Bridgeport delivers in crunch time to beat Decatur again
By Robert Morgan | Published Thursday, February 26, 2009
Three things were almost certain going into Tuesday night's Class 3A regional quarterfinal game between the Bridgeport and Decatur high school girls basketball teams - the Sissies would make their free throws, there would be more takedowns than a heavyweight fight and one Wise County team would be moving on to the regional tournament this weekend.
The nearly 1,000 fans packed into the Texas Woman's University gymnasium were not disappointed as the county's longest-running rivalry battled for all 32 minutes of this game. Bridgeport proved why it is one of the best in the state as it held off every Decatur run to hold on for a thrilling 44-39 victory in the Kitty Magee Arena.
Bridgeport senior Kaitlyn Waynen threw the knockout punch when her team needed her the most. After being held in check for most of the game by a stingy effort by the Decatur defense, the senior standout had the final say as she scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the final 6:13 of the game.
Waynen put the Sissies ahead by five points when she split the heart of the DHS defense for an easy lay-up to make it 36-31 with 3:54 to play. The game was far from over at that point as the Lady Eagles answered with one of their own gutsy seniors.
Post Kelsey Hayes picked off a pass at midcourt and drove the ball the length of the floor where she converted a traditional three-point play as she was fouled on the made lay-up. The bucket cut the Bridgeport lead to two points at 36-34 and sent the DHS fans into a screaming frenzy.
The Lady Eagles just had no answer for Waynen. She drove the lane two more times for buckets to preserve the slim lead. DHS's Cassie Partridge scored on an offensive rebound and Candace Clayton swished a three-pointer from five feet beyond the arc to make it 40-39 with 43 seconds to play.
Decatur appeared to have a chance to take the lead when Hayes came up with the ball under her own basket on an inbound pass with 16 seconds left to play, but was called for a foul and Waynen nailed both shots on the double bonus.
The Sissies did not let things get any closer as Decatur fouled twice in the final 16 seconds and Waynen scored five straight points from the free-throw line to send Bridgeport to the regional tournament.
"I got a little mad in the fourth quarter. I didn't think that game should have been that close," said Waynen, referring to her fourth-quarter surge. "I'm not knocking Decatur any because they have a good team, but our group of seniors have been playing together for so long I expect a lot from us."
Decatur coach Billy Garner was proud of his team's effort once again despite losing to the state's sixth-ranked team by less than seven points for the second time in six weeks.
"I'll say the same thing I have said after the last 30 games - I'm proud of everything my girls did. They did not back down from Bridgeport, and Kelsey had a heckuva game. She left it all out there on the floor for her team."
The win lifted Bridgeport to 32-1 for the season and on to the Class 3A, Region I tournament this weekend in Lubbock. The group, which defeated Decatur three times this season, will play Friday night at Lubbock Christian.
Decatur took its only lead in the first quarter when Mercy Staley hit a pair of free throws to make it 2-0 less than two minutes into the game.
That was as good as it got from the charity stripe once again for the Lady Eagles as they missed 13 attempts for the night, a struggle they have dealt with all season. That also opened the door for Bridgeport to move in front despite being held without a basket for the first three minutes.
Sophomore post Haley Meekins got the Sissies on the board with a free throw and a basket to grab a 3-2 lead. They never trailed again as the defense frustrated the Decatur offense throughout every quarter.
The Lady Eagles turned the ball over five times in the first quarter and made just one of 11 shots. That was more than enough for Bridgeport to extend its lead with a three-pointer by Shannon Demmitt and buckets by Waynen made it an 11-4 ball game.
The Sissies saw their lead dwindle before the break as they went cold offensively and missed five in a row from the floor. DHS's Morgan Rhine capped an 8-2 run with a short jumper with 3:32 left in the half to trim the Bridgeport lead to 15-13.
A time-out was all the Sissies needed to get back on track, and Demmitt answered with her second trey of the night. Kim Bible hit a baseline lay-up to give Bridgeport its biggest lead of the night, 20-13.
