Lady Rockets stop Carmichaels, 54-46
JEFFERSON – Going into its Section 2-A game with Carmichaels Thursday night, Jefferson-Morgan knew it had a tall task ahead of it. That task was stopping 6-foot, 1 Lady Mikes center Megan Stuvek. To make matters worse, the Lady Rockets would have to try to stop the record-setting senior without starters Colletta Cermack and Rachel Weaver, who stand 5-9 and 5-10, respectively. The two were suspended from the game.
However, J-M found a way to counter a big challenge by doing the small things.
The Lady Rockets (2-1, 7-6) converted 12-of-20 free throw attempts, while the Lady Mikes made just 11-of-28 and did a much better job of protecting the basketball. That attention to fundamentals, combined with a balanced scoring attack and Stuvek being held in check – eventually fouling out – led to a 54-46 Jefferson-Morgan victory.
Lady Rockets head coach Larry Craft saw the win as a pivotal one for a team as they try to return to the playoffs.
“This win means that these girls are going to start believing in themselves and they know that they can play with anyone in this section,” Craft said. “This was a turning point for us.”
Things didn’t start well for J-M as Carmichaels (1-2, 5-9) forged a 20-15 halftime lead.
However, both teams cranked up the scoring in the second half with both J-M and Carmichaels scoring 16 points each in the third quarter before a truly memorable scoring explosion by the Lady Rockets in the fourth quarter.
Trailing by five heading into the final period, the home team turned to a pair of seniors and a junior to lead them past their archrivals.
Seniors Lindsay Olson and Maddie Snyder, along with junior Ashley Phillips, put the team on their backs and lead a 23-point scoring barrage in the quarter. Olson and Snyder put up five and six points, respectively, while Phillips poured in 10 big points, including the go-ahead two-pointer with 1:02 left in the game.
Another contributing factor to the Lady Rockets’ breakout period was the Lady Mikes’ struggles with fouls, which was a two-fold problem. First, Stuvek fouled out of the contest with 2:02 left. Secondly, Carmichaels connected on just 4-of-16 attempts, including Stuvek converting just 3-of-8.
“Jefferson-Morgan’s players were making plays and we were standing flat-footed,” Carmichaels coach Jim Lane said. “That’s basically what it came down to.”
The Lady Rockets ended the game with a bang as they rattled off a 10-0 run, thanks in large part to a handful of sloppy Lady Mikes’ turnovers in the final minute of the contest to seal the deal.
While Stuvek had a respectable game with another double-double, 19 points and 11 rebounds, to go with five blocks, guard Shayleigh Busti with 12 was the only other Lady Mike to score more than four points.
The Rockets, on the other hand, saw Phillips tally 17, Snyder score 15, and Olson 13 put up big nights.
Without a superstar like Stuvek, that sort of balance is key for the Lady Rockets if they hope to get to the playoffs and beyond.
“It makes a team almost invincible if we can do that,” Craft said. “These girls stepped up and they came to play and it makes a big difference when you have a balanced scoring attack.”
For the Mikes, all they can do is try and take some positives out of a very disappointing defeat.
“Learn from it, because we’re going to be in this situation again,” Lane said.
“I hate to say there’s such a thing as a good loss, but you learn from your mistakes, which was foul-shooting and handling the basketball.”
The Lady Rockets will be back in action on Saturday when they host Charleroi. Carmichaels returns home for the next game on Jan. 15 against Geibel Catholic.