By Ted Waddell
LAKE HUNTINGTON — December 6, 2005 – With less than five minutes left on the game clock during Friday night’s Billy Moran Girls’ Basketball Tip-Off Classic championship game at Sullivan West High School, the SW Lady Bulldogs led the S.S. Seward Lady Spartans (1-1) by 28 points.
But then Seward went on a 14-2 run until it was shut down in the stretch by a bucket by Rachel Houghtaling, a shot that reignited the Lady Bulldogs fire against a late game full court press.
SW (2-0) posted a 53-36 victory by outscoring Seward in the first three periods: 18-7, 9-7 and 18-7. In the final frame, however, the Lady Spartans outscored the Lady Bulldogs, 15-8.
Scoring in double figures for SW were Kate Fanning (19 points) and Sarah Lander (15 points); for S.S. Seward, it was Kylie Burnside with 13 points.
Houghtaling added seven points and seven rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs.
Stats from the free throw line: SW 6-of-9 (67 percent); S.S. Seward 3-of-17 (18 percent).
“I don’t think we did too bad,” Seward Coach Joe DiMattina said. “We were down by almost 25 to 30 points, and then we had a real good run in the fourth quarter.”
“Sullivan West is a good team, very disciplined and well-coached,” he added.
Ron Bernhardt, veteran coach of the SW squad, said S.S. Seward was “a hard team to knock out… a hard team to blow out.”
“We have a lot to improve on,” he said. “My whole front line was neutralized by their front line, but Fanning was our shining star.”
Following the game, Fanning, who recorded six assists to go along with her 19 points, was named the tournament’s MVP.
Chosen for the All-Tournament Team were: Burnside (Seward), Lamone Chang (Liberty), Erin Gilmore (Fallsburg) Lander (SW) and Melissa Oliphant (Seward).