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Crater whips past Springfield photo by Andrew Mariman By Greg Stiles CENTRAL POINT � Oh sure it�s just the first of 24 games on the schedule. It won�t show up in the conference standings and might not even break into the five-most memorable games by season�s end. None the less, the Crater Comets demonstrated why they�re ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll and No. 1 in the coaches� poll Monday night by rolling to a 51-37 triumph over third-ranked Springfield. "There�s no question they can beat anybody in the state," said Springfield coach Charlie Olds. Junior wing Amy Denson scored 18 points, snared nine rebounds and blocked two shots to pace the Comets, who return four regulars from a team that finished second in last year�s Class 4A state tournament. Denson connected on 9-of-14 shots from the field, scoring 14 points in the first half. Sarah Pool had 11 points, 10 assists and four steals. Jody McLeod added 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Bre Johnson had 10 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. "They were a whole lot better than we were tonight," said the 15-year Springfield coach. "They shot better, handled the ball better and passed better than we did. We have some very experienced players, but they were very selfish this evening." Crater also did a good job finding the holes in the Millers� defense. "We wanted to move the ball against their zone," said Pool. "Amy got inside and she couldn�t miss her jumper." Crater coach David Heard was more than pleased with the outing in what likened to a state tournament game. And what really stood out was the Comets� ability to limit high-scoring Talisha Rath to one 3-point basket. "I would�ve said before the game that if we kept Rath and (Chelsea) Wagner under 30 points, we had a pretty good chance to win," Heard said. Wagner finished with 15 points. Crater led 6-4 in the first period when the Comets went on a 9-0 run to take a 15-4 advantage on Denson�s hoop from the right corner with 1:49 left in the quarter. The Millers committed six of their 16 turnovers in the first eight minutes. Crater pushed its advantage to 21-10 when Johnson scored in the lane with 6:25 left in the half. Springfield whittled the deficit down to six as Wagner scored nine of her points in the final 5:08 of the half. But Crater countered and Johnson�s bucket on an inbounds play at the buzzer made it 29-20 at the half. A free throw by McLeod and a putback by Denson made it 32-20 early in the third quarter and the Millers never got closer than seven. An offensive rebound and putback by Denson, Pool�s layin off a Denson steal and Carissa Nafie�s bucket, set up by Pool, extended Crater�s lead to 38-25 with 4:06 left in the third quarter. Wagner, however, scored the final four points of the period to make it 38-29 going into the fourth quarter. But the Comets put it away by scoring the first five points of the final period. Olds hoisted the white flag with 5:22 left with Crater leading 41-29. Even with wins over Silverton (60-35) and South Albany (67-28), Olds suspected the defending Midwestern League champions might have a tough time. "We were due for this to happen," he said. Crater plays at Yreka tonight and goes to Pleasanton, Calif., for an eight-team tournament later in the week. Thus, Heard substituted liberally. "The first four minutes was the toughest part of the game," he said. "I guess there was just a real adrenalin rush. We knew there were going to be holes for Amy and she�s big enough to shoot over the top. I don�t really think she shot enough tonight." But it proved way too much for the Millers. SPRINGFIELD (39) � Baynes 0, Kirschenmann 0, Purscelley 8, Rath 3, McLennan 4, Thurn 3, Wagner 15, Grabler 2, Castillo 2. Totals: 12-43 12-16 39. CRATER (51) � Pool 11, Sapienza 0, LeBel 0, McLeod 10, Huntley 0, Robertson 0, Nafie 2, Denson 18, Johnson 10. Totals: 21-52 8-13 51. Crater....................................15 14 9 13�51 Springfield.............................5 15 9 8�37 3-point goals � Springfield 1-8 (Rath 1). Crater1-9 (Pool 1). Fouled out � Rath. JV score � Crater 30, Springfield 25 Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.