By Rob Potter
ROSCOE — February 11, 2005 – As one might expect when Route 17 rivals Livingston Manor and Roscoe meet on the basketball court, the first half of Tuesday night’s girls’ basketball game was close and competitive.
In the first three minutes of the contest, host Roscoe opened up a 9-2 lead. But the Lady Wildcats stormed back and cut the Lady Blue Devils’ lead to just one point (12-11) at the end of the opening quarter.
Manor’s Carrie Lewis scored 10 points in the second period to help her team grab a 23-21 advantage at halftime.
The Lady Wildcats took control for good in the third quarter. In those eight minutes of action, Manor’s defense created some steals and turnovers that led to easy baskets. As a result, Manor outscored the Lady Blue Devils by a 19-4 margin.
Manor went on to post a 47-34 victory in the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division VI game.
With the win, Manor improved its record to 9-8 overall and 4-4 in Division VI competition. Roscoe fell to 4-14 overall and 2-6 in Division VI.
Lewis, a senior forward, led the Lady Wildcats to the victory by scoring a game-high 20 points. Katie Portz and Heather Sherwood netted eight points apiece and Jackie Trotti added five points for Manor.
April Hodge paced the Lady Blue Devils’ offense, finishing the evening with 15 points. Brittany Mootz recorded six points, while Kendra Harris and Heather Hodge each had four points.
“We came out a little flat in the first quarter,” Manor Coach Kevin Clifford said. “But Roscoe had a lot to do with that. They played with confidence and were very aggressive.”
Clifford said that as the game progressed, his team “woke up and played like we needed to play.”
He noted that the third quarter was a key factor in the victory.
“We started to get in the passing lanes on defense and playing more aggressively,” Clifford said.
Like Clifford, Roscoe Coach Becky Ahart noted that her team’s performance changed from the first half to the second half.
“We played excellent in the first half,” she said. “But the third quarter has been a problem for us all season and I don’t know why.”
Ahart noted she has a very young team, as there are three freshmen and three sophomores among the 10 players on the roster.
“This is a young team that’s learning,” Ahart commented. “These players are going to get better and better.
“They played a really good game tonight and I’m very proud of them.”
Clifford noted that the win brought the Lady Wildcats “a step closer” to qualifying for the upcoming Section IX Class D tournament.
He said that a victory in one of the team’s final two regular season games should guarantee a berth in the postseason tourney. The Lady Wildcats will not have to wait long to play those two contests – they are scheduled to host The Family School at 5 p.m. today and Eldred at 6:30 p.m. Monday.