(Posted December 11, 2004)

The Apprentice School 77, Juniata 74

Huntingdon, Pa. ? Sometimes, a basketball game is decided not by skill, but by experience. That was the case Saturday night, as the Juniata College women?s basketball team couldn?t hold a late lead and dropped a 77-74 overtime decision to The Apprentice School.

The Eagles (2-5) led 68-64 after junior forward Katie O?Brien (South Western/Hanover) hit one of two free throws with 40 seconds remaining in regulation. But a quick bucket by the Builders? Upenda Morton cut the lead to two. On the ensuing possession, the Builders managed a quick steal, and an open-court layup by Amy Patterson knotted the score with 16 seconds remaining.

After a timeout, Juniata robbed itself of a chance at a game-winning shot, turning the ball over on the inbounds pass. The Apprentice School?s Whitney Lassiter had a shot to win it in regulation, but her 15-foot turnaround bounced off the front rim.

The extra period started well for the Eagles, as O?Brien won the tap and Kristen Kirk (Newport/Newport) nailed a jumper from the left baseline. However, that was the last time the Eagles would lead, as the Builders scored the next five points to salt the game away.

The Eagles were led by freshman forward Jess Winemiller (Dallastown/York) with 18 points. Kirk added 17 and O?Brien chipped in with 15. Freshman guard Mindy Werner (West York/York) contributed a terrific all-around game, scoring nine points to go along with seven steals, six rebounds, and six assists.

The Apprentice School?s Upenda Morton led all scorers with 22 points. Lassiter had 16 points, and Patterson and Brandi Coffer each had 10.

The Builders led for most of the second half, but an O?Brien putback followed by a Winemiller jumper gave the Eagles a 63-61 lead with 2:41 remaining.

A layup by Lesley Snoby (Johnstown/Johnstown) gave Juniata an eleven-point lead with 7:05 to play in the first half. But a Morton three-pointer sparked a 24-6 run that gave the Builders a 37-30 halftime lead.

The lead seesawed back and forth for the first five minutes. Winemiller had the first nine Eagle points, scoring her first three baskets off of feeds from Jeny Killen (Bishop Carroll/Ebensburg) and Jill Walsh (Ferndale/Johnstown). However, the Builders packed their defense inside and held Winemiller ? Juniata?s leading scorer on the season ? without a point for the next 19 minutes.

Juniata returns to the court Tuesday, when they take to the road and face York.

JUNIATA (74): Walsh 2 0-0 4, Kirk 6 3-3 17, Killen 0 2-4 2, Winemiller 8 0-0 18, O?Brien 7 1-5 15, Callas 2 0-0 4, Rhoads 0 0-0 0, Werner 4 0-1 9, Snoby 2 1-4 5. Totals ? 31 7-17 74

THE APPRENTICE SCHOOL (77): Lassiter 7 1-1 16, Jones 2 0-0 6, Barlow 2 0-0 4, Coffer 4 2-2 10, Patterson 5 0-2 10, Morton 8 4-4 22, Frisby 2 0-0 4, Cox 0 0-0 0, Twyne 1 3-3 5, Harris 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Bell 0 0-0 0. Totals ? 31 10-12 77

Halftime: The Apprentice School 37-30. 3-point goals: Juniata 5 (Kirk 2, Winemiller 2, Werner); The Apprentice School 5 (Jones 2, Morton 2, Lassiter). Assists: Juniata 22 (Killen, Werner 6); The Apprentice School 12 (Lassiter, Morton 3). Rebounds: Juniata 46 (Killen, O?Brien, Werner 6); The Apprentice School 47 (Patterson 8).


Records: Juniata (2-5); The Apprentice School (2-4).

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