| Lady Raiders never relinquish lead, hold off Palmyra |
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Published: 1/1/2008 | Updated: 1/23/2009
By MATT GOLDBERG
Herald-Whig Sports Writer
It took nearly three quarters for the Palmyra girls basketball team to finally dig itself out of a 12-0 hole in the opening minutes of Friday night's game.
The Lady Panthers managed to tie the game late in the third quarter.
That's when Quincy Notre Dame stepped up to preserve its perfect start.
The Lady Raiders scored the next six points to pull away for a 60-48 victory at The Pit.
Even though Palmyra (4-3) tied the game with 1 minute, 39 seconds left in the third quarter — the first tie since the opening tip — the Lady Panthers never led.
"I thought we had a great will to win when they tied the game up," said QND coach Eric Orne, whose team is 9-0. "We could have collapsed. But I thought we got stronger."
QND senior Renita Bunte played a hand in all of the Lady Raiders' points during the game-opening 12-0 run. She scored eight points in the opening 4:18 and assisted on the two baskets she didn't score, dishing the ball to teammates Leigh McLaughlin and Hilary Obert.
The Lady Panthers clawed back into the game by forcing turnovers and making baskets in transition. Palmyra senior Danielle Boulware converted back-to-back 3-point plays. Then junior Hannah Foster made a long 2-pointer, tying the game at 36.
"I was proud of our kids tonight," Palmyra coach Brian Wosman said. "To come back and fight. We came out a little sluggish there in the first quarter and missed a lot of easy shots. ... I think it took a lot out of us to try to fight back. And when we finally got there, I think we were just worn out."
After Palmyra tied the game, QND came out of the timeout with a sense of urgency.
QND junior Chloe Barnes nailed a baseline jumper to give the Lady Raiders the lead for good going into the fourth quarter.
"We needed to come out with more energy because once they tied it, we knew that they were hustling,"
Obert said. "So we needed to come out stronger. We never gave up."
Natalie Siebers cleaned up a Barnes miss on QND's first possession of the final quarter. Then Barnes made another basket on the ensuing possession.
Sam O'Brien's 3-pointer ended QND's run and cut the deficit to 42-39 with 6:45 left. The Lady Panthers came within three points on a pair of Bridget Hall free throws with 4:35 left.
But QND scored eight straight points to fend off Palmyra.
—mgoldberg@whig.com/221-3367
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