Lady Chiefs pull off overtime victory at Saint Paul

Jeremy Hobbs' Santa Fe Lady Chiefs basketball team is making great strides in improvement, including claiming a 57-54 overtime I-70 Conference victory at Saint Paul last week Tuesday.

The game was close throughout, neither team gaining much of an advantage on the scoreboard.

Saint Paul built a 13-9 lead after the first quarter, Marissa Brackman sinking two field goals and two free throws.

Brooke Barnett went wild for the Lady Chiefs in the second quarter. She nailed four field goals, including a three-pointer, for nine of her team's 13 points.

The Lady Saints led 24-22 at the break.

A 10-7 third-quarter run gave the Lady Chiefs a 32-31 advantage going to the fourth quarter, Brandy Beasley accounting for five points in the stanza.

The Lady Saints battled back to tie the game on a two-point field goal by Devon Heins with four seconds left. It was almost a three-pointer, only her toe was touching the arc when she shot the ball.

"In the OT, we couldn't quite finish the deal," Saint Paul head coach John Beerman said.

In the extra four minutes, the Lady Chiefs had baskets from Beasley and Lexi Smith and hit five of six free-throw chances to get the win.

Barnett finished with two threes and 16 points. Smith added 15 points and Beasley nine for the Lady Chiefs.

Brackman poured in 20 points and Heins 19 for the Lady Saints. No other Saint Paul player had more than four points.

"We need to get some balance in our scoring and do the little things that win games," Beerman said. "We especially need to play harder on the defensive end and continue to improve our rebounding."

at Saint Paul 50, Crest Ridge 46

Trailing 38-34 heading to the fourth quarter, the Lady Saints needed to pick up their play Friday.

Suzanne Allen stepped up to hit a three-point shot and Breanna Vogelsmeier a field goal.

But it was from the free-throw line where the Lady Saints preserved the win after getting the lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Lady Saints nailed nine of 12 charity tosses.

"We didn't take care of the ball in the fourth quarter," Crest Ridge head coach Katie Woolsey said. "It's disappointing that we had our chances and didn't close out the game."

Crest Ridge started fast, as Bre Wonderly hit two baskets and scored five points in an 18-13 opening surge.

Tiffany Bennett scored six points and Brackman five, and the Lady Saints grabbed a 24-22 halftime lead.

Mel Branscum and Wonderly each had five points, leading the Lady Cougars back to the lead after three quarters.

Bennett led the Lady Saints with 12 points. Brackman supplied 11 and Heins nine. Brackman also added six boards and six assists. Allen, who hit a crucial three-pointer late in the game, had five assists.

"We finally got some other girls to step up and score for us," Beerman said.

Wonderly pumped in 18 points and Branscum 12 for the Lady Cougars.