Warrior girls lose lead in final minutes
Sports reporter
It was right there in front of them.
A victory that would have given Marion High School girls' basketball team a 1-0 record in league play, slipped through their hands Tuesday against Sterling in what seemed just a matter of seconds.
In reality it was about four minutes when Kayley Heerey's three-pointer gave MHS a 41-32 lead with less than a minute gone in the fourth quarter.
But a Heather Davis three-pointer with four minutes, 30 seconds to play tied the game at 42.
With the game tied at 45, Sterling's Alyssa Bell scored six straight points, and the Black Bears claimed a 53-47 victory.
The home crowd, who was getting to see the Warriors play for the first time all season, was stunned, and so was head coach Randy Savage.
"We had several opportunities to put them away, and failed to execute," he said.
Lindsay Hett's team-high 14 points and Julia Zeiner's 12 were overshadowed by quick shots, and poor passes down the stretch.
"We have to be more physical boxing out," Savage said. "We've got to quit the silly passes. That's the difference between 3-3 and 1-5."
Savage knows his team, which consists of two seniors, a junior, and six sophomores who all see action, is young, and said it may have something to do with "youthful exuberance."
Their free-throw shooting didn't help either, as the Warriors were 7-17 from the line.
It definitely wasn't all bad however for the Warriors, as they led 12-8 after the first quarter, and 21-19 at halftime.
They had leads of eight (29-21) and the nine (41-32), only to see Sterling come back with quick runs to tie the game and take the lead.
"We ran our offenses pretty well, I thought," Savage said of the first three and one-half quarters. "We kept getting good shot after good shot. We played some decent defense, and didn't compound our problems early."
Kimber Hardey scored eight points, Kayley Heerey seven, Lauren Helmer four, and Kristen Steinborn two, along with Hett and Zeiner's combined 26.
It was a tough loss for the girls to take.
"That's a game we should have won," Savage said. "But I told them the sun will come up tomorrow."
The loss dropped MHS to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Mid-Central Activities Association.
The Warriors hit the court again Jan. 4 for a home game against Ellinwood, and play a makeup game the next day at home against Lyons.
