MANSFIELD, Ohio — The final second didn’t go according to script, but St. Peter’s coach Shani Rush couldn’t complain about the outcome Tuesday at the Franciscan Activity Center.
Emily Yeager scored 25 points and the Spartans dodged a last-second bullet for a 64-62 win over Madison.
“We made it interesting,” Rush said. “I thought it was going to be over but Madison kept coming back. We made some mistakes at the end, but it’s a good learning experience for our kids. We’ve got a young group and this is how they learn.
“I’m proud that they finished the game off.”
The Spartans (8-6) took what appeared to be a comfortable 64-59 lead with 5.6 seconds remaining when Yeager hit a pair of free throws, her seventh and eighth of the fourth quarter. The Rams (4-11) rushed the ball down the floor and Alexis Smith was fouled on a 3-point attempt with .9 remaining. The senior sharp-shooter connected on all three free throws to make it 64-62.
On the ensuing inbounds play, the ball glanced off a St. Peter’s player and went out of bounds as the buzzer sounded. The officials conferred and put .1 back on the clock. An attempted tip by Mekaila Grose never got to the rim as time expired.
“We just can’t seem to get over the hump,” Madison coach Brian Davis said. “We played well in stretches and not so well at other times. We’re just trying to find a level of consistency.
“The same things are killing us. We had some late turnovers and missed some layups.”
Dynamic Duo: The Spartans had no answer for Smith and Grose, who combined for 44 points. St. Peter’s went with a triangle-and-two in an attempt to slow down Madison’s high-scoring duo.
“In the second half, they were scoring all their points,” Rush said. “We practiced it just in case and we needed it. I thought it worked well down the stretch. We wanted to keep it out of (Smith’s) hands.”
Grose finished with 23 points. Smith added 21.
Super Sub: St. Peter’s got 13 points off the bench from undersized power forward Tyronika Davis. The sophomore held her own against the 5-foot-11 Grose.
“We always tease her. She’s 5-4 on a good day,” Rush said. “She’s not afraid to get in there and battle. She works hard.”
Caroline Blunk added 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Return to Action: Madison senior Kendall Bertoch, who has been nursing a knee injury, checked into the game late in the first quarter. She played less than a minute before taking a seat for the remainder of the game.
“We thought Kendall would be able to contribute tonight. She had a really good practice and we thought she was ready to go,” Davis said. “The injury is still bothering her. It’s really the first time she’s been on the court in a game situation.”
Junior Varsity: Hayley Huff and Tieria Bowens scored six points apiece as Madison knocked off St. Peter’s 32-26 in junior varsity action. Mackenzie Hendrickson led the Spartans with 12 points.
