After the Spartans suffered a rather shocking 48-39 loss to Princeton on Friday night, February 11, they had an opportunity to redeem themselves on Saturday night against the Class AAA 2nd-ranked North Marion Huskies at home.
That contest looked very promising for the Spartans until the final minute when they surrendered an 8-point lead and suffered their second consecutive loss, 75-74 in absolute heartbreaking fashion.
Playing without Allie Dunford (suspension) and Caroline Dotson (injury), the shorthanded Spartans battled from start to finish against one of the best teams in the state. Skipping ahead to the fourth quarter, East got very good production from seldom-used Aubrey Glover. Glover, playing major minutes due to Dunford’s absence, hit two critical 3-pointers and then was fouled shooting another three with just over two minutes left in the game. Glover calmly sank all three free throws and put the Spartans up 71-62 with 2:20 left to play.
An Olivia Toland foul shot made the score 71-63 Spartans, but on her missed second attempt, the Huskies grabbed the rebound, missed a shot and the ball was knocked out of bounds. The official called the ball out off East’s Daisha Summers, but on second glance it looked pretty clear the ball was off of the Huskies. Nevertheless, North Marion inbounded the ball and Emma Freels drained a trey from the corner to cut the score to 71-66, East. The Spartans (13-6) threw the subsequent inbounds pass away, and the Huskies scored another one on Kennedy Beaty’s runner. The score was then 71-68. An intercepted pass by the Huskies set up Freel for an offensive rebound put back, and just like that the score was 71-70, East with 1:04 showing on the clock.
The Spartans continued to struggle with inbound plays as Cadence Stewart may have been pushed, but no foul was called, and she dribbled the ball out of bounds and the ball went back to North Marion.
The Huskies (18-2) fed Katlyn Carson who scored a layup and North Marion had shockingly taken the lead, 72-71. A fourth straight turnover gave the Huskies a trip to the foul line where Carson made 1-of-2.
North Marion got the ball back after East’s fifth turnover, and while trying to run the clock down, Brooke Davis stepped in the passing lane and stole the pass and converted an old-fashioned three-point play on the other end. After that, the Spartans led 74-73. The Huskies kept the next possession for almost the rest of the game. The series of plays ended with Carson putting in the game winning shot with five seconds left to give North Marion the lead and the win.
Summers heaved a full court shot that missed as time expired.
Glover was named player of the game after the best night of her career. She scored 12 points. Summers had 18 points and 16 rebounds. Davis had 15 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals. Stewart added 13 points.
East now enters their final week of the regular season before sectional playoff in two weeks.
Stats courtesy of 95.3, WRON.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.