Fantastic finish propels Blair Oaks to 52-40 win

Blair Oaks guard Sara Jones looks for an open lane to the basket after dribbling past North Callaway's Elaine Brinker during Monday night's game in Wardsville.
Blair Oaks guard Sara Jones looks for an open lane to the basket after dribbling past North Callaway's Elaine Brinker during Monday night's game in Wardsville.

Following a tough opening act, the Lady Falcons didn't disappoint in the closer.

After falling behind North Callaway 9-0 in the opening minutes, Blair Oaks finished the game on a 13-0 run to pull out a 52-40 victory Monday night.

"I think we turned up the intensity a little bit," Blair Oaks coach Leroy Bernskoetter said. "I think we're capable of doing that."

Locked in a tight battle for most of the game, North Callaway took a 40-39 lead with 6:09 remaining on a basket by Maddie Sorell. That was the last time the Lady Thunderbirds would score.

A putback by Amanda Rackers with 5:40 left gave Blair Oaks a 41-40 lead. After a pair of free throws by LeeAnn Polowy, Rackers hit a jumper from the corner with 2:55 left to give the Lady Falcons a 45-40 lead.

The Lady Falcons (14-2) spread the floor in the final two minutes and hit 10-of-12 free throws in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

"We had a nice little set, scored, and got a five-point cushion," Bernskoetter said. "I knew if we could spread the floor a little bit on them we'd be all right."

Blair Oaks' big fourth quarter was aided by North Callaway's inability to make shots. The Lady Thunderbirds hit just 3-of-14 shots in the fourth quarter, missing on their last 10 from the field.

  1. Florida (21-2) beat Tennessee 94-78. Next: at Georgia, Wednesday.
  2. Wisconsin (22-2) beat Northwestern 69-52. Next: at Penn State, Wednesday.
  3. North Carolina (20-3) lost to N.C. State 83-79. Next: at No. 8 Duke, Wednesday.
  4. Ohio State (20-3) beat Michigan State 63-54. Next: vs. Michigan, Tuesday.
  5. UCLA (20-2) beat Oregon State 82-35. Next: vs. Southern California, Wednesday.
  6. Kansas (19-3) vs. No. 10 Texas A&M. Next: vs. Kansas State, Wednesday.
  7. Pittsburgh (20-3) did not play. Next: at West Virginia, Wednesday.
  8. Duke (18-4) did not play. Next: vs. Florida State, Sunday.
  9. Oregon (19-4) lost to Southern California 71-68. Next: vs. Arizona State, Thursday.
  10. Texas A&M (18-3) at No. 6 Kansas. Next: vs. No. 22 Texas, Monday.
  11. Memphis (19-3) beat SMU 88-52. Next: at UAB, Thursday.
  12. Oklahoma State (18-4) lost to Colorado 89-77. Next: at Oklahoma, Wednesday.
  13. Butler (22-2) beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 66-47. Next: at Cleveland State, Thursday.
  14. Marquette (20-4) beat Providence 69-62. Next: vs. Rutgers, Wednesday.
  15. Nevada (20-2) vs. Hawaii. Next: at Fresno State, Thursday.
  16. Virginia Tech (16-7) lost to Boston College 80-59. Next: vs. Virginia, Saturday.
  17. Air Force (20-3) beat Wyoming 88-43. Next: at San Diego State, Tuesday.
  18. Washington State (18-4) at Arizona State. Next: vs. No. 23 Stanford, Thursday.
  19. Alabama (17-5) beat South Carolina 64-61. Next: vs. Mississippi State, Wednesday.
  20. Arizona (15-7) beat Washington 84-54. Next: at Arizona State, Thursday.
  21. Notre Dame (18-4) at South Florida. Next: at DePaul, Thursday.
  22. Texas (16-6) lost to Kansas State 73-72. Next: at No. 10 Texas A&M, Saturday.
  23. Stanford (14-6) at California. Next: at No. 18 Washington State, Thursday.
  24. Vanderbilt (15-7) vs. Georgia. Next: at Tennessee, Saturday.
  25. Clemson (18-5) lost to Georgia Tech 80-62. Next: vs. Florida State, Wednesday.