By Rob Potter
LIVINGSTON MANOR — January 24, 2003 – A fourth quarter scoring spurt by the Livingston Manor Lady Wildcats led to a win Wednesday night.
Manor (10-4) outscored visiting Chester 8-0 in the first minute and 40 seconds of the fourth quarter to earn a 36-27 victory in the non-divisional contest.
After junior forward Jennifer Taggart hit a baseline jumper to extend the Lady Wildcats’ lead to 22-16 in the first 40 seconds of the final quarter, the Manor defense took over.
Three steals led to a pair of layups by senior guard Jennifer Wright and a jump shot by junior center Charlene Vail as Manor grabbed momentum and a 28-16 lead with 6:20 left in the game.
“Defense has been our strong suit all year long,” Manor Coach Andy Taggart said. “We just need to settle down in our offense a little bit.”
Wright led the Lady Wildcats with 12 points, while Vail netted 10 points. Jennifer Taggart scored eight on the evening.
“Chester played very well at times tonight,” Andy Taggart said. “Coach [Jim] DeStefano and his team deserve a lot of credit.”
Like Taggart, DeStefano noted that the Lady Wildcats’ defensive effort was a key factor.
“That 8-0 run was the difference in the game,” he said.
The loss dropped the Lady Hambletonians’ record to 1-12. But DeStefano is confident his team will win at least one more game before the end of the season.
“The girls have been playing better lately and working very hard,” DeStefano said. “They’re working really hard for another victory and they deserve it.”
Chester guard Kelly Luciana, who made a trio of three-point shots, finished with a game-high 11 points.