AG drops a heart breaker

Posted 2/16/23

The Lady Panthers’ 2022-23 basketball campaign came to an end Monday as Alba-Golden fell in bi-district action to the Detroit Lady Eagles, 34-33.

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AG drops a heart breaker

Posted

The Lady Panthers’ 2022-23 basketball campaign came to an end Monday as Alba-Golden fell in bi-district action to the Detroit Lady Eagles, 34-33.

The Lady Panthers bolted to a commanding 15-4 lead after the first quarter. The team was aggressive, quick-footed and playing with a sense of team deserving of playoff basketball. 

The guard play of Cacie Lennon and Kamrin Wright led the Lady Panthers. The two provided defensive pressure in the backcourt and driving penetration at the offensive end.

Alba-Golden out-hustled the opposition and won most 50/50 balls in that opening quarter. 

There were signs of concern however.

Most telling, Detroit was able to consistently get the ball inside to their talented post players. The Lady Eagles were, initially, wildly inaccurate at finishing at the bucket. Strong defensive pressure from Lainey Teel and Alexis Wilmut also foiled Detroit’s inside game. Detroit, however, would begin to finish inside.  

When Wright hit a 3-pointer off a set inbound play just before the quarter break, there were smiles among the Lady Panthers.  

How a brief stoppage of play can affect a basketball team remains one of the mysteries of the sport; but it does. Alba-Golden started the second quarter by missing two free throws, losing a scramble for a loose ball in the offensive zone and giving up a length of the court drive.  

Then, their shooting went cold.

The Lady Panthers recorded no field goals in the second quarter. They contributed only two free throws. 

Detroit decided that they had some fight in them, and they showed up to play in the second quarter. Physical, end-to-end action ensued. 

The Lady Panthers went to the half-time break leading 17-10, in a game which started as a possible runaway and morphed into a struggle of wills. 

Detroit started the third quarter on a 6-point run, as they began to effectively break the Alba-Golden backcourt press and pushed the ball down the center of the court. 

The Lady Panthers struggled to stop the ballhandler, and Detroit began to convert their lay ups and opportunities at the basket.

Now a 1-point game, the teams traded scores throughout the third quarter. Just before the quarter break Lennon hit a 3-pointer and Kayleigh Logan made two free throws to give Alba-Golden a 25-23 lead.

Drama filled the final quarter, with every possession having a telling impact.  

A nice assist from Lennon to Erin Langston for a score opened the fourth. The teams again traded scores with Detroit depending on their inside strength. Teel pulled down a critical defensive rebound with under two minutes to play. 

With 1:23 on the clock, Alba-Golden was down by three. Lennon scored after forcing a turnover on the press. A second steal on the press resulted in Logan sinking a floater to take the lead.   

The Lady Panthers were 36.5 seconds away from advancing their season. Detroit broke the press through the middle, but the Lady Panthers were ready and stopped the ballhandler on the drive. She smoothly dished an assist to a winger who made the close-in bankshot. Detroit took the lead with the final score of the game.

The Lady Panthers mounted one more attack. They generated a high percentage shot which just did not fall.