S. Range rallies to snap skid

January 6, 2012 at 12:07a.m.

BEAVER TOWNSHIP

Sophomore Stevie Taylor’s only bucket of the game could not have come at a better time for the South Range girls basketball team.

In command for most of the second half and leading by as many as nine points in the final period, the Raiders found themselves on the short end of a 45-44 count with about a minute to play.

Taylor’s bucket with 23 seconds left and a free throw by Kristin Robinson with four seconds remaining lifted the Raiders to a 47-45, victory over Crestview in Inter-Tri County League Tier One action Thursday.

“My shots weren’t falling all night and when I took that shot, I never really thought about those previous misses,” Taylor said. “I was just glad that it fell through the bottom of the net.

“We had a tough loss the other night, so hopefully this will get us back on track and back in the league race,” Taylor said.

Entering the game, the two teams were streaking in opposite directions with Crestview (8-3, 3-2) riding a three-game winning streak, having won five of their last six contests and the Raiders (4-5, 3-2) looking to end a three-game tailspin.

Seven points by Ashley Harrison, the Rebels’ leading scorer and six by South Range’s Lexi Naples in the opening period helped their respective teams battle to a 14-14 deadlock.

With the game knotted at 22-22 and time winding down before the intermission, Naples’ triple with 11 seconds remaining gave the Raiders a 25-22 advantage heading to the locker room.

Naples, who had a game-high 18 points, said the Crestview pressure late in the game was a real challenge.

“We got a little complacent in the final period and their pressure was a real challenge for us,” Naples said. “It was probably more nerves than sloppy play, but being able to overcome their press was the key.”

In 40 quarters played by the Rebels, only three times overall and never twice in the same game did their offense fail to score in double-digits in a period.

The South Range defense held Crestview to eight points in the second period and then out-scored them by a 9-5 count in the third quarter to forge a 34-27 lead with one period remaining.

Kelsey Maynard, who had 14 points for the Raiders, called the win a real confidence builder.

“We came into the game really pumped up and ready to play,” Maynard said. “To play the way that we did with the game on the line is a huge boost for our confidence.”

A bucket by Naples with 4:30 remaining gave South Range a 40-34 lead, but eight points by Harrison keyed an 11-4 run by the Rebels and a 45-44 lead before Taylor’s game-winning hoop.

“Stevie’s shot was a huge confidence booster, not only for her but for the entire team,” South Range coach Wayne Johnson said. “I told the team prior to the game that we had our best three practices, and then they went out and played exactly like we had practiced.

“This really is a huge win for us,” Johnson said.

The Raiders won for the fourth time in five home outings while the Rebels fell for just the second time in five road attempts.

“When you miss free throws and some easy opportunities early, it can come back and haunt you and that is what happened to us tonight.,” Crestview coach Rick Gates said.

“Give South Range credit because they handled our pressure and hit the shots when they needed to,” Gates said. “I thought that we showed a lot of heart by battling back to take the lead in the final quarter.

“I was proud of how we kept fighting; making it a game despite falling behind by nine points in the final period,” Gates said.

The Rebels were 13-of-22 from the charity stripe while the Raiders could manage just 4-of-12; including 3-of-9 in the final stanza.