
the night before.
The Panthers (2-10) finished 10 of 42 overall
(23.8 percent) and 3 of 16 from 3-point range. Neosho was 5 of 8 from the
free-throw line. Leading scorer Fila Smith had 11 points, but 12 turnovers
for the Panthers.
“We dictated the tempo in the second half and
created turnovers,” HCC head coach John Ontjes said. “We wore them down.”
“We got defensive stops and rebounded the
ball,” Fessenden added. “We came out hot in the second half.”
Neosho County came out of the gates hot and
led 11-0 lead after a Kori Davis field goal at the 14:32 mark. A Leatherbury
layup with 13:50 to play was HCC’s first points and seemed to get the team
going. HCC went on a 15-0 run over the next 4 1/2 minutes. Hines was the
catalyst with two 3-point goals.
Neosho County didn’t go away though. Neosho’s
Amber Haus hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer after HCC missed an uncontested
layup to pull the Panthers to within three at 24-21 at halftime.
The second half started as a continuation of
the first, with Neosho tying the game at 26-26 after a Fila Smith 3-pointer
with 18:50 to go in the contest.
It was the last field goal for Panthers.
HCC went on an unbelievable 40-2 run to
finish the contest. Neosho only made two free throws interspersed in the
run. Lauren Sparks was the second-half leader for the Lady Dragons, scoring
eight points, six from beyond the arc.
Leading 32-27, the Lady Dragons reeled off 22
consecutive points over the next eight minutes and led 54-27 on a Sparks
transition layup. Haus broke that run with a free throw with 8:07 to play,
but the Lady Dragons scored the final 12 points of the game.
HCC will close out the non-conference portion
of the schedule at the Scottsdale Holiday Classic in Arizona on Dec. 20-21.
GAME NOTES
– The 18 offensive rebounds pulled down by HCC were the most since the
season opener against Kansas Wesleyan JV, when it grabbed 21. … Fessenden
has made 11 straight free throws over the last three games. She already owns
the school record of 18 straight. This marks the sixth time in the
sophomore’s career that she has made 10 or more consecutive free throws. …
Neosho County suited up eight players compared to 13 for Hutchinson. …
Fessenden pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, and is second on the team
for the season with 84. Hailey Purcell is the team leader with 85.
<HCC-NEOSHO
COUNTY BOXSCORE>
<HCC-NEOSHO COUNTY PHOTO GALLERY>
OTHER QUOTES
Head Coach John Ontjes
On possibly overlooking Neosho County …
“We took them for granted with their record.
We came out and weren’t ready to play, and they were.”
On not taking a timeout early in the game
…
“I didn’t take any timeouts because I wanted
the girls to work through it. Our communication wasn’t good, no
enthusiasm.”
On missing layups …
“We got great looks, but the ball wasn’t
going in the first half. When one person misses a layup everyone gets
tighter.”
Sophomore guard Amanda Fessenden
On slow start …
‘We came out lackadaisical, not ready to
play. Too many turnovers and missed layups.”
On the missed layups …
“I think it is harder to make a wide open
layup than a contested one. You think too much.”
Freshman guard Morgan Leatherbury
On the defense …
“Once we started pressing they broke down and
gave up.”
On slow start …
“We’re a better skilled team than they are,
we just let them get into our heads,” Leatherbury said. “The second half we
were more focused.” |
