RANDY HISNER
WZBD.com
The Parkway Panthers’ clutch free throw shooting in the fourth quarter helped them overcome a five-point deficit with less than seven minutes to go and notch a 50-45 win over the South Adams Starfires in girls’ basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Stardome. The Panthers (2-1) hit seven of their eight free throws in the final period while the Starfires (4-7) hit a dismal 2-of-9.
Parkway senior guard Paige Williamson scored almost half of her team’s points with a game-high 24, while putting on a shooting clinic: 6-for-9 on threes, 4-for-5 on free throws. She hit one of three two-pointers, so for the game, she scored her 24 points on just 12 field goal attempts.
“She is a really fine player,” said Starfire coach Wayne Kreiger of Williamson. “We knew coming in that we had to basically take care of her because she’s very, very strong and very talented. We said in the pregame, ‘Know where 31 is because she’s going to put the ball up and more than likely put it in the hole.’”
The Starfires failed in their effort to contain Williamson, and that, combined with their poor 12-of-27 (44%) from the free throw line, spelled defeat. Kreiger lamented that his team didn’t hit a higher percentage. “As many as we shot,” he said, “that could have made a big difference in the outcome.”
South Adams held a 38-36 lead at the end of the third period and expanded it to 41-36 on a three-pointer by Macy Pries a little over a minute into the fourth quarter. But Williamson countered with a three from the top of the key at the 6:26 mark, and 20 seconds later teammate Adria Miller stole a Starfire sideline out-of-bounds entry pass and drove hard for a layup to tie it at 41-41.
Pries hit one of two free throws with 5:34 on the clock to put South Adams ahead for the last time.
It took almost three minutes before either team scored again. Parkway’s Bryn Schoenleben drained a short jumper with 2:38 left, putting the Panthers up at 43-42. After failing to score on their next two possessions, the Starfires were forced to foul Parkway’s Megan Hughes with 51.5 to go. Hughes made both free throws, making it a three-point deficit for South Adams.
The Starfires had a chance to tie or go ahead with four free throws in the next 20 seconds, but they missed three of them, Liz Gerber hitting one of two and Emmerson Smith missing a pair.
Parkway made five out of six free throws in the final seconds of the game, including four straight by Williamson, to clinch the victory.
South Adams played a solid first half, taking a 27-24 lead by outscoring Parkway 19-14 in the second quarter behind nine points from Pries and a pair of three-pointers from Smith. Laney Trausch added two inside buckets in the period. She finished the game with eight points, sinking four of seven shots from the field. Williamson led the Panthers in the first half with nine points on three out of four three-point attempts.
Pries led South Adams with 20 points, two above her average. Smith had nine, on 3-of-6 three-point shooting. Addie Baker added five, Gerber three. Gerber led in rebounds with eight.
Bryn Schoenleben scored six for Parkway. Hughes and Colbie Smith each had five.
South Adams will host the 8-2 Monroe Central Golden Bears Monday night. Game time is 7:00 P.M.