By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com
DIXON -- Determination and grit pulsed through Webster County guard Ellie Steiner's body and mind as the clock turned to the fourth quarter during the Lady Trojans' contest with Daviess County on Friday evening.
Up by one point to begin the final eight minutes, Steiner put Webster (14-4) in the driver's seat when she scored nine straight points to fend off the visiting Lady Panthers (12-6) in a 68-57 victory.
Steiner, a junior, scored off a miss, then, on the next Lady Trojan possession, with her back turned to the basket, she hoisted a shot high off the glass and drew contact for a three-point play. Next, Steiner swiped the ball from Daviess County for a breakaway layup and then finished her run by converting on an outlet pass during another fast break.
At the end of the rally, Steiner amassed nine points in 65 seconds.
"It just clicked," Steiner said of her outburst. "I don't know what really happened, it just clicked. I just knew we had to pick it up and I had to help my team. If I'm not playing hard -- my team relies on me. When I get hot, my team feeds off that."
The Lady Panthers converted on consecutive offensive trips to cut the deficit to five, but never came any closer.
Webster began the game on a 6-0 in the opening minutes by penetrating the opposing Lady Panther defense and working the lane.
Up by one point to begin the final eight minutes, Steiner put Webster (14-4) in the driver's seat when she scored nine straight points to fend off the visiting Lady Panthers (12-6) in a 68-57 victory.
Steiner, a junior, scored off a miss, then, on the next Lady Trojan possession, with her back turned to the basket, she hoisted a shot high off the glass and drew contact for a three-point play. Next, Steiner swiped the ball from Daviess County for a breakaway layup and then finished her run by converting on an outlet pass during another fast break.
At the end of the rally, Steiner amassed nine points in 65 seconds.
"It just clicked," Steiner said of her outburst. "I don't know what really happened, it just clicked. I just knew we had to pick it up and I had to help my team. If I'm not playing hard -- my team relies on me. When I get hot, my team feeds off that."
The Lady Panthers converted on consecutive offensive trips to cut the deficit to five, but never came any closer.
Webster began the game on a 6-0 in the opening minutes by penetrating the opposing Lady Panther defense and working the lane.
Daviess County quickly secured the gaps down low though and found its own groove on the offensive end of the floor. The Lady Panthers utilized a 21-0 run that spanned 6:04 to jump ahead.
During the second quarter, Webster faced a large deficit and had to work hard to erase the hole.
Steiner said coach Christina Whitsell told the players not to bow down just yet.
"She told us to pick it up basically because our heads weren't in the game at first," Steiner said. "She said just keep your composure and keep your head in the game and we got this."
An 8-0 run midway through the quarter undoubtedly put the Lady Trojans back in contention, down 26-22 with 4:20 left before halftime.
Back-to-back steals, which were converted into four points, fueled the rally.
Lynette Harris and Stephanie Householder manufactured the bulk of Webster's offense by pivoting for open space in the paint. The duo combined for 20 points in the first half and Harris' lay-up in transition late in the second quarter cut the home team's deficit to two points.
The Lady Panthers increased their lead once again in the half's final minutes though. Senior Demi Wendt's three-pointer at the buzzer gave her 19 points in the game and Daviess County held a 40-33 lead at the break.
Webster's defense allowed three field goals in the first two and one-half minutes of the second half, but secured a scoreless streak the rest of the third quarter.
"We came back in the second half and some of their shots weren't falling early, so I felt like we should transition into a zone and see if we could get any stops like that," Whitsell said. "Once we went zone, I think they didn't know what to do. It gave them a different look and they got stagnant on offense."
No Lady Panther struggled more than Wendt, the team's leading scorer for the season. The Lady Trojan defense held the senior forward to just four second-half points.
Meanwhile, Steiner and company cruised. Steiner doubled her season average (10.4 points per game) and posted a team-high 21 points. Harris and Householder also reached double-digits with 18 and 12 points respectively.
With the win, Webster has won four straight games. The Lady Trojans return to action at 7:30 p.m. on Monday against Calloway County.
DCHS (12-6) 22 18 6 11 - 57
WCHS (14-4) 8 25 14 21 - 68
DCHS: Demi Wendt 23, Lauren Foreman 8, Sarah Martin 8, Shaina Tinnell 8, Jenifer Foreman 6, Lydia Stallings 4.
WCHS: Ellie Steiner 21, Lynette Harris 18, Stephanie Householder 12, Natalie Stone 7, Kerstin Hayes 6, Keri Wright 4.
During the second quarter, Webster faced a large deficit and had to work hard to erase the hole.
Steiner said coach Christina Whitsell told the players not to bow down just yet.
"She told us to pick it up basically because our heads weren't in the game at first," Steiner said. "She said just keep your composure and keep your head in the game and we got this."
An 8-0 run midway through the quarter undoubtedly put the Lady Trojans back in contention, down 26-22 with 4:20 left before halftime.
Back-to-back steals, which were converted into four points, fueled the rally.
Lynette Harris and Stephanie Householder manufactured the bulk of Webster's offense by pivoting for open space in the paint. The duo combined for 20 points in the first half and Harris' lay-up in transition late in the second quarter cut the home team's deficit to two points.
The Lady Panthers increased their lead once again in the half's final minutes though. Senior Demi Wendt's three-pointer at the buzzer gave her 19 points in the game and Daviess County held a 40-33 lead at the break.
Webster's defense allowed three field goals in the first two and one-half minutes of the second half, but secured a scoreless streak the rest of the third quarter.
"We came back in the second half and some of their shots weren't falling early, so I felt like we should transition into a zone and see if we could get any stops like that," Whitsell said. "Once we went zone, I think they didn't know what to do. It gave them a different look and they got stagnant on offense."
No Lady Panther struggled more than Wendt, the team's leading scorer for the season. The Lady Trojan defense held the senior forward to just four second-half points.
Meanwhile, Steiner and company cruised. Steiner doubled her season average (10.4 points per game) and posted a team-high 21 points. Harris and Householder also reached double-digits with 18 and 12 points respectively.
With the win, Webster has won four straight games. The Lady Trojans return to action at 7:30 p.m. on Monday against Calloway County.
DCHS (12-6) 22 18 6 11 - 57
WCHS (14-4) 8 25 14 21 - 68
DCHS: Demi Wendt 23, Lauren Foreman 8, Sarah Martin 8, Shaina Tinnell 8, Jenifer Foreman 6, Lydia Stallings 4.
WCHS: Ellie Steiner 21, Lynette Harris 18, Stephanie Householder 12, Natalie Stone 7, Kerstin Hayes 6, Keri Wright 4.
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