MIDDLETOWN, Ind. —
In what was billed as a shootout between the two top scorers in the state, Saturday night’s Shenandoah Sectional championship turned on a defensive adjustment.
Trailing by three at the start of the fourth quarter, the Winchester Lady Falcons extended their defensive pressure and started trapping the Frankton Lady Eagles against the sidelines, turning the momentum and going on to claim a 56-49 win and the sectional championship.
“When they pushed us out on the floor a little bit at half court, our young kids got a little tentative,” said Dean Riddle, Frankton’s head coach, “I thought we had them where we wanted them, because they had to stretch their defense. When they stretched their defense, more (open players on the weak side) were going to be available, but we got tentative.”
Frankton’s Kelsey Key came into the game as the leading scorer in the state, and led her team again with 23 points and six rebounds. Winchester’s Jill Morrison, Indiana’s No. 2 scorer, rang up 33 points and had five rebounds.
“Morrison is a great player,” Riddle said, “The most disappointing thing was that she had six points on offensive rebounds — other than that I really thought that we did a good job on her. Katie (Key, who guarded Morrison most of the game) played her heart out, and I thought that hurt her at the offensive end a little bit.”
Katie Key was the only other player in double figures, scoring 12 points. However, she also had five of Frankton’s 12 turnovers.
Frankton took the lead at the end of the first quarter on a Kelsey Key buzzer-beater and held it into the fourth quarter. In the first 90 seconds of the final frame, the teams traded baskets as the lady Eagles clung to a 41-40 lead.
The score remained 41-40 for the next 2:30 as the teams traded turnovers and the tension mounted. With five minutes left, Morrison scored to give Winchester the lead and ignite the crowd, then made another basket to ratchet up the noise even further.
“They were fanning us to the sidelines and we just couldn’t get to the corner and get going vertical,” said Riddle, We’ve got some young kids out there, some freshmen and sophomores, and I thought we were a little apprehensive. It wasn’t for lack of effort. They played their hearts out.”
Frankton finishes the season with an 18-7 record and the Central Indiana Conference championship.
Local Sports
Related Photos
-
Frankton's Kelsey Key shoots as the Eagles faced the Winchester Golden Falcons in the sectional final at Shenandoah on Saturday. Don Knight
-
Frankton's Katie Key drives into the lane against Winchester's Delaney Miller in the sectional final at Shenandoah on Saturday. Don Knight
-
Frankton's Natalie McGuire blocks out Winchester's Brandi Cross in the sectional final at Shenandoah on Saturday. Don Knight
Discussion
Lady Eagles fall in sectional championship
Winchester rallies past Frankton 56-49
- Local Sports
-
-
Ravens’ World Series run comes to an end
The Anderson University softball team survived five elimination games to win the NCAA regional last week in Angola.
It took the nation’s top-ranked team to finally end the Ravens’ remarkable run.
Salisbury scored a 2-0 victory Saturday in Eau Claire, Wis., knocking AU (31-18) out of the NCAA Div. III Softball Championships in the program’s debut trip to the national finals. -
Arabians claim net sectional title
It had happened to Lauren Robertson once, and she was determined it wasn’t going to happen again.
With the score tied at 2-2 and the sectional title resting on the outcome of the No. 3 singles match, Pendleton Heights claimed the crown as Robertson defeated Alexandria’s Hannah Libler 6-4, 6-3.
The win was the first girls tennis sectional team title in school history for PH. -
Sectional tennis final suspended
It’s going to take a little longer than expected to determine the 2013 Anderson girls tennis sectional champion.
Defending champ Alexandria and Pendleton Heights barely had gotten underway Friday afternoon when heavy rain caused the suspension of the final match. -
Ravens run into buzzsaw in Round 1 of Div. III Softball World Series
Anderson University's softball team lost its first game of the NCAA Div. III Softball World Series 8-1 to Luther University (Iowa) today in Eau Claire, Wis.
-
Castor makes historic run for Liberty Christian
When Liberty Christian’s Austin Castor lined up for the 300-meter hurdles, he did so with one goal in mind — advance to the regional.
His goal was like the other 248 student-athletes at the Mt. Vernon Sectional track meet, but Castor’s chance to run during his senior season was nearly shattered. When the Lions faced Elwood during basketball season, Castor sustained a fractured left femur. -
Ravens ready to rumble with nation’s best
Everything about this wild and wonderful weekend will be brand new for the Anderson University softball team.
So why should the opposition be any different? -
Tigers survive semifinal scorcher with Frankton
As she prepared for what would be the final point of a two-hour, six-minute match, Alexandria’s Hannah Libler briefly pulled her wrist and forearm across her forehead.
When her No. 3 singles contest began against Frankton’s Lucy Browning, there were a handful of friends and family gathered outside the fence around the court. - Pendleton powers into girls tennis final
-
Spring championships set at Anderson Speedway
Anderson Speedway returns to racing action on Saturday with the Spring Championships for the MEP Late Models, Street Stocks, WMDH ThunderCars and Front Wheel Drive Figure 8s.
-
Boys take to track for sectional tonight
The 2013 track season got off to a slow start due to Mother Nature’s cruel joke of having it sleet and snow in late March and early April. Now that is all in the rearview mirror, the Madison County area boys track teams can get down to business — chase an Indiana High School Athletic Association state championship.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
