Phoenix beat Dukes, can't tame Cats

The Oberlin High Girls' Basketball Team played two close and exciting games against local opponents last week in PAC cross-over games with mixed results, beating Wellington with a dominating fourth-quarter performance on Wednesday night, and then falling to Keystone Saturday night in a nip-and-tuck battle that ended in an improbable buzzer-beater by the Wildcats.

Against the Dukes, Oberlin grabbed the early lead and jumped out to an 11-7 lead on the strength of inside baskets by Asia Alston and Amari Foster, a pull-up jumper by Kayla Jackson, and a three-pointer by Adrianna Young. However, in the second quarter the Phoenix seemed to turn the ball over more often than shooting it, managing only two hoops and a few free throws.

Meanwhile, Wellington's star player Katie Stumphauzer hit her stride and exploded for 10 of her team's 14 points in the stanza, putting the Dukes up 21-18 at the half.

The third quarter was back and forth, with neither team able to break away, and Oberlin's Foster and Jackson saddled with foul trouble. Stumphauzer, who leads the county in scoring with a average of more than 20 points, continued to do almost all of Wellington's scoring, tallying eight of their nine third-quarter points.

The fourth quarter for the Phoenix was a different story. With Foster back on the court, the defensive intensity picked back up. The fleet-footed duo of Kayla Jackson and Sarah Andrews tag-teamed to put the defensive clamps back on Stumphauzer, holding her to only three points in the final eight minutes.

At the same time, Oberlin was attacking the basket again, getting paint shots, drawing fouls, and converting on enough of both to outscore the Dukes 15 to 7 and take command of game.

Nicole Isabell, who had a great all-around game with 8 points, 4 steals and 3 assists, also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, with several of the most important ones coming in the final minutes to help the Phoenix hold on for the 41-37 come-from-behind win.

In Saturday's game against Keystone, the third quarter proved to be the team's downfall. They were outscored 11-4 during that stanza, relinquishing the four-point lead they had held at the half. Keystone switched from a zone defense to pressuring player-to-player.

Uncharacteristically, the pressure seemed to bother the Phoenix guards, and the team lost their offensive flow. Not only did Oberlin turn in over 16 times in the second half, but when they did get it down to the offensive end, Keystone's pressure made it hard to get an open look at the basket.

By the fourth quarter, the Phoenix adjusted, and began attacking the basket with more confidence and better results. The game was back-and-forth, neither team ahead or behind by more than one or two points, until Kayla Jackson finally broke free for an open 3-pointer from the top of the key, which she drained.

The shot broke a tie and put the Phoenix up by three. As the clock ran down under a minute, Keystone had to foul. The Phoenix split two pairs of free throws to preserve their three-point advantage, the last free throw coming with just eleven seconds to play.

Oberlin dropped back and played great defense, forcing a miss with four seconds left, but the long rebound bounced far over to the weakside, where a Keystone player chased it down and threw up a deep shot from the corner. As the ball swished through the net, Keystone immediately called a time-out. Meanwhile, Oberlin fans breathed a sigh of relief at the referee's indication that the shooter's foot was indeed on the line. The Phoenix were still up one, with only one second remaining on the clock.

The drama was not over, however. On the subsequent inbounds play, the pass went awry, bouncing off a Phoenix player and into the hands of a Wildcat, who took a quick dribble and tossed a shot up at the basket. As the buzzer resounded in the gym, the ball smacked off the backboard and went through the hoop, giving Keystone the unlikely buzzer-beating win.

Oberlin's record is now 10-4 overall, and 6-2 in the PAC, putting them in second place in the Stripes division. Columbia, whose only PAC loss is to Oberlin, leads the Stripes division. Oberlin has one more cross-over game left, home against Buckeye tomorrow night, before the second round of divisional play. For those of you marking your calendars, the rematch against Columbia is scheduled for Wednesday, February 3rd at OHS.