Lady Rebels Lose on a Late 3 - Franklin High School

Franklin vs. Summit

Posted: Jan 09, 2019

Lady Spartans coach Kari Goodwin asked friend and veteran Franklin coach John Wild after the game how he's coached for as long as he has. "I said, 'Coach Wild, I don't know how and why you have done this for so long, because this is unbelievably overwhelming,'" Goodwin said. "And he said, 'Goodwin, look at my hair. There's none left.'" The stresses of the game were definitely apparent, especially late in the contest. Neither team was able to gain much separation in the district battle before Taylor Penning's outside shooting gave the visiting team a 37-31 advantage – the biggest lead of the game – early in the fourth. Penning found holes on the perimeter and knocked down seven 3-pointers for a game-best 21 points. She hit back-to-back over the end of the third and start of the fourth to give the Lady Spartans their first two-possession lead. "We knew that (Ellie Colson) was either going to be taken away or they where just going to collapse in on her so our shooters just had to be ready to let it fly," Goodwin said. Kate O'Neil provided a late offensive spark by netting five straight and scoring seven of her 10 points in the final frame for the Lady Rebels, who jumped in front with a 10-0 run over the next five minutes. O'Neil's follow with 1:20 to play gave Franklin a 41-37 lead, but the Lady Rebels lost Penning in transition and the sharp-shooter knocked down a triple just seconds later to set up Andersen's eventual game-winner.

"That one hurt us," Wild said of the late 3-pointer. "I think that was a big momentum swing and it shows how we have to do a better job of tracking shooters in transition defense. "I think this was a game where if we'll allow it to, it will help us grow. There were a lot of situations where if we were more aware we could have swung the momentum more in our favor." Freshmen Bergen Allee (17 points) and Sydney Ryan (13) led the Lady Rebels in scoring, while Darcy Doran guided much of the offense without senior point guard Jilian King in the lineup. King is overcoming a concussion. Penning hit four of her seven 3-pointers in the second half, but perhaps her biggest play of the night came when she stole the ball on the sideline with 14 seconds to play to give the Lady Spartans the final possession. Taylor Limprevil broke loose from Doran on the ensuing inbound, but nearly lost the handle at the top of the key before gathering herself in the corner. She fired a pass to the wing where Andersen took two dribbles, received a screen from Colson just enough for a good look and knocked down the game-winner as time expired. "At the end of the game it really comes down to just making plays and taking what the defense gives you," Andersen said. "I think it's us turning a corner, especially in tight games like this. This shows that we can play with anybody and finish out any sort of game against any opponent." The win keeps Summit (8-4 overall and 5-1 in district) a half-game back from league-leader Page (15-3, 6-1). The Lady Spartans host Page Tuesday in a showdown for the top spot in the district. "Page is super strong this year," Goodwin said. "We always have to play our best game … If we bring our best game, we are in the hunt just like everybody."

Summit girls 42, Franklin 41

SHS – 8 13 13 8 – 42

FHS – 10 11 10 10 – 41

SHS (42) – Taylor Limprevil 8, Marli Andersen 7, Taylor Penning 21, Ellie Colson 4, Megan Easterly 2.

FHS (41) – Sydney Ryan 13, Bergen Allee 17, Darcy Doran 1, Kate O'Neil 10.

3-point goals – SHS 8 (Penning 7, Andersen); FHS 8 (Allee 5, Ryan 3). Total Fouls – SHS 14; FHS 6. Fouled Out – None.

Video Highlights: https://youtu.be/X67SjpboWfU

Source: Williamson Herald