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Glencoe shoots down Crater in quarterfinals The Crimson Tide takes advantage of 26 turnovers and a poor shooting night by the Comets to storm ahead in the Class 4A tournament By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune PORTLAND � Life can be cruel. Brimming with championship aspirations throughout another wonderful season, the Crater girls basketball team�s dream came crashing down Thursday night at the Chiles Center as Glencoe upset the No. 2-ranked Comets, 45-41, in the Class 4A state-tournament quarterfinals. "Unfortunately for these girls, losing tonight is their season," said Crater head coach David Heard, who was aiming for a first state crown after guiding his program to runner-up showings three of the last four years. "We win our next two games, we have a chance to break the school record for wins in a season with 26 wins. But for them, right now their season�s over. This is it." Crater, now 24-2, shot 14-for-54 (25.9 percent) from the field in scoring 20 fewer points than it had in any game this season. Yet with 3:57 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Comets were tied with the Crimson Tide (21-7) at 35-all after senior post Amy Denson drilled a baseline jump shot. On Glencoe�s next possession, junior wing Heather Arns drove the lane and hit a floater to put the Crimson Tide ahead to stay. Arns� laser pass to senior post Tiffany Schmidt for a layup at the 2:45 mark and two free throws by junior guard Pam Thornborrow with 53.5 seconds on the clock made it 41-35. Denson, who finished with a team-high 17 points, splashed a step-back 3-pointer from straight away to pull her team within 41-38 with 37.96 seconds left. At 33.63, Schmidt hit two free throws. Then Crater sophomore guard Whitney Black was fouled on a 3 attempt at 28.54 and swished three free throws, making it 43-41, Glencoe. On the inbounds pass, Denson stole the ball and dribbled toward the hoop with one Tide defender to beat. But as she made her move for the potential tying hoop, Denson was whistled for traveling, her sixth turnover of the night. At 21.86, Arns hit the first of two free throws. And after Comets senior point guard Sarah Pool�s 3 was well off-target, Arns dropped another free throw with 10.53 to play for a 45-41 edge. Denson�s 3 was errant in the dying seconds, and Glencoe stormed the court to celebrate the biggest upset in the tournament to this point. "This is the biggest win ever," said Arns, who led the Tide with 17 points and helped hold Pool, the state�s second-leading scorer at 20.5 points per game entering the tournament, scoreless. "Our whole strategy was to keep the ball away from Pool and Denson, just like everybody else. ... Nobody thought we could do it. We had our heart set on this game, and we brought our whole team together knowing we could pull it out." For Pool and Denson, regarded as one of the elite duos in the history of Oregon girls basketball, the defeat was shattering. None of the Crater players would speak to the media following the loss, but Heard said, "(Pool) is the most frustrated right now. She feels responsible, her and Amy. But I told her and Amy we�d be home watching cartoons right now if it wasn�t for those two. We wouldn�t even be here." Pool, headed to the California program next year, was 0-for-8 from the field and committed 10 of the Comets� 26 turnovers. She did contribute eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block in playing all 32 minutes. Denson, who has signed on to play at Arizona State, shot 7-for-16 from the field, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked three shots and made four steals in 30 minutes. "We�ve got some really good kids, and they really played their hearts out," said Glencoe head coach Mike Melin, whose squad finished third in the Metro League and is the seventh seed in the tournament. "Tonight, Pool and Denson had a tough time, and we made some different looks that we were hoping they hadn�t seen. And our kids executed it really well. I was real proud of them." The Comets outrebounded the Tide, 42-36, including a 16-9 edge on the offensive glass. And Crater made six 3s in 21 attempts to Glencoe�s one in six tries. Crater will meet Corvallis, a 47-38 loser to Beaverton on Thursday, in consolation action today at 3 p.m. GLENCOE (45) � Arns 6-15 5-9 17, Thornborrow 2-7 4-5 9, Delplanche 1-2 0-0 2, Schmidt 4-13 3-4 11, Prewitt 1-3 2-4 4, Vrooman 0-1 0-0 0, Stenberg 0-0 0-0 0, Kelly 0-1 0-0 0, Dissen 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 15-45 14-22 45. CRATER (41) � Yager 1-5 0-0 3, Wiersma 2-6 1-2 5, Pool 0-8 0-0 0, Robertson 1-5 0-0 3, Denson 7-16 2-3 17, Black 1-6 3-4 6, Kinney 2-5 1-2 7, LeBel 0-0 0-0 0, Huntley 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 14-54 7-11 41. Glencoe.....................................................11 9 11 14 � 45 Crater .......................................................11 8 12 10 � 41 Halftime � Glencoe 20, Crater 19. 3-point goals � Glencoe 1-6 (Arns 0-2, Thornborrow 1-3, Schmidt 0-1), Crater 6-21 (Yager 1-5, Wiersma 0-1, Pool 0-4, Robertson 1-2, Denson 1-4, Black 1-2, Kinney 2-3). Rebounds � Glencoe 36 (Thornborrow 8, Schmidt 8), Crater 42 (Pool 8, Denson 8). Assists � Glencoe 9 (Thornborrow 3, Schmidt 3), Crater 8 (Pool 7). Fouled out � Yager, Wiersma. Team fouls � Glencoe 12, Crater 21. A � N/A. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.