 |
| Leesburg's Baylie Bridges gets a shot off over the South Lake defense Tuesday night Nov. 18, 2008 at Leesburg High School. |
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
FRANK JOLLEY
Sports Editor
LEESBURG -- Season-opening games aren't supposed to be nailbiters.
Basketball coaches often try to schedule patsies to give their players an opportunity to get accustomed to game situations and to get their legs underneath them.
Leesburg and South Lake, apparently, forgot to follow that coaching philosophy.
Waneta Carlisle scored 25 points and freshman point guard Baylie Bridges scored 19 in her varsity debut to lead Leesburg High School to a 75-74 overtime win against South Lake.
"South Lake is a good team and I love the way they play," Leesburg coach Mark Oates said. "They play hard and they don't quit. I knew we would have our hands full, but we're a young team and we have to play tough teams to get everyone understand how we do things here.
"We're going to get everyone's "A" game, so we can't just go through the motions and expect to win and this game proved that to our kids."
South Lake took a 43-34 halftime lead and led by as many as 13 in the second half. The Eagles, however, struggled down the stretch with mental mistakes and fatigue.
South Lake weathered several Leesburg runs in the fourth quarter. Bridges drained a 3 pointer with 2 minutes, 31 seconds to play to cut the Eagles' advantage to 60-58. A 3 pointer by Courtney Waite and a pair of free throws by Tamica Mora extended the lead to 65-58 with 1:19 left, but Tiffany Cosgrove sank two free throws to cut the deficit to 65-60 with 1:11 to play.
Bridges was fouled behind the 3-point stripe with 50 seconds to play and sank three free throws to slice South Lake's lead to two, 65-63.
Mora hit 1 of 2 free throws with 21 seconds left to regain a 3-point advantage, 66-63.
With eight seconds to play, Carlisle hit 1 of 2 free throws and Latoya Foster grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled with six seconds left.
Foster, one of the few returning from last year's Class 5A Final Four team, sank both free throws to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period. South Lake struggled offensively and failed to score for nearly three minutes while Leesburg built and 71-66 lead.
The Eagles, however, refused to go away and a 3 pointer by Mora with 52 seconds left cut the lead to 73-71.
After a timeout to regroup following a Yellow Jackets' turnover, Carlisle stole a cross-court pass with 25 second to play and drove for layup to ice the game.
Despite the close loss, South Lake coach Mandy Shafer refused to look for an infamous "moral victory."
"Success usually is determined by the final score, so we can't count this as a win," Shafer said.
"Still, I'm proud of this team. A lot of people probably didn't think we much of chance to beat Leesburg in their gym, but these girls believed they could do it. We played hard and we didn't quit. We knocked down some outside shots and got some big baskets on the interior, and we played well defensively for most of the game.
"Beating Leesburg would've been a big deal for us, even if it was the first game of the year. We can build off the effort we got tonight. I'm not happy with the result, because we lost, but I am very happy with our effort."
The Yellow Jackets were the more balanced team. Leesburg was able to score from the perimeter and in the paint with more consistency.
South Lake, on the other hand, relied on its ability to get perimeter scoring from Mora, Waite and Marjorie Thompson. The trio scored 59 of South Lake's 74 points, but Waite and Thompson fouled out before overtime to put most of the scoring pressure on Mora.
Mora finished with 24 points, followed by Waite's 19 and Thompson's 16. Nikki Holtzer added 11.
Besides Carlisle and Bridges, Leesburg got 11 points and 14 rebounds from Foster and nine points and 11 rebounds from Ashley Lanier.
Bridges, however, may have left the biggest impression on Oates. The freshman earned the starting job at the point, replacing former standout Pearl Johnson, who graduated.
Oates said Bridges performed well, although he is quick to deflect any comparison to Johnson.
"You don't just replace Pearl Johnson," Oates said. "She brought so much leadership and so many intangibles to the floor, but Baylie looks like she is going to do a lot of nice things for us. She's a gym rat, like Pearl, and always wants to work on her game.
"If I called at 2 a.m. and said I wanted to get together and practice, Baylie would yawn and say 'Okay coach Oates, I'll be right there."
Oates knows, however, he's going to need more than the effort of one freshman if the Yellow Jackets are going to return to the Final Four. He said his young team is going to have to learn how to win and to play their best every night.
"We have bullseyes on our chests," Oates said. "We are a state championship game for most of the teams we play. Our kids have to get used to that and respond to the pressure that goes with playing at Leesburg."
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
1986 Varsity Jackets Football Lettermen #82
Class of 1988 Leesburg High School
leesburgyellowjacketsfootball@yahoo.com
www.leesburgladyjacketsbaskettball.com
Sports Editor
LEESBURG -- Season-opening games aren't supposed to be nailbiters.
Basketball coaches often try to schedule patsies to give their players an opportunity to get accustomed to game situations and to get their legs underneath them.
Leesburg and South Lake, apparently, forgot to follow that coaching philosophy.
Waneta Carlisle scored 25 points and freshman point guard Baylie Bridges scored 19 in her varsity debut to lead Leesburg High School to a 75-74 overtime win against South Lake.
"South Lake is a good team and I love the way they play," Leesburg coach Mark Oates said. "They play hard and they don't quit. I knew we would have our hands full, but we're a young team and we have to play tough teams to get everyone understand how we do things here.
"We're going to get everyone's "A" game, so we can't just go through the motions and expect to win and this game proved that to our kids."
South Lake took a 43-34 halftime lead and led by as many as 13 in the second half. The Eagles, however, struggled down the stretch with mental mistakes and fatigue.
South Lake weathered several Leesburg runs in the fourth quarter. Bridges drained a 3 pointer with 2 minutes, 31 seconds to play to cut the Eagles' advantage to 60-58. A 3 pointer by Courtney Waite and a pair of free throws by Tamica Mora extended the lead to 65-58 with 1:19 left, but Tiffany Cosgrove sank two free throws to cut the deficit to 65-60 with 1:11 to play.
Bridges was fouled behind the 3-point stripe with 50 seconds to play and sank three free throws to slice South Lake's lead to two, 65-63.
Mora hit 1 of 2 free throws with 21 seconds left to regain a 3-point advantage, 66-63.
With eight seconds to play, Carlisle hit 1 of 2 free throws and Latoya Foster grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled with six seconds left.
Foster, one of the few returning from last year's Class 5A Final Four team, sank both free throws to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period. South Lake struggled offensively and failed to score for nearly three minutes while Leesburg built and 71-66 lead.
The Eagles, however, refused to go away and a 3 pointer by Mora with 52 seconds left cut the lead to 73-71.
After a timeout to regroup following a Yellow Jackets' turnover, Carlisle stole a cross-court pass with 25 second to play and drove for layup to ice the game.
Despite the close loss, South Lake coach Mandy Shafer refused to look for an infamous "moral victory."
"Success usually is determined by the final score, so we can't count this as a win," Shafer said.
"Still, I'm proud of this team. A lot of people probably didn't think we much of chance to beat Leesburg in their gym, but these girls believed they could do it. We played hard and we didn't quit. We knocked down some outside shots and got some big baskets on the interior, and we played well defensively for most of the game.
"Beating Leesburg would've been a big deal for us, even if it was the first game of the year. We can build off the effort we got tonight. I'm not happy with the result, because we lost, but I am very happy with our effort."
The Yellow Jackets were the more balanced team. Leesburg was able to score from the perimeter and in the paint with more consistency.
South Lake, on the other hand, relied on its ability to get perimeter scoring from Mora, Waite and Marjorie Thompson. The trio scored 59 of South Lake's 74 points, but Waite and Thompson fouled out before overtime to put most of the scoring pressure on Mora.
Mora finished with 24 points, followed by Waite's 19 and Thompson's 16. Nikki Holtzer added 11.
Besides Carlisle and Bridges, Leesburg got 11 points and 14 rebounds from Foster and nine points and 11 rebounds from Ashley Lanier.
Bridges, however, may have left the biggest impression on Oates. The freshman earned the starting job at the point, replacing former standout Pearl Johnson, who graduated.
Oates said Bridges performed well, although he is quick to deflect any comparison to Johnson.
"You don't just replace Pearl Johnson," Oates said. "She brought so much leadership and so many intangibles to the floor, but Baylie looks like she is going to do a lot of nice things for us. She's a gym rat, like Pearl, and always wants to work on her game.
"If I called at 2 a.m. and said I wanted to get together and practice, Baylie would yawn and say 'Okay coach Oates, I'll be right there."
Oates knows, however, he's going to need more than the effort of one freshman if the Yellow Jackets are going to return to the Final Four. He said his young team is going to have to learn how to win and to play their best every night.
"We have bullseyes on our chests," Oates said. "We are a state championship game for most of the teams we play. Our kids have to get used to that and respond to the pressure that goes with playing at Leesburg."
Resources
Frank Jolley
Daily Commercial
November 19, 2008
Leesburg Public Library
100 East Main Street
Leesburg, Florida 34748
VISIT ONE OF OUR BLOGS BELOW:
Leesburg Yellow Jackets Football News
Leesburg Lady Jackets Basketball News
Leesburg Yellow Jackets Basketball News
Carver Heights Trojans Football News
Leesburg Lady Jackets Basketball News
Leesburg Yellow Jackets Basketball News
Carver Heights Trojans Football News
Article provided by:
Gerald LaceyStaff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
1986 Varsity Jackets Football Lettermen #82
Class of 1988 Leesburg High School
leesburgyellowjacketsfootball@yahoo.com
www.leesburgladyjacketsbaskettball.com
Gerald is a professional Internet marketer and social media marketing expert. His online business ventures and websites generate multiple streams of income annually. His consulting clients include best selling authors and international speakers.
LLC and OmariWholesale, Inc. He runs his entire business from his home where he is able to spend quality time with his family and friends. He is passionate about helping individuals to build and monetize their personal brand online.
LLC and OmariWholesale, Inc. He runs his entire business from his home where he is able to spend quality time with his family and friends. He is passionate about helping individuals to build and monetize their personal brand online.
No comments:
Post a Comment