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Crater girls roll through Ashland, 75-53 But the Crater girls coach didn't have to look far for motivation Friday, when the third-ranked Comets went after their 20th victory of the season against Ashland. "We talked about that before the game," Heard said after the 75-53 win. "Sometimes, the kids take it for granted, but there aren't that many teams that ever win 20 games. Twenty wins is a big deal. It's a milestone in basketball." It's the fourth time Heard has coached a Crater team to 20 triumphs. The Comets are 20-1 overall and 11-0 in the Southern Oregon Conference. They are host to Klamath Union Tuesday, then visit second-place Roseburg (10-1 SOC) next Friday in what will be the game of the season in the SOC. Crater's Amy Denson, who has had a hand in many wins in her career, left fingerprints all over this one: She made 12 of 15 field goals, including a 3-pointer, and produced 27 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Much of her and her teammates' scoring could be attributed to point guard Sarah Pool, who continually drove into the middle, then kicked the ball out when the defense reacted to her. Crater made eight 3-pointers by five different players. Pool complemented her 19 points with a whopping 14 assists. Ashland coach Stephanie Santos admitted her defense was a step slow on occasion, but said there were also times when there was precious little it could do. "Sarah really passed the ball well tonight," she said. "She'd whiz it right by our heads, and Amy would be standing on the block wide open." Denson had 18 of her points and nine rebounds in the first half. All in all, however, Santos was pleased with the fight her team showed. Crater's lead was only 10 points, 49-39, midway through the third quarter before the Comets took complete control, sprinting off on a 22-4 run. The catalyst was a switch, said Heard, from a zone defense to man-to-man. "With our first group, when we played man, they (Grizzlies) only scored four points," he said. "We had people in the passing lanes, and that created a bunch of easy fastbreak shots." Marla Morin scored 19 points for Ashland and Stefanie Talbott 13. Freshman Alysse Carlson added nine points in a solid performance. Heard said Ashland has matured as a team. "I think they're a lot better than they were the first time we played them," he said. ASHLAND (53) - Gooch 8, Carlson 9, Morris 0, Talbott 13, Hansen 2, Sobolik 2, Morin 19. Totals: 21-48 6-8 53. CRATER (75) - Black 10, Yager 8, Kinney 1, Wiersma 4, Anhorn 0, Pool 19, LeBel 1, Huntley 2, Robertson 3, Denson 27. Totals: 30-63 7-15 75. Ashland..............................................16 12 13 12 - 53 Crater..................................................22 17 20 16 - 75 3-point goals - Ashland 5 (Carlson 1, Talbott 3, Morin 1), Crater 8 (Black 2, Yager 2, Pool 2, Robertson 1, Denson 1). JV score - Ashland 58, Crater 53. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.