Strider does in Kemper
By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
Feb. 23, 2003
GREENVILLE For a while Saturday afternoon, it looked like the Kempoer County Lady Rams might pull off a shocker againt highly regard Strider Academy.
Kemper battled back from a trio of 8-point deficits in the first quarter to take a 30-23 lead, with 34 seconds left in the first half in the MPSA Class A State Tournament consolation game at Greenville Christian School.
Strider outscored Kemper 26-11 in the second half, however, to take a 52-41 victory.
Blair Johnson started the 9-0 run that put the Lady Rams up with a deuce.
Libby Myers buried a three-pointer and Megan Whitaker tallied twice from close range to end the run with the Lady Rams up by seven.
Strider, ranked No. 2 in Class A, got two baskets by Natalie Ellington to close to within 30-27 at the break.
Whitaker and Johnson each had a basket in the first four minutes of third period as the Lady Rams held a 34-30 advantage.
That's where the major scoring drought of the second half occured. As the Lady Rams wouldn;t tally again the remainder of the period.
Strider put together a 10-0 run to go up 40-34 to end the quarter.
Leslie Beech. who scored Kemper's first 11 points, before picking up her third foul with 1:34 left in the opening period, sparked a 7-2 Kemper run to start the fourth quarter. She hit a three-pointer and a deuce.
Having battled back to within 42-41, Kemper went scoreless for the final 6:14 as they dropped to 24-12.
Strider closed the game with an 11-0 run with Ellington hitting all six of her free throws during the final 54 seconds.
For the game, Strider was 11-of-15 from the free throw line. Kemper made of 1-of-2 free throw attempts.
Beech led Kemper with 16 points, despite missing 2 1/2 minutes of the fourth quarter with an ankle injury to go with her first half foul woes.
Whitaker added 11 points, Johnson had eight and Myers a pair of three-pointers.
Ellington led Strider, 31-3, with 26 points. Krystal James added 16.
Kemper will take on Jackson Prep (30-5), the No. 3 AAA, at Mississippi College in the Overall Tournament.
Kemper's only previous appearance in the Overall was in 1977.
Delta ended Riverdale's perfect season with a 71-48 spanking in the championship game. Delta improved to 41-3 while Riverdale dropped to 38-1.
