Published: February 12, 2006 12:13 am

Lady Titans earn 3-peat

Taylor rallies to edge NW in Class 2A sectional final

By CHRIS GARNER
Tribune sportswriter 

CONVERSE — The Class 2A No. 3-ranked Taylor Titans overcame a 14-point, second-quarter deficit to edge Northwestern 47-43 in the championship of the Oak Hill Sectional here Saturday, their third sectional title in as many years.

Taylor turned back the Tigers’ upset bid with its usual mix of smothering defense and senior leadership. The Titans (20-3) forced Northwestern into 25 turnovers and outscored their Howard County rivals 39-21 over the last 2 1/2 quarters of play.

Because of its aggressive play and quickness, Taylor was in a position to make 12 more foul shots (19 made) than the Tigers attempted (7). But statistics like takeaways and free throws don’t tell the whole story of a team with the kind of success the Titans have enjoyed.

Taylor now faces Manchester, a 44-19 winner over North Miami at the Northfield Sectional, in Saturday’s South Adams Regional.

“The kids just believe they’re going to get it done,” said Taylor coach Dennis Bentzler. “They haven’t had three 20-win seasons in a row for nothing and three sectional [championships]. They win tough games.”

Northwestern (15-7) controlled the champions for much of the first half, jumping out to an 8-0 lead with an Audrey Gaither three-point play. The Tigers led 14-3 after the first stop and extended that lead to 14 points in the second quarter on Tiffany Ploughe’s second 3-point field goal of the period.

The Titans made a run to close the first half, drawing within seven points (28-21) at halftime, but poor shooting was partly to blame for the deficit. Taylor shot only 12 percent (4 of 34) from the field, and forcing 13 Northwestern turnovers kept the Titans close.

“The key was we made a run there [at the end of the half] and I knew we had a great shot,” Bentzler said. “If we struggle offensively, we know defensively we can make things happen. If we have to win ugly, we can win ugly.”

Seniors Jamie Dunlap and Morgan McWhorter carried that momentum over into the second half. They hit back-to-back 3s to draw Taylor within 30-27, and the fouls began piling up for Northwestern.

Starter Natalie Appelhans was forced to the bench with four fouls after she picked up three quick whistles, and McWhorter gave the Titans their first lead with two free throws at 31-30.

“We just couldn’t overcome the unbelievable free-throw differential,” Tigers coach Mike McCroskey said. “Every touch we made was a foul, and ... that just killed us.”

The Tigers had one more hot streak left in their tank as Ploughe bombed in two more treys to give her team a 39-33 lead with 1:42 led in the third quarter. She finished 5 of 7 from 3-point range and led Northwestern with 17 points.

“Tiff sure hit some big shots there, but we just spent too much of the night on defense,” McCroskey said. “I don’t know; it sure was a tough one.”

Ploughe’s last barrage of 3s convinced Bentzler to change his defense, relying less on traps and more on man-to-man.

“We told the kids, ‘Let’s just make it a half-court war,’” said Bentzler. “We put Morgan and Jamie on Ploughe and said don’t let her sit and shoot it. When she’s sitting out there wide-open, she’s going to hit those shots.”

The strategy paid off as Ploughe and Co. were held in check as McWhorter took over. She scored six of her game-high 23 points down the stretch, including the game-winning free throws with 34 seconds left and the score tied at 43 after the 5-foot-6 senior challenged 5-11 Lauren Giesecke down low.

After Appelhans’ 3-point attempt rimmed out, it was McWhorter who corralled the rebound and got it to Brittni Oliver, who made two last free throws with three ticks remaining.

“We just knew we were going to have to suck it up and play even harder in the second half,” McWhorter said. “We knew anything’s possible. We’ve been down before and came back. We definitely didn’t want this to be our last game.”