Tuesday, December 19, 2000
No. 1 Mason loses to Beavercreek
32-game win streak ends
By Dave Schutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Beavercreek's Alison Bales and Tiffany Webb pressure Mason's Stacy Shull.
|
Bales challenges Michelle Munoz for the ball.
|
Mason's Rachael Minnich steals the ball.
(Mike Simons photos)
|
It was a game the Mason girls basketball team, ranked No.4 in the USA Today Super 25 national poll, should have won. But the Comets let it get away.
Rallying behind sophomore Alison Bales and freshman Kim Ingle, Beavercreek pulled out a 59-54 victory over the Comets in double overtime at Mason.
The loss broke Mason's 32-game winning streak, which began the first game of the 1999-2000 season.
Bales, a 6-5 center, scored 22 points and matched Mason senior Michelle Munoz, a 6-1 center and last year's Ohio Player of the Year.
“We knew they would pick up their intensity on defense the second half,” Mason coach Gerry Lackey said. “We never got into an offensive flow in the second half.”
Mason was ranked No.1 in Ohio in the Associated Press statewide poll. Beavercreek was No.3.
Mason outplayed Beavercreek in the first half. The Comets led 26-16 at the half. Munoz, Jere' Issenmann and Rachael Minnich combined for all but two of the team's points.
“Our girls played scared the first half and I don't know why, because we start four seniors,” Beavercreek coach Ed Zink said. “We came out in the third quarter and started running the offense and playing better defense.”
The Comets jumped out to a 36-21 lead with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter, but Bales scored three consecutive field goals to spark the Beavers.
Ingle's six fourth-quarter points gave the Beavers their first lead of the game, 45-44 with 43 seconds remaining.
Munoz sank one of two free throws with 19.8 seconds remaining to force the first overtime.
Munoz came to the Comets' rescue again in the first overtime, taking a partially blocked shot by Issenmann and scoring as the buzzer sounded for a 49-49 tie.
But Beavercreek's Tiffany Webb opened the second overtime with a short jump shot, Emily Williams followed with a 3-pointer and Heather Kaiser sank two free throws before Mason scored in the period.
“The first three times we played Beavercreek, we beat them with free throws,” Lackey said. “Tonight they beat us with free throws. This was the first big game for most of the players and this should be a good learning experience.”
BEAVERCREEK (59) — Kaiser 1 4 6, Webb 2 0 4, Ingle 4 4 15, Williams 4 0 10, Bales 7 8 22. Totals: 19 16-18 59.
MASON (54) — Stein 3 0 9, Minnich 4 0 9, Issenmann 4 2 14, Munoz 8 6 22. Totals: 19 8-11 54.
Beavercreek ....... 7 9 16 13 4 10—59
Mason ....... 12 14 14 5 4 5—54
3-pointers: B—Ingle 3, Williams 2. M—
Stein 3, Minnich, Issenmann 4. Records: B 6-0, M 5-1.
Sports Stories
No word, no worries for LeBeau
Warrick's TDs put him in record book
Bengals would draft fifth
Larkin hurts shoulder in workout
No. 1 Mason loses to Beavercreek
