December 20, 2003 - New Madison

The Tri-Village Lady Patriots were on a roll winning their last 3 games in a row and looking to sustain the momentum against Middletown Madison. It looked as If it would continue with Tri-Village controlling the tempo and leading the entire game against Middletown only to lose the lead and the game down the stretch.

In the first quarter the Lady Patriots handled the full court press in methodical fashion and were able to run a nice half court offense. They would lead the first quarter by the score of 12-7.

In the second quarter Madison would continue to pressure the Patriots and try to speed up the game, again Tri-Village handled the pressure and controlled the tempo for the quarter. Samantha Coomer scored a couple of baskets inside, Sara Burkhardt got a bucket and Mary Skidmore scored one goal and a free throw leading TV to a 21-15 halftime lead.

In the third quarter things would start to change as 6'4" Amanda Eckhardt made her presence felt by scoring 4 quick points in the paint and pulling Madison to within two at 21-19. More importantly she was able to block a number of Tri-Village shots in the paint and the Lady Patriots appeared to shy away from the inside game. The two teams would trade baskets and the quarter ended with Tri-Village leading 27-26.

The fourth quarter turned out to be a game of defense and both teams struggled to find offensive production... it would come down to free throws. The Lady Patriots maintained their lead until the 1:20 mark when Madison stole the ball and on a layup took their first lead of the day at 33-32. Madison would convert a free throw to extend their lead to 34-32. With 3.1 seconds left the Patriots tried to inbound the basketball from the other end of the court for one more shot, only to have it slip through their hands, as well as the game, losing 34-32. TV would go 1-7 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.

It was a disappointing loss. "I worry about losing close games," said Coach Jim Maples. "it's habit forming... and we have to improve on the mental part of our game to find a way to win these games." The Lady Patriots were again plagued by poor free throw shooting converting only 2-14 free throws. "All four games we lost this year can be attributed to free throw shooting," commented Maples. "We haven't played a game yet where all 5 players on the floor are in sync and playing their best." "Today Samantha Coomer played her best game, but we need to get it from all our players not just one or two a game." Samantha Coomer led the Patriots scoring 10 points, Brennan Moore with 5 assists and Heather Deaton with 9 rebounds.

It's been said before this team has the potential to beat anyone on their schedule but mentally they need to focus down the stretch and find a way to win the close games... and it starts by making free throws. It doesn't get any easier for the Lady Patriots as they host Union City one of the top rated teams in Indiana on December 30, in New Madison. GO PATRIOTS!

Box Scores
Tri-Village
#10 - Burns - 4
#24 - Moore - 2
#32 - Deaton - 4
#35 - Burkhardt - 4
#42 - Skidmore - 3
#44 - Frazier - 5
#50 - Coomer - 10
TOTALS - 32

Middletown Madison
#13 - T. Ponder - 2
#14 - Dance - 4
#15 - E. Ponder - 8
#22 - McGuire - 5
#23 - Nance - 7
#32 - Eckhardt - 8
TOTALS - 34