MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Dec. 7–14)
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Belmont 55, Potosi/Cassville 54
By A.J. Gates, Herald Independent / Tri-County Press
Taylor, Belmont beat the buzzer to beat Potosi/Cassville
SPOTOSI — With both teams looking to capture their first conference victory of the season, Thursday night’s Six Rivers West girls’ basketball match up between Belmont and Potosi/Cassville was destined to be a hard fought battle to the end.
It took an overtime session and a buzzer beating shot by junior Brittany Taylor to give Belmont their first league win of the season, improving to 1–1 in conference play and 2–3 overall with a 55–54 victory over Potosi/Cassville.
With the loss, coach Jamie Nebel’s squad fell to 0–2 in league play and 2–4 overall, despite overcoming an 11-point deficit late in regulation to send the game into overtime.
“The girls really wanted this one,” said coach Nebel. “It was a little more special to them having youth night and a great young crowd cheering them on. We gave maximum team effort and the girls never gave up.”
“With lower numbers, it takes every player, from freshmen through seniors, to continue to show up for each other and they are doing just that. I am really proud of the effort,” Nebel added.
After playing a nearly even first half with Belmont holding a 26–25 advantage at intermission, the second half was a game of runs that led to an exciting finish and eventually an extra four minutes.
With 3:43 remaining in regulation, the Braves held their largest lead of 11-points, at 49–38, but then saw the Chieftains score 11 unanswered points to send the game into overtime.
With 29 seconds to play in the second half, Belmont held a 49–45 lead with the ball, but a steal by Manhattyn Udelhofen led to a driving layup for the PC senior, who was fouled and sent to the free throw line. With 19.8 seconds to play, Udelhofen made both free throws, pulling her team to within two at 49–47.
A full-court press led to a deflection by Udelhofen and a steal by freshman Norah Post, though the home team was unable to capitalize on the change of possession.
Following a missed basket and ensuing foul by the home team, Belmont’s Carsyn Ramaker was sent to the line with 8.9 seconds left. Ramaker missed both attempts and after a scramble the ball was knocked out of bounds by the Braves.
Needing to go the entire length of the court with 6.5 seconds to play, the ball was inbounded to Post, who raced the entire length of the floor to find Brielle Fishnick open on the right wing. With 1.9 seconds to play, Fishnick drove to the basket and put up a runner from the right side of the lane that bounced around the rim before falling through the hoop as time expired.
Belmont, which was outscored 11–0 in the final 3:25 of regulation, went 0-for-4 from the field, 0-for-2 at the line and committed four turnovers during that time.
“Every time we play a Six Rivers game, you know it’s going to be a battle and our game against Potosi/Cassville was that,” said Belmont head coach Kaleen McGettigan. “I thought we played pretty well for about 75 percent of the game. We had too many missed opportunities and turnovers down the stretch, which led to overtime.
“Our effort was there from start to finish, but our execution was poor at times. We had an 11-point lead with just under four minutes left and let it slip away. Potosi/Cassville plays very hard, and they will not stop. Coach Nebel has done a really nice job with that program.”
In overtime, sophomore Emma Uppena scored the first points on a 3-pointer, putting the PC girls up 52–49 with just under two minutes to play.
The Braves then used a 4–0 scoring run — with a free throw by Claire Kletecka, a layup by Ramaker, and another free throw by Taylor — to take a 53–52 lead with 44 seconds remaining in the contest.
Potosi/Cassville’s next possession ended with a missed 3-pointer, giving the ball back to the Braves with just 23.2 seconds to play.
Belmont’s Lexi Riechers was fouled on the inbounds pass, sending her to the free throw line for two attempts. Riechers missed both attempts, and a jump ball was called on the rebound attempt, giving the ball to PC with 17 seconds showing on the clock.
On the inbounds, Belmont attempted to trap Post at mid-court, but she found a wide open Ayva Yager for a driving layup that gave the Chieftains a 54–53 lead with 10 seconds to play.
The Braves quickly inbounded the ball to Riechers, who found Zoe Wedig open on the right wing for a 3-point look that was off the mark.
But Taylor was able to corral the offensive rebound for the Braves and put the ball up and off the glass as time expired for the game-winning basket.
Taylor finished the game with 13 points, seven rebounds and seven steals. Riechers tallied a game-high 24 points on 8 of 17 shooting, with 10 rebounds and three steals. Ramaker added 10 points, seven rebounds and a team-high four assists.
“Lexi had another all around good game,” said McGettigan. “She is emerging as a leader on the court for us. Brittany Taylor played another great defensive game. She is the definition of hustle and her rebound off that missed three with time expiring in OT is what allowed her to put the shot back up and win the game.”
“It was a thrilling game, and despite the loss, it is great to play in these types of close games,” Nebel said. “The girls just made plays when we needed it and that is showing signs of growth right there. We will continue to learn from these types of moments and close games, which will make us stronger as the season goes on.”
Udelhofen led Potosi/Cassville with 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field, including 2-of-7 from downtown. She also pulled down eight rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists.
Fellow senior Lillie Cooley chipped in nine points and team-high nine rebounds, while senior Ayva Yager and sophomore Emma Uppena each chipped in eight points.
The P/C girls will host Argyle/Black Haw Friday evening and will then be off until Tuesday, Dec. 30.
Belmont (3–4, 2–1 SRC), which suffered a 44–27 non-conference loss at Wauzeka–Steuben Friday night, will host Black Hawk this Friday before traveling to Warren (Ill.) Monday night.
Riechers had 10 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists in Friday’s loss at Wauzeka–Steuben (3–1).
Junior Jaelyn Leitzinger added seven points and six rebounds in the loss.
Belmont 55, Potosi/Cassville 54 (OT)
(from Thursday, Dec. 11 @ Potosi)
Belmont.................26 23 6 — 55
Potosi/Cassville...25 24 5 — 54
Belmont (3–3, 2–1) — Claire Kletecka 4, Brittany Taylor 13, Carsyn Ramaker 10, Lexi Riechers 24, Jaelyn Leitzinger 4. Totals — 18-52 15-36 55.
Potosi/Cassville (2–5, 0–3) — Norah Post 6, Manhattyn Udelhofen 14, Gwen Riedl 3, Lillie Cooley 9, Brielle Fishnick 5, Ayva Yager 8, Emma Uppena 8, Emily Retallick 2. Totals — 19-64 10-17 54.
3-pointers — B: 4-11 (Ramaker 2, Rieschers 2); PC: 6-26 (Udelhofen 2, Riedl 1, Fishnick 1). Team Fouls — B: 17, PC: 32. Fouled out — B: Leitzinger; PC: Udelhofen, Fishnick, L. Cooley.
