Friday, February 25, 2000
Mason slams Withrow
BY CAREY HOFFMAN
Enquirer contributor
Mason star Michelle Munoz says if there's one lesson she learned from last year's Division I state runner-up finish, it's the need for versatility.
Mason got a perfect chance to work on that trait Thursday night in beating Withrow 69-35 to win the Division I lower-bracket sectional title at Lakota East.
It's the fifth straight sectional title for Mason (22-0), ranked No.1 in the Division I state poll and No.2 nationally by USA Today. Mason advances to a Division I district title game at noon March 4 at Wilmington College against the winner of tonight's Lebanon-St.Ursula game.
Withrow (16-6) was an opponent Mason never had faced, and it presented interesting matchups with its quick guards and senior forward Shere Cunningham, the city's leading scorer.
“They are a very good, athletic team and we didn't want to let them get going,” Mason coach Gerry Lackey said of Withrow.
Mason broke away from an early 2-2 tie with a 16-0 run. The lead never was less than 14 from that point on.
“Every time we come into a game, you're faced with a situation where it's not the same personnel,” said Munoz, a junior forward whose power game around the basket resulted in a game-high 27 points Thursday. “The great thing about our team is we play hard, no matter who it is we're playing. The coaches prepared us tonight for Withrow, which is a great weakside driving team.”
Beth Jones added 11 points in a balanced scoring effort for Mason. Cunningham led Withrow with 15 points, while junior guard Latosha Collins added 14.
WITHROW (35) — Cunningham 4 6 15, Collins 6 0 14, Richardson 2 0 4, Mack 0 2 2, Raven 0 0 0. Totals: 12 8 35.
MASON (69) — Stein 1 2 4, Ellis 2 0 4, Minnich 1 0 2, Shull 3 1 7, Issenmann 1 2 5, Jones 4 1 11, Munoz 11 5 27, Imbus 4 1 9. Totals: 27 12 69.
Withrow ....... 5 11 10 9—35
Mason ....... 21 16 12 20—69
3-pointers: W - Cunningham, Collins 2; M - Issenmann, Jones 2. Records: W 16-6, M 22-0.
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