SOUTH WAYNE - The first round of the Six Rivers East Conference girls basketball showdown between Black Hawk and Albany came down to the fourth quarter.
Black Hawk (10-1, 6-0 Six Rivers East) used a 15-5 fourth quarter run to propel itself to a 47-34 win over the Comets Friday night. Albany (9-5, 4-2) entered the fourth quarter trailing the Warriors by four points. That's when Black Hawk juniors Melissa Wellnitz and Alyssa Piefer stepped up and hit some clutch shots. Piefer drilled a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 37-29 lead with 6 minutes, 27 seconds to go. On the Warriors ensuing possession, Wellnitz drained the first of two fourth quarter 3-pointers to give the Warriors to a 45-31 lead.
"The mark of our team is when things aren't going easy, they stay level headed," Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said. "They hit some big shots that we kind of needed. There is something about looking pretty and there is something about finding a way to get it done. It didn't come easy. It was a tough one."
Melissa Wellnitz scored 10 points and had four steals, but she's glad she found her shooting touch down the stretch.
"It was pretty intense," Wellnitz said. "At halftime we wanted to come out the first three minutes of the third quarter strong. We wanted to start out strong, but we started a little shaky at times."
Kim Wellnitz had a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and added six assists.
Albany coach Mike Brunhoefer said that the bench was a factor.
"I didn't do a very good job of subbing today," Brunhoefer said as the Comets relied on their five starters in erasing a nine-point second half deficit. "I got caught up in the game. The bench depth showed. We wanted to give them a good run.
"To their credit, they played their hearts out," Brunhoefer said of his team. "They didn't leave anything on the floor. That's all you can ask for."
The Comets got off to a slow start with four turnovers in their first four possessions. Albany closed the first quarter with a 7-2 spurt. Albany junior Sydney Bump scored down low and she was fouled. She converted the conventional three-point play at the foul line to give the Comets a short-lived 8-7 lead.
The Warriors went on an 11-3 run to start the second quarter. The Comets committed 16 of their 25 turnovers in the first half as the Warriors used a press and trapping defense in the post to slow the Comets.
Black Hawk grabbed seven first half offensive rebounds that led to several second chance scoring opportunities. Black Hawk senior Katie Place had six points and 10 rebounds and Piefer added eight points.
Albany junior Courtney Pfeuti, who scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half, drilled a 3-pointer with 2:32 left in the second quarter to cut the Warriors' lead to 20-16. Black Hawk sophomore Chaesta Shager later answered by hitting a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 25-16 halftime lead.
The Comets erased a nine-point deficit with a 10-2 third quarter run to slice the Warriors' lead to 27-26.
That set the stage for a big shooting fourth quarter from Melissa Wellnitz and Piefer as the Warriors overcame 18 turnovers.
Black Hawk (10-1, 6-0 Six Rivers East) used a 15-5 fourth quarter run to propel itself to a 47-34 win over the Comets Friday night. Albany (9-5, 4-2) entered the fourth quarter trailing the Warriors by four points. That's when Black Hawk juniors Melissa Wellnitz and Alyssa Piefer stepped up and hit some clutch shots. Piefer drilled a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 37-29 lead with 6 minutes, 27 seconds to go. On the Warriors ensuing possession, Wellnitz drained the first of two fourth quarter 3-pointers to give the Warriors to a 45-31 lead.
"The mark of our team is when things aren't going easy, they stay level headed," Black Hawk coach Mike Flanagan said. "They hit some big shots that we kind of needed. There is something about looking pretty and there is something about finding a way to get it done. It didn't come easy. It was a tough one."
Melissa Wellnitz scored 10 points and had four steals, but she's glad she found her shooting touch down the stretch.
"It was pretty intense," Wellnitz said. "At halftime we wanted to come out the first three minutes of the third quarter strong. We wanted to start out strong, but we started a little shaky at times."
Kim Wellnitz had a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and added six assists.
Albany coach Mike Brunhoefer said that the bench was a factor.
"I didn't do a very good job of subbing today," Brunhoefer said as the Comets relied on their five starters in erasing a nine-point second half deficit. "I got caught up in the game. The bench depth showed. We wanted to give them a good run.
"To their credit, they played their hearts out," Brunhoefer said of his team. "They didn't leave anything on the floor. That's all you can ask for."
The Comets got off to a slow start with four turnovers in their first four possessions. Albany closed the first quarter with a 7-2 spurt. Albany junior Sydney Bump scored down low and she was fouled. She converted the conventional three-point play at the foul line to give the Comets a short-lived 8-7 lead.
The Warriors went on an 11-3 run to start the second quarter. The Comets committed 16 of their 25 turnovers in the first half as the Warriors used a press and trapping defense in the post to slow the Comets.
Black Hawk grabbed seven first half offensive rebounds that led to several second chance scoring opportunities. Black Hawk senior Katie Place had six points and 10 rebounds and Piefer added eight points.
Albany junior Courtney Pfeuti, who scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half, drilled a 3-pointer with 2:32 left in the second quarter to cut the Warriors' lead to 20-16. Black Hawk sophomore Chaesta Shager later answered by hitting a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 25-16 halftime lead.
The Comets erased a nine-point deficit with a 10-2 third quarter run to slice the Warriors' lead to 27-26.
That set the stage for a big shooting fourth quarter from Melissa Wellnitz and Piefer as the Warriors overcame 18 turnovers.
