Adrian get win in final seconds of game, defeats Sherman 60-59
Rust hits game winning trey
By Ray Rodriguez
Argus Observer
Friday, February 29, 2008 10:43 AM PST
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| Ray Rodriguez | Argus Observer
Adrian’s Terra Rust (20) glides in for a lay up while Sherman’s Kattie Cunningham lunges for a shot block during the second half of their 1A state consolation game Thursday in Baker. Rust hit the game-winning 3-point basket with 50 seconds left to give Adrian a 60-59 win. |
Baker — Adrian’s Terra Rust connected on a game-winning 3-point basket with 50 seconds remaining and the Antelopes also used a little bit of luck down the stretch to hold off Sherman 60-59 in consolation round action of the 1A girls state basketball tournament Thursday in Baker.
“I was thinking ‘Oh my gosh, I got to shoot,’” Rust said. “I had a shot and it went in, so it was awesome. It’s a huge win. Now, we’re going for fourth place, so we now have to play as a team. We know how to be strong, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
Through most of the second half, the Antelopes enjoyed a double-digit lead and held as much as a 57-47 cushion with 5:32 remaining in the game.
The Huskies, however went on a 6-0 run and with 3:02 left in the contest, Adrian center Paige Branstiter fouled out with the score at 57-53.
After an Adrian turnover, Sherman’s Caitlin Von Borstel connected on a short jumper to draw the Huskies to within 57-55 with 2:34 remaining.
The Antelopes had possession and ran down the clock against the pesky Husky defense and Adrian head coach Gene Mills called for timeout, just as MacKenzie Purnell connected on a jumper.
The basket didn’t count, however, and Antelope Liese Thys had the ball stripped away on their next possession.
Von Borstel then drained a long jumper from just inside the arc, and the game was tied at 57 with 1:21 left in the game.
Adrian’s next possession ended in an over-and-back violation, and Sherman had the ball and a chance to regain its first lead since the second quarter.
Sherman’s Jenni Guzman gave the Huskies a 59-57 lead with 1:05 left and all they needed was a defensive stand.
Adrian’s Rust, however, stepped back behind the arc and nailed a straight-away bomb with 50 seconds left to give Adrian the 60-59 lead.
Sherman came back down on its next possession, ran down some of the clock, and, as luck would have it, as Guzman was about to take a jumper, Sherman head coach Jim Bird called for a timeout with 31.5 seconds left.
Guzman swished a 15-footer that would have given the Huskies the lead.
It didn’t count.
“When I called that, we were getting a little bit of a ball,” Bird said. “We were too close together, we were too tight and we didn’t have anybody out where we could make any breaks. So I thought I better get them spread a little bit, and that’s when Jenni broke open. She had a great look. I feel kind of stupid after that play.”
After the timeout, Sherman’s Von Borstel had her baseline jumper rim out and Guzman grabbed the offensive rebound, and put a lay up back up. Her shot bounced off the backboard and off the rim, and Adrian’s Purnell grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 10. 7 seconds left.
Purnell missed her 1-and-1 free throw attempt, Guzman grabbed the rebound and made a pass upcourt. Adrian’s Andrea Shenk then deflected another pass intended for Von Borstel out of bounds with 4.5 seconds left.
Sherman called another timeout and on the ensuing play, Bailey Nogle drove to the free-throw line and launched up the potential game-winner, and her shot bounced off the rim into the waiting hands of Purnell. Adrian escaped with the win.
“Actually, we changed our defense twice in the final four seconds,” Mills said. “We really tried to push them out of the inbounds and make them take a tough shot, which really they had a pretty good look. It was from way out, but it was wide open. We tried to defend.”
Branstiter finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds, and Rust added 25 points on 10-of-20 from the field. The Antelopes made good on 26-of-61 from the floor and went 4-of-11 from the charity stripe.
Now the Antelopes (26-3) takes on Triad (27-1) Saturday at 9 a.m. for a chance at a fourth-place finish.
