B-C girls topple Lady Mikes, 68-45
Carmichaels’ Caroline Cree hit the shot of the game, but the rest of the night belonged to Beth-Center and her good friend Anna Bartman.
It a battle of 1,000-point scorers, Bartman came out on top with a sizzling 33-point performance to Cree’s 21, and, more importantly, led the playoff-bound Lady Bulldogs to a key 68-45 Section 4-AA victory at Carmichaels on Thursday.
The win gave Beth-Center’s playoff status a boost and kept its hopes alive for the section title. The Lady Bulldogs (10-4, 7-3) moved ahead of Charleroi (7-4) into third place. They trail first-place Washington (9-1) and second-place Frazier (8-2).
“It was definitely a big game in the section,” said Bartman, who hit six 3-pointers. “It’s still not out of the question to win a section title, but we have to rely on other teams to get it done. But just being able to win a section game and secure a place in the playoffs, it’s huge for us.”
“That was what we talked about at the beginning of the game,” B-C coach Stephen Beyer said. “Yes, we made the playoffs and we accomplished our goal, but we want to make sure we finish out. That would be big considering where we’ve come from the last couple years. Last year we were 3-15 and to have a turnaround like this, it’s a great way to send out the seniors.”
While the headliners were Bartman and Cree, it was another player who stole the show in the first period.
Beth-Center freshman Kinlee Whited scored 10 of her 14 points in the opening frame as the red-hot-shooting Lady Bulldogs rolled to a 23-6 lead.
After scoring five in the first, Bartman exploded for 15 points in the second period, including a trio of treys, as B-C took a 41-14 halftime lead.
“We probably played the best first half that we’ve played all year,” Meyer said. “We moved the ball around on offense. Anna was feeling it and we just kept feeding her the ball. And then when people came on her, she was able to dish off and everyone else contributed.”
Cree, who was held scoreless in the first period, scored all eight of the Lady Mikes’ points in the second. She capped the half in style, hitting a high-arcing 3-pointer from just inside halfcourt at the buzzer.
“I’ve made a halfcourt shot before, but not this year,” said Cree, who was harassed by B-C’s defense most of the night. “I was off today but they’re a good defensive team.”
“We centered out defense around her, put her in the box and one to get her out of her game a little bit,” Bartman said.
Carmichaels coach Jim Lane did all he could to try and stem the tide against the Lady Bulldogs, including using four of his five timeouts in the first half, to no avail.
“They came out smoking hot, they couldn’t miss,” Lane said. “Just about every defense we used against them, they were hitting shots against us.
“You’ve just got to tip your cap to them. It’s tough to beat a team that shoots the ball that well. You could see why Beth-Center is one of the best teams in the section. They’ve got a heck of a leader in Bartman, they’ve got a very good, well-rounded team and they’re well coached.
“They’re going to be a tough team to beat in the playoffs.
To their credit, the Lady Mikes (8-12, 2-8) kept fighting in the second half and out-scored B-C in the third and fourth periods.
Cree, who hit five 3-pointers on the night, and Bartman both scored 13 points in the second half.
“Caroline Cree is an outstanding ball player and Anna Bartman is outstanding, and we knew that those two would sort of counter each other,” Meyer said. “Everyone else stepped up for us tonight. Kinlee Whited did a great job for us. It was really our defensive effort, too. They all did a great job.”
The Lady Bulldogs put nine different players in the scoring column.
Molly Roberts and freshman Megan Walker followed Cree in scoring for Carmichaels with seven points apiece.