Panthers stay close but commit 36 turnovers in loss
MIER - The ball seemed to slip out of Eastbrook's hands and into Taylor's on Friday like it had orders. The Titans forced 19 more turnovers than the Panthers, attempted 23 more shots and wreaked havoc defensively.
Still, Eastbrook kept the score close against the Class 2A No. 3 Titans. The Panthers trailed just 29-27 with 2:32 remaining in the third quarter. From there, however, all of the damage Taylor had done on the stat sheet finally translated into success on the scoreboard. The Titans parlayed more turnovers into points in a 49-39, Class 2A Oak Hill Sectional semifinal victory.
STEAL - Taylor's Morgan McWhorter, left, knocks the ball away from Eastbrook's Ashley Brook in Friday's semifinal of the Class 2A Oak Hill Sectional. Eastbrook fell 49-39, becoming the second Grant County school in the sectional to lose Friday after Northwestern beat the host Golden Eagles.After Eastbrook's Kelsey Green hit a layup to cut the lead to 29-27, Taylor put together what seemed to be a modest 5-0 run. The manner in which the Titans did it, however, proved decisive.
Using the fullcourt press that had pestered the Panthers all game, Taylor's Brittni Oliver stole the ball and connected on a layup. Terri Oliver hit a free throw, then swiped an out-of-bounds pass and scored on another layup. That made it 34-27 Taylor, and Eastbrook never drew within five points again
The win places Taylor (19-3) against Northwestern in tonight's sectional championship game. The Tigers defeated the host Golden Eagles 56-47 in the bye game.
Alexis Shonkwiler led Eastbrook with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Green added nine points and five boards, while Alyssa Mitchener totaled eight points.
Taylor struggled with its field-goal shooting, which was the main reason Eastbrook was able to stay close. The Titans connected on just 19 of 51 field-goal attempts (37.3 percent), while the Panthers hit 13 of 30 tries (43.3 percent). Taylor committed 17 turnovers, some of those coming from the hectic pace their own defensive pressure generated.
"We're 60-10 in the last three years, and the 10 games we lost looked a lot like (Friday's game)," Taylor coach Dennis Bentzler said. "When we've had those kind of nights, we've just had to gut it out defensively."
Jamie Dunlap led Taylor with 17 points. Morgan McWhorter added 11 points.
Originally published February 11, 2006