Hornets drop first game 63-59

From: Seymour Daily Tribune, IN
Nov. 16, 2002

By MELISSA LINDER
mlinder@tribtown.com

MEDORA — The Medora girls’ basketball team almost walked away with an easy win Friday against the Indiana School for the Deaf.

Ahead 27-17 at the half, the Hornets allowed the gap to close to 38-35 after the third quarter and lost 63-59 in their first game of the season.

Medora had a 58-57 advantage with 1:10 left in the game. It was free throws that cost the Hornets, as they were two-for-six in the final minute.

Easy shots — mostly uncontested layups — by the Hoosiers in the final two minutes also cost the Hornets. Medora was outscored 10-2 in those final two minutes and relinquished a two-point lead with 27 seconds remaining, in part to a full-court press the Hornets just couldn’t get a handle on.

“I was frustrated that we couldn’t break a simple press,” coach Scott Crossley said. “That beat us bad in the fourth quarter. To lose a game when you’re winning up to 27 seconds to go from the tip of the ball, that’s kind of frustrating when you can’t finish it off.”

Medora began each quarter solid and under control, especially the fourth quarter on a 9-3 run after allowing the Hoosiers to close the gap to three at the end of the third. Hayley Elkins scored two layups in that span, for four of her 17 points. She also grabbed 15 rebounds for a double-double.

Leah Young also logged a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Crossley said the positive side to the game was that his squad lost this matchup last year by 13, but missed shots early in this game is an encounter he’s happy his squad met now.

“In my opinion, we probably should have been up 25 points at the half, with all the easy shots that we missed,” Crossley said. “If we could’ve made all the easy shots we had in the first half, we would’ve been up so many they wouldn’t have been able to catch us.”

The Hornets return to action Monday when they play host to Graceland Christian.

© Seymour Daily Tribune