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| Girls lose a close one at Livingston |
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| Written by Marc Aceves / Patterson Irrigator / | |
| Saturday, 12 January 2008 | |
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"It's a long season, and we'll see them two more times. We'll be ready for our next game." - Jason McCleery PHS girls basketball coach LIVINGSTON — The Patterson girls basketball team fell just short against Livingston on Thursday night, losing a close one to the host Wolves, 55-49. The Tigers left everything they had on the court, but Livingston gained the most from the game’s breakneck pace. The tempo of the game was locked on overdrive, with both teams running and gunning their ways through opposing defenses. Patterson jumped out to a quick 13-3 lead, largely because of near-perfect team free-throw shooting. Cassie Coble was fouled twice in the first quarter while attempting shots from behind the 3-point line. She nailed all six of her subsequent free-throw opportunities. In all, the Patterson girls drilled nine of 10 first-half free throws, a sign that practice is paying off. However, the lead was short-lived for the Tigers. Livingston found its groove, and in guard Nina Garcia, it found a weapon that torched the Tigers for five first-half 3-pointers. Garcia’s first triple was followed in turn by teammate Consuelo Hernandez’s lay-in. The baskets brought the Wolves to within one point and let the hometown crowd know that this one had all the makings of a wire-to-wire affair. With about four minutes to go in the first quarter, Garcia flashed her hot hand twice more, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and giving her team a 20-15 advantage. Patterson’s Brooke Borba anticipated a sloppy cross-court Livingston pass and banked in two of her own. However, it seemed that for every Patterson counter, there was an equal or greater response from the Wolves. It wasn’t so much that the Tigers were playing poorly, but that Livingston was carrying out its offensive strategy with flawless precision. After another Garcia 3-pointer, Livingston’s Olivia Andam bucketed four more points, extending its lead to 31-19. With a large crowd behind them, and momentum sorely in their favor, it appeared as if the Wolves would inevitably pull away. Patterson, however, was not out yet. The Tigers went into the halftime break trailing 34-21. Coach Jason McCleery summed up the half by acknowledging Livingston’s second-quarter success. “I told them that we were playing good and that we got a little cold in the second quarter, right when they had a hot streak,” McCleery said. The Tigers returned fresh out of the break and locked down Garcia, who scored only five of her 20 points in the second half. The full-court press and the commitment to applying heavy pressure to the small Livingston guard allowed the Tigers to chip away at the lead and to pull within seven. Patterson’s Michelle Bancroft came off the bench and splashed in a corner 3-pointer just before the end of the third quarter. The 3 has been kind to Bancroft so far this season. This one put the Tigers right back in it, down by only six. The game clung onto its barn-burning velocity all the way through. Patterson fought and scraped. After a beautiful Bancroft pass to Shavon Furrow for an easy bucket, the Wolves lead was down to only two. With the game winding down, and Patterson continuing to fight an uphill battle, the Tigers were hit with a technical foul. It was only fitting that Livingston’s Garcia hit the two coffin-nailing free throws. The teams continued to trade baskets and trips to the foul line. But in the end, Livingston capitalized the most on scoring opportunities. Despite the loss, McCleery was overall satisfied with his team’s effort. “It’s a long season, and we’ll see them two more times,” McCleery said. “We’ll be ready for our next game.” To reach Marc Aceves at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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