Perie leads Lady Tigers to win with buzzer-beater against LC
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
GREENFIELD — For a game that was set up by the play of each individual's defense and ability to make free throws, it was a tough-minded, no-quit offensive play by McClain senior Jenna Perie at the buzzer that led to a 44-42 Lady Tiger win over county rival Lynchburg-Clay Monday evening at McClain High School.
The game-winner occurred with MHS having possession of the ball for the final 26.2 seconds with Sammy Rooks taking the ball from the point guard position, and after a couple passes Perie gained possession in the paint, maneuvered past three Lady Mustang defenders and tossed the ball toward the hoop. The ball took its time, but eventually went through the basket as the buzzer sounded to end the game.
"Jenna made a great basket to win the game," McClain head coach Dennis Overstake said. "She had to maneuver around a few girls to get the shot off. It was a great effort."
Getting to that point was an adventure for each team … LC had troubles with their free-throw shooting, and the Lady Tigers were unable to hold onto a 12-point lead they obtained in the second quarter after a 10-0 scoring run.
"We shot 38 percent from the free-throw line … you give a game away when you shoot like that on free throws," LC head coach Whitney Lewis said. "Again, when you shoot like that, the outcome isn't very surprising."
Perie began the fourth by taking points away from the Lady Mustangs as she took a charge in the paint, nullifying a basket by Brooke Hertlein. Hertlein finished with 16 points, the game-high, and three rebounds.
McClain trailed 34-32 until Taylor Faulconer tied the score with a jumper with 4:42 left in regulation. The tied score didn't last long when Laney Lewis scored inside points and Hertlein took the ball down the court, stopped and sank a jumper with 4:00 remaining for a 38-34 Lady Mustang lead. Lewis finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
The four-point lead turned into a two-point advantage when Kate Crabtree connected for two points while being fouled with 3:56 left on the clock.
After Lewis and Perie exchanged points in the paint, the game got even more interesting as Perie, who totaled seven fourth-quarter points, had a three-point play with 1:13 left on the clock, putting MHS up 41-40. A free-throw connection by Taylor Faulconer (who finished with nine points)made it a two-point game in favor of the Lady Tigers. Again, that didn't last long as Hertlein sank another jumper in the quarter, tying the score with 35.1 left on the clock.
Following a timeout by McClain with 26.2 seconds remaining, the aforementioned buzzer-beater by Perie occurred for the second consecutive MHS win in the past three days.
Perie wrapped up the game with 11 points.
"We ran the floor well against their press, then we stopped and didn't use the momentum," Overstake said. "We got into foul trouble early on, and we had to change some things up on defense. It was a good opportunity … we played zone, and that helped us in the first half."
McClain stands at 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the South Central Ohio League. This was the second consecutive loss by LC for a 1-2 overall record. They are 0-1 in the Southern Hills League. In their two losses this season, LC has lost by a combined five points.
Free throws were a big part of the Lady Mustangs' struggles on Monday as they went 5-of-13 from the charity stripe (38.4 percent), including 4-of-12 in the first half. LC had one FT opportunity in the final two quarters.
Speaking of the first half … it wasn't too kind to LC in the first eight minutes as they trailed 16-10. In the first, the score was tied at 6-6 after Hertlein sank a basket with 4:35 left in the quarter, but it was Sammy Rooks and Brittany Mullikin who combined for a 6-0 run to put the Lady Tigers ahead 12-6 with 2:58 remaining in the quarter. Mullikin finished with a team-high 12 points.
"It was a physical game, and to be honest, that worked in our favor," Lewis said. "It was just our free-throw shooting that did us in.
"It was nice to get inside scoring, but we also need to start getting points from the outside too."
Emma Setty put LC back into the game with four straight points, including a 3-pointer with 2:14 left on the first quarter clock, but MHS ended the first with four straight points for a six-point lead.
The final four points of the first half by McClain's Mullikin and Perie, added with points from Tara Karnes and Crabtree, gave MHS a 10-0 run for a 22-10 lead, the largest lead by either team in the game.
The previously mentioned free-throw woes for LC really occurred in the second quarter as they were 3-of-8 from the line.
The second ended with LC's Madysyn Creighton making a layup to bring LC within three points of tying the game at a halftime score of 24-21.
LC overcame the three-point deficit of the second quarter to lead 34-32 after the third quarter was completed. LC outscored the Lady Tigers 13-8. In the third, LC tied the game at 30 with a three-point play by Lewis and again at 32 with a jumper by Hertlein. Lewis converted a put-back basket at the buzzer for the two-point lead.
On Wednesday, MHS will face a similar team in terms of height as they travel to face Clinton-Massie in an SCOL game.
"When we talk about is when facing taller teams we must have shot fakes, ball fakes and we have to be able to do that, rather than just getting our shots blocked," Overstake said. "We have one night to get ready for CM, and it will be a tough league game. We need a similar start like we had tonight and on Saturday."
LC will play again on Thursday when they host Fayetteville with JV play at 6 p.m. In their past two games, Fayetteville has outscored their opponents 195-55.
In the JV game, LC won 18-13. Leading LC were Ginny Gadzinski and Shelby Stewart with seven points each. For MHS, Shania Massie had four points.
GAME NOTES: LC committed 13 fouls (seven in the first half) … a total of one 3-pointer was converted … MHS committed 13 fouls (10 in first half) … LC had 13 turnovers … McClain had 24 turnovers … MHS was 20-of-42 from the field (48 percent) … LC was 18-of-42 from the field (43 percent) … LC had seven steals … A combined eight points were scored in a quarter (per team) three times.
BOX SCORE
SCORE BY QUARTERS
LC 10 11 13 08 — 42
MHS 16 08 08 12 — 44
INDIVIDUAL STATS
MHS (44)
S.Rooks 1 (0) 0-1 2
T.Faulconer 4 (0) 1-2 9
S.Massie 1 (0) 0-0 2
K.Crabtree 2 (0) 0-1 4
K.Faulconer 0 (0) 0-1 0
B.Mullikin 5 (0) 2-2 12
J.Perie 5 (0) 1-1 11
T.Karnes 2 (0) 0-0 4
TOTALS: 20 (0) 4-9 44
LC (42)
K.Hilt 1 (0) 0-2 2
M.Creighton 2 (0) 0-2 4
L.Lewis 5 (0) 4-7 14
B.Hertlein 8 (0) 0-0 16
E.Setty 1 (1) 1-2 6
TOTALS: 17 (1) 5-13 42[[In-content Ad]]
The game-winner occurred with MHS having possession of the ball for the final 26.2 seconds with Sammy Rooks taking the ball from the point guard position, and after a couple passes Perie gained possession in the paint, maneuvered past three Lady Mustang defenders and tossed the ball toward the hoop. The ball took its time, but eventually went through the basket as the buzzer sounded to end the game.
"Jenna made a great basket to win the game," McClain head coach Dennis Overstake said. "She had to maneuver around a few girls to get the shot off. It was a great effort."
Getting to that point was an adventure for each team … LC had troubles with their free-throw shooting, and the Lady Tigers were unable to hold onto a 12-point lead they obtained in the second quarter after a 10-0 scoring run.
"We shot 38 percent from the free-throw line … you give a game away when you shoot like that on free throws," LC head coach Whitney Lewis said. "Again, when you shoot like that, the outcome isn't very surprising."
Perie began the fourth by taking points away from the Lady Mustangs as she took a charge in the paint, nullifying a basket by Brooke Hertlein. Hertlein finished with 16 points, the game-high, and three rebounds.
McClain trailed 34-32 until Taylor Faulconer tied the score with a jumper with 4:42 left in regulation. The tied score didn't last long when Laney Lewis scored inside points and Hertlein took the ball down the court, stopped and sank a jumper with 4:00 remaining for a 38-34 Lady Mustang lead. Lewis finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
The four-point lead turned into a two-point advantage when Kate Crabtree connected for two points while being fouled with 3:56 left on the clock.
After Lewis and Perie exchanged points in the paint, the game got even more interesting as Perie, who totaled seven fourth-quarter points, had a three-point play with 1:13 left on the clock, putting MHS up 41-40. A free-throw connection by Taylor Faulconer (who finished with nine points)made it a two-point game in favor of the Lady Tigers. Again, that didn't last long as Hertlein sank another jumper in the quarter, tying the score with 35.1 left on the clock.
Following a timeout by McClain with 26.2 seconds remaining, the aforementioned buzzer-beater by Perie occurred for the second consecutive MHS win in the past three days.
Perie wrapped up the game with 11 points.
"We ran the floor well against their press, then we stopped and didn't use the momentum," Overstake said. "We got into foul trouble early on, and we had to change some things up on defense. It was a good opportunity … we played zone, and that helped us in the first half."
McClain stands at 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the South Central Ohio League. This was the second consecutive loss by LC for a 1-2 overall record. They are 0-1 in the Southern Hills League. In their two losses this season, LC has lost by a combined five points.
Free throws were a big part of the Lady Mustangs' struggles on Monday as they went 5-of-13 from the charity stripe (38.4 percent), including 4-of-12 in the first half. LC had one FT opportunity in the final two quarters.
Speaking of the first half … it wasn't too kind to LC in the first eight minutes as they trailed 16-10. In the first, the score was tied at 6-6 after Hertlein sank a basket with 4:35 left in the quarter, but it was Sammy Rooks and Brittany Mullikin who combined for a 6-0 run to put the Lady Tigers ahead 12-6 with 2:58 remaining in the quarter. Mullikin finished with a team-high 12 points.
"It was a physical game, and to be honest, that worked in our favor," Lewis said. "It was just our free-throw shooting that did us in.
"It was nice to get inside scoring, but we also need to start getting points from the outside too."
Emma Setty put LC back into the game with four straight points, including a 3-pointer with 2:14 left on the first quarter clock, but MHS ended the first with four straight points for a six-point lead.
The final four points of the first half by McClain's Mullikin and Perie, added with points from Tara Karnes and Crabtree, gave MHS a 10-0 run for a 22-10 lead, the largest lead by either team in the game.
The previously mentioned free-throw woes for LC really occurred in the second quarter as they were 3-of-8 from the line.
The second ended with LC's Madysyn Creighton making a layup to bring LC within three points of tying the game at a halftime score of 24-21.
LC overcame the three-point deficit of the second quarter to lead 34-32 after the third quarter was completed. LC outscored the Lady Tigers 13-8. In the third, LC tied the game at 30 with a three-point play by Lewis and again at 32 with a jumper by Hertlein. Lewis converted a put-back basket at the buzzer for the two-point lead.
On Wednesday, MHS will face a similar team in terms of height as they travel to face Clinton-Massie in an SCOL game.
"When we talk about is when facing taller teams we must have shot fakes, ball fakes and we have to be able to do that, rather than just getting our shots blocked," Overstake said. "We have one night to get ready for CM, and it will be a tough league game. We need a similar start like we had tonight and on Saturday."
LC will play again on Thursday when they host Fayetteville with JV play at 6 p.m. In their past two games, Fayetteville has outscored their opponents 195-55.
In the JV game, LC won 18-13. Leading LC were Ginny Gadzinski and Shelby Stewart with seven points each. For MHS, Shania Massie had four points.
GAME NOTES: LC committed 13 fouls (seven in the first half) … a total of one 3-pointer was converted … MHS committed 13 fouls (10 in first half) … LC had 13 turnovers … McClain had 24 turnovers … MHS was 20-of-42 from the field (48 percent) … LC was 18-of-42 from the field (43 percent) … LC had seven steals … A combined eight points were scored in a quarter (per team) three times.
BOX SCORE
SCORE BY QUARTERS
LC 10 11 13 08 — 42
MHS 16 08 08 12 — 44
INDIVIDUAL STATS
MHS (44)
S.Rooks 1 (0) 0-1 2
T.Faulconer 4 (0) 1-2 9
S.Massie 1 (0) 0-0 2
K.Crabtree 2 (0) 0-1 4
K.Faulconer 0 (0) 0-1 0
B.Mullikin 5 (0) 2-2 12
J.Perie 5 (0) 1-1 11
T.Karnes 2 (0) 0-0 4
TOTALS: 20 (0) 4-9 44
LC (42)
K.Hilt 1 (0) 0-2 2
M.Creighton 2 (0) 0-2 4
L.Lewis 5 (0) 4-7 14
B.Hertlein 8 (0) 0-0 16
E.Setty 1 (1) 1-2 6
TOTALS: 17 (1) 5-13 42[[In-content Ad]]