Scotties hold off Lions
GREENSBURG – Even though it was senior night at Greensburg Salem, it ended up being a junior from Southmoreland who stole the spotlight. The Lady Scots’ Jamie Henry scored the winning basket as time expired to give Southmoreland a 50-48 win Monday night.
“All I was thinking when the first shot missed was I have to make this because I don’t want to play overtime,” said an ecstatic Henry. “They’re a big team and I thought I played one of my better games tonight.”
Henry’s basket not only gave the Lady Scots a crucial section win, it also clinched the first girls basketball section title in school history.
“It was a nip-tuck game the whole way,” said head coach Brian Pritts. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way. They were playing tonight with a lot of emotion and energy because they were at home and it’s their senior night. I just kept telling our girls that we have to keep our composure and we have to stay calm. This section is as good as it’s been since I’ve been here coaching.”
Southmoreland had to overcome a slow start as the Lady Lions raced out to an early 12-3 that was led by Mary Cook who hit two 3-pointers in the opening quarter. Cook would finish the game with 22 points and a game high four 3-pointers. She also shot a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
The Lady Scots slowly chipped away at the deficit and thanks to 13 first-half points from Vanessa Abel, Southmoreland eventually found itself with a 25-23 lead as the two teams went into the break.
Abel finished as the game’s leading scorer with 26 points including a 9-of-12 effort from the line.
Henry would finish with 13 points, and despite being the only other Southmoreland player to finish with double-digits in scoring, Pritts felt her performance went well beyond the point total.
“She gets the game ball tonight,” said Pritts. “She controlled the boards tonight and there were times where we had covering two or three people at a time because of the way she was going out there. She did a tremendous job tonight.”
As the fourth quarter began, the Lady Lions were clinging to a one point lead as they opened with possession. As the Lady Lions tried to run their offense, Henry forced a turnover from Anne Marie Olesky and set up senior Anna Coffman for an easy lay-up to give Southmoreland a 39-38 lead.
Moments later, Abel forced another turnover and took the ball the length of the court to put the Lady Scots up by three.
Southmoreland would see its lead increase to five points before Cook hit her third 3-pointer of the night to cut the deficit to 43-41.
With under a minute to play, the Lady Scots again had a five point lead only to watch Cook hit her final 3-pointer of the night and ultimately tie the game moments later with only nine seconds remaining.
Southmoreland came out of a time-out and instantly put the ball into the hands of Abel who drove to the hole and put up a desperation shot in traffic. The shot did not fall, but Henry was in perfect position for the rebound and the basket as the final horn sounded.
The win improves Southmoreland to 20-2 overall and 14-1 in section 3-AAA. The Lady Scots return home on Thursday night to take on Mount Pleasant before finishing their regular season at Norwin on Feb. 12.