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59 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, March 6, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 18, 2004 Crater girls secure at least a share of SOC title By JOE ZAVALA for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — With Dani Montgomery watching from the sideline in foul trouble, Ashland hitting everything from 3-point range and the rebounding battle tilting decidedly in the Grizzlies’ favor, things didn’t look good for the Crater High girls basketball team Tuesday night. But the Comets clamped down on defense, Montgomery returned with a vengeance and Crater made all the big plays down the stretch to escape Mountain Avenue gym with a clutch 63-57 Southern Oregon Conference victory. "The second half has kind of been a struggle for us this year, so we wanted to really tighten it up at the defensive end," said Montgomery, who scored 14 of her team-high 18 points after halftime. "We knew Ashland was a great fourth-quarter team so we knew they were going to come up and play big in the fourth, so we just had to be right there with them." The win clinches for Crater at least a tie with North Medford for first place in the SOC. The Comets (16-6, 12-1 SOC) can wrap up their seventh outright league title in nine years with a home win over Roseburg on Thursday night. The Grizzlies (18-5, 9-4), meanwhile, dropped out of contention for both first and second place and will settle for third regardless of what happens in Thursday’s night’s SOC-finale at North Medford (18-5, 11-2). Ashland’s next meaningful game will be in the second-round of the Class 4A state playoffs, Feb. 25 against the No. 2 team from the Pac-9 Conference. Advertisement "I think we were all really tired, I guess," said Grizz junior guard Alysse Carlson, who finished with a team-high 18 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. "The effort was there, we just kept coming up short in key moments. "It’s tough because they keep switching their defense. So we start to run one play, and they switch it up right in the middle of it so that play doesn’t work any longer. It was really well thought out, and they were really prepared for us." Montgomery scored nine in the third quarter to help the Comets seize a 44-40 lead heading into the fourth.There, Crater hit 7 of 11 free throws and got eight clutch points out of senior guard Katie Robertson to survive a 3-point barrage by Hilary Huyett. Huyett, Ashland’s junior guard, drilled three 3-pointers to keep Ashland close, including one with 33 seconds left that cut Crater’s lead to 58-55. The Comets answered with two free throws by Montgomery and, after a rebound putback by Grizz freshman Whitney Chase, two more by Robertson to put the game away. Crater hit 17 of 26 free throws for the game, while Ashland was just 6 of 14.Montgomery picked up her second foul with 3:10 left in the first quarter and sat the rest of the half, but the Comets kept the game close and even surged ahead despite the loss. Senior guard Whitney Black led the charge with 16 points and five assists, while Robertson added 16 points, including 14 in the second half. Also for Crater, junior post Jessica Wasniewski had three points and five assists and sophomore guard Emily Brookins chipped in seven points and four rebounds. Ashland was paced by Huyett, Carlson and junior post Abeni Hill, who tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds. Chase chimed in with three points and six boards. Ashland led 11-6 after one on a buzzer-beating jumper by Chase, but, without Montgomery, Crater outscored Ashland 18-12 in the second quarter to take a 24-23 lead into the break. Black scored eight points in the second quarter, including a pair of 3s. "That second quarter was the most important quarter for us," Crater coach Scott Dippel said. "What we did is we decided that we were just going to isolate. And when we isolated (Black), we got some good shots and Whitney hit big shots in that second quarter to kind of ease that loss of having Dani on the bench." The lead flip-flopped in the third until Robertson drained three straight freebies after being hacked while attempting a 3 with 2:14 to go. That sparked a 6-1 burst that gave the Comets a four- point lead after three. Ashland reduced the deficit to one on Huyett’s long bomb early in the fourth, but Robertson scored inside, Montgomery converted a three-point play and the Grizzlies never got closer than three the rest of the way. "It was a good game, and we just didn’t execute down the stretch," Ashland head coach Steve Humann said. "They made plays, and we didn’t." CRATER (63) — Black 16, Brookins 7, Montgomery 18, Wasniewski 3, Robertson 16, N. Tyska 3. Totals: 20 17-26 63. ASHLAND (57) — Chase 3, Huyett 17, Carlson 18, Roupp 1, Hasty 0, Hill 16, Thivierge 2. Totals: 22 6-14 57. Crater ........................................ 6 18 20 19 — 63Ashland ................................... 11 12 17 17 — 57 3-point goals — Crater 6 (Black 3, Brookins 2, Robertson 1), Ashland 7 (Huyett 5, Carlson 2). Joe Zavala is sports editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 482-3456. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times