Madison graduation 2012
Warren County CC graduation
New Miami graduation 2012
girls basketball springfield 46, troy 38
3rd quarter pivotal as Wildcats win inaugural home opener
Switch to 2-3 zone defense pays dividends in the 2nd half for Wildcats in GWOC win.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Shanay Portis (20) of Springfield is guarded by Kristen Rice (5) of Troy during a Wednesday's Dec. 3 game at Springfield. Springfield won their home opener 46-38. SPRINGFIELD — On the first possession of the first girls basketball game at Springfield High School, senior D'Andrea Smith banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
It was a good sign of things to come for the Wildcats in their inaugural home opener against Troy.
The 'Cats led 22-19 at half, but outscored the Trojans 15-7 in the third quarter en route to a 46-38 victory on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
"It's incredible," said Springfield coach Wynette Carter. "The atmosphere, the energy in the crowd. (Springfield) came out to support these girls. To have the girls play as hard as they did, that was the icing on the cake."
Senior Shanay Portis led the way with 12 points, while Smith added 10.
The Wildcats (2-1) led 12-11 after the first quarter, but Troy junior post player Maria Harrison had eight of her 19 points in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, Springfield switched to a 2-3 zone that paid dividends. The zone led to several Troy turnovers in the frontcourt, which led to easy baskets by Portis and Auzsa Taylor. The duo combined for 12 points in the second half.
It also kept the ball out of Harrison's hands, forcing Troy to shoot from the outside. The Trojans (1-2) went 3-for-12 from the 3-point line. MaRanda Boddie-Cannon clogged the lane all night for the Wildcats, blocking five shots and coming up with big rebounds.
"She did an excellent job of taking control," Carter said.
Springfield predominantly plays man-to-man defense, but the situation called for a 2-3 zone, Carter said. It hadn't practiced a 2-3 zone in nearly three weeks, but it worked wonders.
"I'm proud of them," Carter said. "They really responded well to it."
Carter praised the play of Smith, who played aggressive on offense.
"That (3-pointer) set the tone for her for the entire game," Carter said. "She's got to get more comfortable shooting the basketball."
She also praised 5-4 post Camille Hall, whom she nicknamed '6-9' for her presence underneath. She came up with several rebounds in key situations and played great defense for the Wildcats.
"She was a beast underneath," Carter said. "She's so aggressive."
Erin Yenney added 10 points for the Trojans.
Senior guard Doniesha Bates missed the game with a bruised knee, but is expected back next week. The Wildcats host Beavercreek on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0365 or mcooper@coxohio.com.
