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01-28-2012, 12:30 AM
Mercy Academy battled into the Louisville Invitational Tournament semifinals with a 59-43 victory over South Oldham on Friday, but the Lady Dragons made the Jaguars work a little harder than they expected.
Even though Mercy, No. 3 in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings, jumped out to leads of 6-0, 8-2 and 16-5, the Jaguars (16-3) never got comfortable enough to allow coach Mark Evans to use much of his bench in the quarterfinals of the 40th Republic Bank/Coca-Cola LIT at Bellarmine University.
“We only went seven deep today,” said Evans, who was worried about his players losing their legs for today’s windup after their ninth consecutive victory. “We got on them early, but we must have missed six or eight layups. Then they pressed us, and it was a dogfight. They did to us what we usually do to other teams.”
No. 7 South Oldham (16-4), which had won eight in a row, trailed 28-17 at halftime but crept within 51-43 after Jasmine Whitfield and Maddie Wright each sank two free throws. Mercy, which won the last of its three LIT titles in 2010, scored the game’s last eight points on a basket by Courtney Roush and six free throws — four by Courtney’s twin, Christine, and two by Kayla Richardson. The Jaguars were 23 of 27 from the line.
Christine Roush, a 5-foot-10 senior, led Mercy with 19 points, although she missed 9 of 12 field-goal attempts. She made amends by hitting 13 of 14 free throws, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists. She made her first eight foul shots, then missed the ninth one.
“I pushed it a little,” she said. Asked if she got tired in her 28:51 of playing time, Roush said, “I did, but I know how to play through it. We missed a ton of easy shots today.”
Will Mercy have enough stamina to play No. 2 Marion County or Christian Academy in today’s 11:30 a.m. semifinal?
“Yep, I think we will,” Roush said.
Courtney Roush, who stands 5-11, had 10 points and eight rebounds, although she missed 8 of 12 shots. Whitney Hartlage also scored 10, including two 3-pointers in the first quarter.
“We had a few bumps in the road in the first quarter,” South Oldham coach Frank Wright said. “We had some decent looks, but we couldn’t knock them down (the Lady Dragons shot 2 of 14 in the first eight minutes). Then we had a lapse on Hartlage shooting the three.
“Mercy is a good team; there’s a reason they’re ranked. They’re used to playing on this (college-length floor) and on this stage. This is the first time our kids have played on a college floor. We have better stuff in the tank than we showed today, but Mercy is really good at managing the clock and the score.”
Whitfield, a 5-11 senior who has signed with Cincinnati, had 19 points and 11 rebounds but shot just 6 of 18, including 1 of 7 on threes. She also blocked three shots and had two steals but committed seven turnovers.
Whitfield admitted she and her teammates might have had some jitters at the start.
“We’ve never played on this kind of stage before, but it was a good experience,” she said. “We picked up our defensive intensity in the second half.”
Evans said he was impressed by Whitfield’s all-around game.
“I like her,” he said. “You never know how a kid is going to respond (to playing in the LIT), but she responded by going all out. South Oldham’s kids played hard. They never quit. I’m happy for Frank. He works at it.”
http://saxo.highschoolsports.net/article...it?Avis=B2
Even though Mercy, No. 3 in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings, jumped out to leads of 6-0, 8-2 and 16-5, the Jaguars (16-3) never got comfortable enough to allow coach Mark Evans to use much of his bench in the quarterfinals of the 40th Republic Bank/Coca-Cola LIT at Bellarmine University.
“We only went seven deep today,” said Evans, who was worried about his players losing their legs for today’s windup after their ninth consecutive victory. “We got on them early, but we must have missed six or eight layups. Then they pressed us, and it was a dogfight. They did to us what we usually do to other teams.”
No. 7 South Oldham (16-4), which had won eight in a row, trailed 28-17 at halftime but crept within 51-43 after Jasmine Whitfield and Maddie Wright each sank two free throws. Mercy, which won the last of its three LIT titles in 2010, scored the game’s last eight points on a basket by Courtney Roush and six free throws — four by Courtney’s twin, Christine, and two by Kayla Richardson. The Jaguars were 23 of 27 from the line.
Christine Roush, a 5-foot-10 senior, led Mercy with 19 points, although she missed 9 of 12 field-goal attempts. She made amends by hitting 13 of 14 free throws, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists. She made her first eight foul shots, then missed the ninth one.
“I pushed it a little,” she said. Asked if she got tired in her 28:51 of playing time, Roush said, “I did, but I know how to play through it. We missed a ton of easy shots today.”
Will Mercy have enough stamina to play No. 2 Marion County or Christian Academy in today’s 11:30 a.m. semifinal?
“Yep, I think we will,” Roush said.
Courtney Roush, who stands 5-11, had 10 points and eight rebounds, although she missed 8 of 12 shots. Whitney Hartlage also scored 10, including two 3-pointers in the first quarter.
“We had a few bumps in the road in the first quarter,” South Oldham coach Frank Wright said. “We had some decent looks, but we couldn’t knock them down (the Lady Dragons shot 2 of 14 in the first eight minutes). Then we had a lapse on Hartlage shooting the three.
“Mercy is a good team; there’s a reason they’re ranked. They’re used to playing on this (college-length floor) and on this stage. This is the first time our kids have played on a college floor. We have better stuff in the tank than we showed today, but Mercy is really good at managing the clock and the score.”
Whitfield, a 5-11 senior who has signed with Cincinnati, had 19 points and 11 rebounds but shot just 6 of 18, including 1 of 7 on threes. She also blocked three shots and had two steals but committed seven turnovers.
Whitfield admitted she and her teammates might have had some jitters at the start.
“We’ve never played on this kind of stage before, but it was a good experience,” she said. “We picked up our defensive intensity in the second half.”
Evans said he was impressed by Whitfield’s all-around game.
“I like her,” he said. “You never know how a kid is going to respond (to playing in the LIT), but she responded by going all out. South Oldham’s kids played hard. They never quit. I’m happy for Frank. He works at it.”
http://saxo.highschoolsports.net/article...it?Avis=B2
01-28-2012, 04:49 AM
1/27/2012
Mercy 59
South Oldham 43
South Oldham 5 12 12 14 43
Mercy 14 14 14 17 59
Louisville Invitational at Bellarmine
South Oldham (16-4) -- Wright 7, Housely 5, WHitfield 19, Gamsky 4, Sedoris 8.
Mercy (19-3) -- Co.Roush 10, Ch.Roush 19, Hartlage 10, Richardson 6, Dircksen 4, Martin 8, Stilger 2.
Mercy 59
South Oldham 43
South Oldham 5 12 12 14 43
Mercy 14 14 14 17 59
Louisville Invitational at Bellarmine
South Oldham (16-4) -- Wright 7, Housely 5, WHitfield 19, Gamsky 4, Sedoris 8.
Mercy (19-3) -- Co.Roush 10, Ch.Roush 19, Hartlage 10, Richardson 6, Dircksen 4, Martin 8, Stilger 2.
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