CB West was edged by Spring-Ford 53-52 in Friday night’s District One AAAA quarterfinal contest. To view game action photos, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#4 SPRING-FORD 53, #5 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 52
The Bucks knew that no lead was safe in Friday night’s game against Spring-Ford. The Rams had proven as much in their come-from-behind win over Penn Wood in Tuesday’s second round game that saw them erase a 17-point deficit to earn the win.
So when the Bucks took a 29-22 lead into halftime, they knew it was anything but secure. It turned out it wasn’t, and not even a four-point lead late in the fourth quarter was enough to keep the defending state champions from pulling out the win.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” said West junior Nicole Munger, who led the Bucks with 16 points. “I think we played our hearts out.
“We’ll have to watch the film and see what we could have done better. There will be plays we’ll look at and wish we could have back, and you do that every game. We’ll just try and learn from it.”
The game was a far cry from last year’s district quarterfinal game that featured these same two teams. In that one, the Bucks fell behind 17-4 early and never really threatened.
Granted, they fell behind 8-2 in Friday’s rematch, but sparked by the strong play of junior Corrinne Godshall – who scored eight of her 14 first-half points in the frame, the Bucks rallied to knot the score 16-16 at the end of one quarter.
“We did a good job of – after they got that quick start – fighting back,” Munger said. “We need to keep trying to do that but - more importantly - get a quicker start.”
It looked as though the Bucks – despite some foul issues - had seized control of the game when they outscored the Rams 13-6 in the second quarter. Godshall accounted for six of those points while Munger added five.
Meghan Tillger gave the Bucks a lift off the bench, pulling down three rebounds in the frame. Godshall also had three boards to go along with her six points. Freshman Maggie Rakowsky came off the bench to pick up a pair of steals.
It took just over two minutes for the Rams to erase their seven-point halftime deficit, knotting the score on a baseline basket by Julia Roshelli. Mackenzie Carroll, sidelined with fouls in the first half, broke the Bucks’ drought with a baseline three-pointer. The Bucks led 38-34 after back-to-back baskets by Munger and Carroll, but Shelby Mueller (13 points) scored in the closing seconds to make it a two-point game heading into the final frame.
It didn’t take long to figure out this one would go down to the wire, and it did. Granted, it looked as though the Bucks might be in good shape when – after a technical on Spring-Ford – Munger buried both foul shots and Peyton Traina scored on the ensuing possession to put the Bucks on top 46-42 midway through the period.
They still led 48-44 after a Munger pull-up jumper, but less than a minute later, the Rams went on top by one after Sammy Stipa (20 points) connected on a pair of foul shots. The Rams opened up a 51-48 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
Rakowsky made it a one-point game with a bucket after a drive, and with 49 seconds remaining, Carroll – after coming up with a steal on the defensive end - put the Bucks on top 52-51 when she buried both ends of a one-and-one.
Stipa was fouled on a drive to the basket and sank both shots to give the Rams a 53-52 lead with 27 seconds remaining. West misfired on a shot for the lead, and then a West foul on the rebound sent the Rams to the line for a one-and-one with five seconds remaining.
The miss on the front end gave the Bucks one last opportunity as Godshall pulled down the rebound, dribbled into a Ram trap and made a quick outlet pass to Carroll. The junior guard somehow managed to drive the length of the court and found Munger at the top of the key. Her shot rimmed just short at the buzzer.
“I knew it was straight, but it was just short,” Munger said. “I’ll probably go in tomorrow and shoot it 500 times.”
Friday’s game didn’t come down to the last shot. The Bucks had their opportunities, but against a relentless Rams’ defense that comes at teams for 32 minutes, the game is never over until the final whistle.
“They run at you, but they give you a lot of opportunities if you just settle down,” coach Rakowsky said. “Part of it though – some kids handle it and attack it, and some kids back off.
“In this game, when we had a certain group in, we were attacking it. They were not backing off.”
That allowed the Bucks to stay in the game until the final whistle, but the Rams refused to let them close it out.
West will return to action on Wednesday in a playback game for state seeding.
Central Bucks West 16 13 9 14-53
Spring-Ford 16 6 14 17-52
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