Girls' Basketball Team Comes Up Short At #8 North Miami
10 Jan 2008

Less than two minutes into the Manchester Lady Squires’ contest with 8th ranked North Miami, Manchester coach Mark Underwood called a time out.
With his team trailing 6-0, and having given up two three pointers, Underwood told his team they weren’t ready to play, and challenged them to improve their effort.
After the game, despite a 52-35 loss to the Lady Warriors, Underwood couldn’t have been happier.
“We can talk about the opponent, and tell them how good they are, but seeing is believing,” Underwood said. “North Miami came out ready to play, and played very well. They are doing a lot of damage to a lot of good opponents.
“What I’m most proud of is the way we competed,” he continued. “It wasn’t just the starters, or just a couple of people I brought off the bench…every person came into the game and did positive things.”
North Miami raced out to an 8-0 lead, thanks to three pointers from Amy Mathias and Alicia Burrus, and another basket from Mathias.
The Lady Warriors led 12-4 before Manchester started battling back.
Kyla Zile converted a three point play, followed by two straight jumpers from Jessica Bedke to cut the lead to 12-11.
North Miami scored two straight baskets for a 16-11 lead, but a basket from Audrey Johnson and two free throws from Becka Guthrie made it 17-15.
North Miami took a 28-18 lead, however, with an 11-3 run, and held on for a 32-22 halftime lead.
Katie Bowers opened the second half with a three pointer to cut the lead to 32-25, and Manchester kept it close in the third quarter, alternating baskets with North Miami over the last four minutes of the third quarter, but couldn’t chip away at the lead, as the Lady Warriors led 41-31 going into the fourth.
Allison Wardon, who scored the last four points of the third quarter for North Miami, opened the fourth quarter with a three pointer.
Bedke responded with a three pointer of her own with 6:15 remaining in the game, but that would be the last basket Manchester would score in the game.
North Miami broke a nearly four minute scoring drought for both teams with a free throw from Angel Miller with 2:26 left.
Meanwhile, Manchester couldn’t find the basket, with Guthrie going 1-2 from the free throw line with 10.5 seconds left in the game. The scoring problems didn’t worry Underwood after the game.
“Maybe we just ran out of gas, and it’s not that we’re not in good shape,” he said. “When the other team at every position is bigger than we are, and athletic and muscular, it’s going to wear on you. When you are muscled around for an entire game, it’s going to take its toll. We got wore down a little bit in the end.
“When you’re playing hard, and wanting it that badly with that kind of emotion, that tends to drain you a little bit,” he continued. “We battled a very good team. I think they knew we were here tonight. I’m not sure Wabash did (in the county tournament, the previous week).”
Manchester didn’t have anyone reach double figures in scoring, but had eight players find the scoring column.
Underwood was most pleased that he got a full effort from his entire team, using senior Carrie McLain as an example.
“Carrie played the last 30 seconds, got the ball on the wing, and instead of throwing it away, or doing nothing with it, she drives to the hole and takes a nice shot,” he explained. “That’s what we’ve been trying to get these kids to buy in to ever since the county tourney game against Wabash. We came away with a very bad taste in our mouth. The other team brought it to us on both ends, and we had nothing to bring back at them. But, tonight, we played every bit as hard, if not harder, than North Miami did. As a coach, if you have kids trying and playing as hard as they can, I am very proud of them.”
Bedke led the Lady Squires with nine points, three rebounds, and two assists, Bowers had seven points, three rebounds, and four steals, Zile had five points and four rebounds, Amber Fratus had four points and two rebounds, Julie Seifert had three points and seven rebounds, Guthrie had three points and two rebounds, Noelle Patrick had two points and four rebounds, and Johnson had two points and two rebounds.
The Lady Squires will host Peru on Wednesday, and will host Wabash on Saturday.