By Ted Waddell
HANCOCK — February 9, 2007 — Mary Schmieder had a big night.
In Tuesday night’s Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division VI girls’ basketball game between the visiting Lady Wildcats of Livingston Manor and The Family Foundation School Lady Falcons, Schmieder scored 25 points to help the Lady Falcons defeat the Lady Wildcats, 48-41.
Schmieder made a trio of 3-point shots and scored 52 percent of her team’s points.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied at 8-8.
Then the Lady Falcons soared in the second period, outscoring Manor 12-5 to take a 20-13 lead at the half.
The Family School (11-5 overall, 2-4 Division VI) outpaced the Lady Wildcats 13-11 in the third period.
But in the final frame, Manor (7-7 overall, 2-3 Division VI) staged a last-minute comeback attempt, outscoring the home team, 17-15. In the last four minutes, the Lady Wildcats closed to within a point at 37-36.
With 52.6 seconds left in the game, Lady Falcon Kaitlyn Slicker made both of her foul shots on a 1-and-1 situation to extend the home team’s advantage. Then at the 40-second mark, Schmieder nailed a bucket to put the Family School up 46-39.
After the Lady Wildcats scored again, Jessica Fairweather put the home team’s final points on the board by making a pair of free throws.
Marissa Diescher was the top scorer for the Lady Wildcats. She netted 15 points.
“It was a tough loss,” Manor Coach Kevin Clifford said.
Earlier in the season, the Lady Wildcats defeated the Lady Falcons at the Livingston Manor Central School gymnasium.
“It was a good game, Livingston Manor always gives us a hard time,” Family School Coach Carlton Williams said. “Our girls kept their composure when they could have gotten rattled, and later on the game went to our big girls.”
Williams said that while Fairweather, who is usually his top scoring threat, didn’t score a lot of points, “she handed the ball for us.”
“Our big girl, Mary Schmieder, got a lot of shots under the basket, and we got a lot of rebounds, so I’m really proud of ‘em,” Williams said.
“We needed [to win] this game, because we’re trying to make a run for the sectionals,” he added. “We haven’t been there in a while."