GREENFIELD —
There are sometimes very big reasons for a team to win a basketball game.
Sometimes, the reason is very small.
In the case of the Anderson Lady Tribe, they won the Greenfield Sectional championship Saturday night for a very small reason — a 5-foot-4 reason, to be exact.
As much as any girls sectional championship game as I’ve seen recently, Anderson sophomore Samia Carter made game-changing plays like she was handing out trick or treat candy at Halloween.
Carter was a blinding ball of blur on the court defensively and played a major role in forcing Pendleton Heights to give up what had been a 12-point lead.
“She can just jab at you and scare you,” said Anderson coach Chad Cook. “Sometimes people just have no idea where she comes from.”
PH had 18 turnovers, but even when she didn’t make the steal, she forced the Arabians into a pace they didn’t want and into making risky passes they ordinarily would disdain.
Pendleton scored a combined eight points in the first and fourth quarters. It seems likely that the Arabians might have had some nightmares overnight involving No. 14. Carter seems to have that extra burst of speed that even her ultra-quick teammates can’t match.
“The rest of my teammates give me my lift,” said Carter when asked where she gets that extra spark.
Lest you think that there’s only one dimension to the havoc she caused Saturday night, perhaps I can dispel that notion right now.
Carter hit five of her first six shots in the game and at halftime had 10 of Anderson’s 18 points.
Due to the presence of Anderson junior Darien Thompson on the floor, Pendleton Heights had to make some adjustments. Thompson destroyed the Arabians in the first meeting between the teams with her 3-point shooting. PH was determined not to let her repeat that Saturday.
To do it, the middle of the zone was open at the top of the key where Carter was stationed with the ball.
“They had a gap in that defense,” Cook said. “Samia doesn’t even need a crease. She went in there under control and converted.”
Carter looked at it as a challenge. “They didn’t think I could shoot it,” she said. “I showed them I could pull up and shoot it.” For the game she hit seven field goals and missed only four.
If there was a chink in her armor in the title game, it was free throw shooting, a weakness shared by the entire team. Carter missed all five of her free throws and the rest of her teammates were 2-of-6.
As great as Carter was, she had lots of help. Sophomore Chelsea Bentley scored seven points and missed just one shot. Jirah Hart and Thompson each collected six rebounds to pace AHS. Senior Denielle Davis scored no points and took no shots, but she had two rebounds and her picks on the perimeter helped Thomspon score 10 points in the second half after being held to zero shots in the first half.
The Indians play with a team-wide intensity and speed that few teams can match and almost no team can fully prepare to control. Pendleton Heights played against it better the second time around. Mooreville, Anderson’s regional foe next Saturday, will get no second chance. They better start getting ready soon.
Sports
Related Photos
-
Anderson faced Pendleton Heights in the sectional championship at Greenfield-Central on Saturday. Don Knight
Related Links
Discussion
Rick Teverbaugh: Anderson's Carter small but her speed is deadly
- Sports
-
-
Triumphant Tribe
Seventeen years of frustration and disappointment for the Anderson Indians baseball team ended in a jubilant dog pile atop junior pitcher Curtis Wilson on Monday night at Pendleton Heights’ Field of Dreams.
-
Argylls squeeze into crown
Madison-Grant coach Ben Rodriguez liked his squeeze play so much that he called it again in the pivotal inning of the Class 2A, Sectional 39 championship game at Eastern High School on Monday night in Greentown.
-
Bulldogs’ comeback falls just short
Not even a heroic seventh-inning rally could save the Lapel baseball team in the Class 2A sectional title game at Frankton on Monday afternoon. The Bulldogs scored four runs in the seventh inning but still came up a run short as the Wapahani Raiders won the championship 9-8.
-
Tribe rallies past Pendleton Heights into final
This is the stuff of legend.
The kind of game that defines a rivalry.
The kind of victory that breathes new life into a program.
And the kind of defeat that won’t ever be forgotten. -
George Bremer: In with Orton, out of Luck?
There really is no offseason anymore in the National Football League.
The Indianapolis Colts haven’t played a game since Jan. 1, but look at all the headlines they’ve generated since that date. -
Kahne keeps Hendrick success rolling at Charlotte
Kasey Kahne powered to victory in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night, taking NASCAR's longest race for the third time for his first win with Hendrick Motorsports.
-
Spurs strike first in West finals, win 19th in row
Manu Ginobili scored 26 points and the San Antonio Spurs won their 19th in a row to tie the NBA record for longest winning streak kept alive in the playoffs, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-98 to open the Western Conference finals on Sunday night.
-
Konerko hits go-ahead HR, White Sox sweep Indians
Paul Konerko got a big milestone home run and the White Sox got a sweep of the only team between them and the AL Central lead.
-
Reds outslug Rockies on record day for HRs
Here's how easy it looked to hit home runs at Great American Ball Park on Sunday: Todd Frazier lost his grip on the bat during a swing. The ball wound up in the seats anyway.
-
Cubs lose 12th straight, 10-4 to Pirates
The Chicago Cubs didn't come to close to ending their longest losing streak in more than 15 years. Pedro Alvarez, Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones homered, Erik Bedard pitched six shutout innings and the Pirates beat Chicago 10-4, sending the Cubs to their 12th consecutive loss.
- More Sports Headlines
-
Police: 5-time Champ Johnny Tapia Found Dead
Native Americans' Olympic Medals Displayed in DC
Manning on Target at First Practice
Raw Video: Olympic Torch Relay Begins in England
Raw Video: Olympic Torch Passed to London
Selig: Oakland Move Might Be Considered
McNamee: Clemens, Canseco Had Steroids Talk
Laurie Fine: My Life Has Been Destroyed
MLB: Mets Get 2013 All Star Game
Bernie Fine's Wife to Sue ESPN
Kyrie Irving Named NBA's Top Rookie
McNamee Says He Gave Clemens Steroids in 1998
Phelps Looks to Add to Medal Haul in London
Raw Video: McNamee Arrives at Clemens Trial
Bulls Bounced From Playoffs
Former NFL Star Junior Seau Found Dead
NFL Suspends 4 Players for Saints' Bounties
Reigning U.S. Champ Eying Olympic Gold in London
Knicks Fans Disappointed in Stoudemire
