Wood girls fall to 'Dogs

January 5, 2011

By Robert Stocks
The Winchester Star       

WINCHESTER- Even though Martinsburg led by as many as 14 points with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, James Wood kept chipping away at the deficit in Tuesday night's non-district game at Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium.

And although Colonels senior standout Shannan Thorne went scoreless in the third quarter, James Wood trailed the Bulldogs by just six at the start of the fourth.

The Colonels rallied to take the lead twice in the final period, but Martinsburg's Jasmyn Hosby scored 13 of her team-high 17 points in the second half to help the Bulldogs hold on for a 62-56 victory.

"Even though this was a tough one to lose, we were pretty proud of how the girls came out and how they played," James Wood coach Rhonda Slider said. "We've been talking a lot about how we've been having a second-half game, and how we have to start [strong]. I think these girls laid it out there and went at it, and I couldn't ask for anything more." After trailing 39-25 with 3:06 left in the third quarter, the Colonels (5-4) chipped away at the deficit, cutting Martinsburg's lead to just 42-36 after a layup by Erica Hepner (11 points) and a jumper by Katelyn Pennington in the closing minute of the third quarter.

From there, James Wood rallied, taking the lead twice in the fourth. Pennington's steal and layup put James Wood ahead for the final time 56-55 with 1:10 left.

The Bulldogs (3-2) answered, though, regaining the lead by knocking down shots from the free-throw line. 

 Martinsburg sophomore Kiana Bullett went 4 for 4 from the line in the final minute to put the Bulldogs back on top 59-56 with 50 seconds left.

From there, Pennington and Miranda Moore both missed shots for the Colonels before Martinsburg tied up the ball and turned Wood over with the possession arrow in the Bulldogs' favor.

Martinsburg turned the ball over on the inbounds play, giving James Wood another chance with 14.3 seconds left.

Hosby jumped the pass by James Wood's Halley DeHaven, making the steal and racing the length of the court for a layup to stretch the Bulldogs' lead to 61-56.

The Colonels turned the ball over on their next possession with four seconds left, and Hosby hit the second of two free throws for the final margin.

Bullett scored all six of her points from the free-throw line, and Martinsburg coach Mike Mackey said his sophomore really came through by knocking down clutch free throws in the closing minute.

"She's a quality player and in late-game situations we want her on the floor for us," Mackey said. "She's probably the best free-throw shooter we have, so fortunately for us, she was the one at the line."

Leading 26-25 at the half, Martinsburg put together a 13-0 run at the start of the third quarter to extend its advantage to 39-25 after Hosby's short jumper with 3:06 left.

The Colonels went 5:06 without scoring before Kelsey Seymour's layup ended the Bulldogs' run.

"The third quarter was probably our downfall, but that's OK," Slider said. "I see positives. You want the wins, but it's about doing better each time. This was way and above what we've seen in the past couple games."

One of the positives for the Colonels was Thorne, who led James Wood with a game-high 23 points and 22 rebounds. She was shut out in the third quarter, but responded with 10 points in the fourth. She went 13 of 20 from the free-throw line in the contest.

Pennington also came up big for the Colonels, scoring 10 of her 12 points in the second half.

"We thought we had them where we wanted them," Pennington said. "We kind of let our lead go, but we learned a lot as a team so that will help us."

While Thorne and Pennington shined, turnovers and free-throw shooting hurt the Colonels.

James Wood committed 35 turnovers, and the Colonels shot just 63 percent (26 of 41) from the line.

"Losing like this is tough always, but I think it gives us confidence going into Friday [in the district opener at home against Sherando]," Thorne said. "We're going to go back to practice and work hard on what we need to to get ready for Sherando. That's the game we want, and we're going to come out strong and give it everything we've got."

The two teams combined for 72 foul shots. The Bulldogs converted a few more of their opportunities from the line, shooting 71 percent (22 of 31).

Kieera Basey added 10 points, and Jackie Hess chipped in with nine, including two 3-pointers, for Martinsburg.

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