MMS girls score victories over Sterling
Marion Middle School girls' basketball teams captured wins in two of three games Dec. 19 against Sterling at Marion Elementary School gymnasium.
Lady Wildcat head coach Autumn Priddy recently installed an aggressive man-to-man defense for her A-team players, and the move paid dividends against the Cubs.
Pressuring all over the floor, the Lady Wildcats forced turnover upon turnover which they converted into easy baskets, as they upended Sterling 37-16.
"This was a great win," Priddy said. "These girls are learning to be aggressive on every possession, offense and defense, and they are beginning to see the rewards of playing that way."
Lady Wildcat Shelby Percell benefited from the defensive pressure, scoring 15 points to pace Marion.
"She's really good at reading the pass and stepping in," said Priddy.
The Marion coach also was pleased her team cut down on its personal fouls compared to prior games.
"We put them on the free throw line only 10 times," she noted.
Raelene Allen chalked up eight points in the win, which sent the A-team to Christmas break with a 4-3 record.
Whitney Gordon had a standout performance in the B-team game, which had the most exciting finish of any contest this season.
Marion got off to a good start, posting a 10-5 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Sterling bounced back in the second to take an 18-12 halftime lead.
The Lady Wildcats trimmed the gap to 25-23 at the end of the third, and the lead see-sawed back and forth throughout the fourth quarter.
With four seconds remaining in the game, Sterling held a 32-29 edge. Following a Marion timeout, the Lady Wildcats inbounded the ball from the sideline.
Gordon took the pass, turned, and launched a three-point shot that glanced off the rim, bounced against the backboard, and dropped through the hoop as the buzzer sounded, to send the game to overtime, tied 32-32.
"I knew she had a shot at it — I knew it was going to hit the rim," said Priddy. "Every single one of the faces of those girls on the court was in complete shock."
Invigorated by the reprieve from Gordon's shot, the B-team went on to win in overtime, 37-36.
"These girls played so hard the entire game," said Priddy. "They never gave up."
Gordon tallied 20 points for the Lady Wildcats, and Sarah Guetersloh scored six.
Sterling scored a 22-6 win in the C-team contest. The Lady Wildcats were held scoreless in the first and fourth quarters.
The Lady Cubs didn't fare much better, scoring only two points in each of those quarters. but outscored the Lady Wildcats 18-6 in the middle two periods.
Olivia Young, with four points, and Beth Nesser, with two, accounted for the Lady Wildcat scoring.
