WAYNESVILLE — Clinton-Massie girls coach Carlos Roberts turned to a pair of junior varsity players Friday night in hopes of bringing his Lady Falcons out of the doldrums.
Emily Ireland and Madilyn Newton sparked a 19-3 fourth quarter as the Lady Falcons cruised to a 53-38 win in the opening round of the Waynesville tournament.
The Lady Falcons (3-0 on the year) will face Waynesville 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the championship game. WHS defeated Yellow Springs in the first round.
Clinton-Massie trailed 35-34 going into the fourth quarter and Stivers pushed the difference to 3 early in the frame.
But the Lady Falcons rallied down the stretch for the win.
“Emily Ireland and Madilyn Newton started causing chaos and we were able to pull away,” Roberts said. “They have stepped up the last 2 games. They are quick and like to play defense.”
Roberts said his squad was “lethargic. We had no energy whatsoever, no energy.”
With Ireland and Newton keying the defensive effort, Miquela Santoro sparked the offense with a game-high 26. “She played well offensively and defensively,” said Roberts of Santoro.
Roberts credited Stivers for their effort.
“Stivers was a lot better than what I thought they’d be,” said Roberts. “We pulled away with about 2 minutes to go in the game. It was an ugly win but I’ll take it.”
Santoro finished with 2 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 assists. Johanna Theetge and Madison Purkey had 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal each in the win. Theetge had 6 points and Purkey scored 3.
Savannah Myers had 2 points 6 rebounds, a steal and a block. Brooke Rose scored 4 points and grabbed 2 rebounds. Newton finished with 4 points and 2 steals. Sydney Leary had 2 points, a rebound, a steal and an assist. Ireland scored 6 points.
Adrianne Lachante led Stivers with 12 points.
SUMMARY
Nov 27, 2015
@Waynesville tournament
Clinton-Massie 53 Stivers 38
CM 14.14.06.19…..53
DS 09.17.09.03…..38