Photo by Jakob Komel
Article by Quincy Williams
McPherson, Kan. - McPherson - The McPherson's women basketball team won, barely, Saturday night 69-68 over the Ottawa Braves. The Bulldogs finish the season 13-17 with a 9-15 record in the KCAC.
Seniors Brittni Harlowe (Lincoln, Kan.), Taylor Osborn (Ft. Gibson, Okla.), Dani Holt (Glenpool, Okla.), and Elle Gillen (Castle Rock, Colo.), put on a Bulldog uniform for the final time, and were honored after the game. Â
The Bulldogs got off to a fast start as they scored the first twenty points of the game. Their first six made shots were all threes. Their fast start wasn't surprising; what was surprising was that Brittany Roberts (Jr. Mansfield, Texas) wasn't involved in the scoring early. Osborn, Gillen, and Harlow all drilled threes in the first quarter.
After the first, the Bulldogs led 26-10. The Bulldogs were also effective in the second quarter as they scored 20 points. However, the Ottawa Braves' offense finally woke up and they put up 26 in the period. The Bulldogs shot a sterling 50% from three in the first half, they also canned eight threes. The Bulldogs held a ten-point lead going into the half.
The Bulldogs opened the third with a scoring binge. Roberts began to make her mark on the game, she'd finish with a team-high 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists. The Bulldogs would score 19 in the period and played stingy defense, only allowing 12 points on the other end. The fourth quarter is when it became dicey for the 'Dogs. The team could only manage 4 points the entire quarter. The Braves, on the other hand, scored 20 and almost won the game.
The Bulldogs had a one point lead with 15 seconds to play, but the Braves had the ball. The Braves squandered 10 seconds and were forced to call a timeout with 4.5 ticks remaining. The Bulldog defense was up to the task, and came up with a stop to clinch the game.
"The seniors got us off to a great start!" said Bulldog head coach Josh Nichols. "Taylor, Elle, and Harlow all hitting 3's and Dani getting a 3 point play. Ottawa fought back and made it difficult on us. Brittany finished up like she always does double double. At the end we needed a stop to win the game and to have all 4 seniors on the floor getting that stop together for the win was special."
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