Winthrop tops Mt. Abram 56-50 to even its record at 7-7.
WINTHROP – If there was a time for their potential to bubble to the surface, this was it.
After a 1-6 start, the Winthrop girls’ basketball had both the opportunity and the need to turn its season around.
“I thought we’d have to get to 8-10 to have a chance to get in (the playoffs),” said Winthrop coach Lonney Steeves. “That meant we were going to have to go 7-4 after Christmas.”
It was a pretty stiff climb but with a friendlier schedule, the Ramblers have begun their ascent.
With Thursday’s 56-50 win over Mt. Abram, the Ramblers won their fifth straight game and have evened their record at 7-7.
“We now have a shot at hosting a playoff game,” said Steeves, whose team was ranked 11th in the last Western C standings and should get a significant bump by beating the sixth-seeded Roadrunners. “We still have to take care of some business, but when you get off to a 1-6 start, you’re more worried about if you’re going to have a chance to play in February.”
Winthrop took the early lead and rode a solid defensive effort to maintain the upper hand. The Roadrunners (9-5) kept within reach for much of the contest, but the Ramblers pulled away in the final quarter.
“It’s been building,” said Steeves. “It’s not one of those things where we said at some point this was going to happen. Every night it seems like we get a high level performance from another kid. Another kid steps up and really plays well.”
Katie Pushard led the Ramblers with 13 points while Nicki Emery added 12. Emilie Knight chipped in 11 while Renee St. Hilaire and Anna Warner each had eight.
Mt. Abram’s offense struggled at times and relied heavily on its free throws. Katie Walker led the Roadrunners with 10 while Jocelyn Plog and Briana Wilkins each added nine.
“For whatever reason, the last few games, we’ve got some people that are not playing up to their potential,” said Mt. Abram coach Doug Lisherness. “We’re doing some things out there that we haven’t done all year long. We’ve just lost our confidence. “
Though the Roadrunner had enough offense to stay within reach, Mt. Abram couldn’t get untracked to produce a run to overtake the Ramblers.
After a free throw and a rebound by Walker, Mt. Abram was within 40-37 to start the fourth, but the Roadrunners got just one field goal over the next six minutes.
Meanwhile, Winthrop used an 8-1 run to open up the lead.
“Things are not going our way,” said Lisherness. “We were 9-3 at one time. I don’t know what happened. I’ve got to go buy some confidence for these girls. I’ve been coaching for many years, but I wish I could put my finger on it.”
Pushard sparked the fourth quarter surge with a 3 that doubled the lead. After she and Plog each hit free throws, Knight scored on a rebound and Warner hit a turn-around shot in the paint for a 48-38 lead with 4:42 left. Mt. Abram wouldn’t get any closer than seven points until five straight points in the final 23 seconds.
“The biggest difference is we can go through times when somebody can make a little run on us, and we can comeback and make a run on somebody else,” said Steeves.
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