By Calen VanNess
Mansfield, MO – Only thirteen miles and three points separated the Ava Lady Bears and the Mansfield Lady Lions last season as the Lady Bears blocked a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer that would have sent the intense, back-and-forth game into overtime.
On Friday night, and in a reversal of roles, it was the Lady Lions (8-6) that held on for a narrow 45-43 victory as Ava’s final shot was unsuccessful.
With the game tied 43-43 with less than 30 seconds to go, senior guard Adrian Adams turned the corner on a ball screen to lay in the winning basket. After an Ava turnover and a miss on the front-end of a one-in-one on Mansfield’s next possession, Ava (5-6) had a final chance to tie or win the game, but the ball bounced harmlessly off the rim on a three-point shot.
Adams was excited her team won the game and that she had a chance to redeem herself in the final seconds.
“Right before [the game-winning shot], I traveled with the ball, so I was pretty much just praying to God as I was shooting it that it would go in, and it did,” said a laughing Adams.
Adams was proud of her team for fighting through early adversity.
“We turned over the ball quite a bit on our full-court press breaker, but we picked it up in the second half and executed on offense,” said Adams.
Ava fought back and tied the game 39-39 on a three-point shot by senior guard Emily Guengerich with 5:35 to go in the game. After trading baskets for the rest of the quarter, two costly turnovers by the Lady Bears kept the game tied and allowed Adams to make the winning layup.
Adams, who scored 13 points, praised the post play of senior Maci Gray (15 points) and sophomore Karsyn Brooke (9 points).
“They picked us up tonight,” said Adams. “We’ve had trouble finishing in the past, but they did a great job tonight, and right in time for our conference play.”
Ava jumped out to an early 8-3 lead as Mansfield’s first field goal came with just under three minutes to go in the first quarter. The Lady Lions quickly tied the game 10-10 as senior guard Calista Bogart drained a three as the first quarter expired.
Mansfield head coach Gary Greene was proud of his team for making the necessary adjustments that helped his team to victory.
“We did a pretty good job defensively getting traps, but, in the first half, we did a poor job on the backside of leaving the basket instead of holding down the fort until help arrived,” said Greene. “We gave up a lot of easy baskets, so we had to make that adjustment, which I thought we did in the second half.”
Greene knew the game would be a hard-fought battle but was glad that his team was able to end up on top when the final buzzer sounded.
“Guengerich makes a big difference for them,” said Greene. “They didn’t have her last year [after offseason knee surgery], so they were a little harder to turn over with her in the lineup. They are scrappy and stayed right there with us.”
Guengerich led the Lady Bears with 14 points. Sophomore post Lauren Mendel added 12.
Greene was happy with the win but knows the schedule does not get any easier at this point in the season.
“We have a tough stretch coming up,” said Greene. “We have four conference games in a row with three of them on the road, and three of them are state-ranked teams.”
Greene’s philosophy is simple but extremely important for his team’s success.
“We will just take it one game at a time and work hard to be in them and give ourselves a chance to win,” said Greene.
The game was originally scheduled for Thursday night, but the snow pushed it back until Friday night.
The Mansfield Lady Lions will travel to Fordland on Monday night to begin conference play. The Ava Lady Bears will continue their SCA schedule as they travel to Thayer on Monday.
Ava 10 15 9 9 – 43
Mansfield 10 19 8 8 – 45
Ava – Emily Guengerich 14, Lauren Mendel 12, Kiaunna Snow 8, Kaylee Evans 6, Araina Evans 3
Mansfield – Maci Gray 15, Adrian Adams 13, Karsyn Brooke 9, Calista Bogart 3, Alexis Farris 3, Hannah Tripp 2
