Cagers edged
Published 4:49 am Monday, June 23, 2008
By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Michigan took the early 5-0 lead in the girls championship basketball game of Sports Fest at Bethel College. Indiana East scored the next nine points in the game and held the lead the rest of the way taking the title game win 73-61.
Benton Harbor's Courtney Webb scored 22 hitting five 3-pointers and Sturgis' Astynn George added 15 dropping in three from long range but it wasn't enough as Indiana East's Tiffany Fisher (Westville) was nearly unstoppable as she finished the game with 29 points and picked up the MVP honors.
"We thought we could contain her pretty well in a zone," Michigan coach Jim Arnold coaching his last high school level game. "I knew we couldn't play her man-to-man she is just too much for one person to handle even when you got help she was too much to handle. She was the big difference in the basketball game. Also they defended us pretty well too. They didn't let Courtney (Webb) get on track."
Stephanie Koontz of Edwardsburg chipped in with 10 points while local players Emily Ross and Hayley Cashier (Buchanan), Katy Stuppy (Dowagiac) and Sarah Svoboda (Bridgman) each finished the game with three points. Courtney Teske of Niles tallied one point.
"When we made our first two shots of the game I thought, hey we are right were we needed to be. We hit eleven three's on Tuesday night and I'm not sure how many we had tonight. But the lid was on tonight in the first half and it was still there in the second half," Arnold said. Michigan finished the game knocking down 13 three's in Friday's game.
This was Arnold's final high school coaching assignment as he will be taking his basketball coaching skills to the Bethel College sidelines as the girls assistant coach this fall.
EAST 73
MacKenzie Lechlitner 2 0-0 5; Kaila Stevens 3 2-2 11; Tiffany Fisher 12 4-7 29; Nicci Desimone 3 0-0 8; Chelsea Yoder 1 0-1 2; Kelsey Peters 1 0-0 2; Ashley Hamilton 5 4-4 14; Tyeacia Warren 1 0-2 2. Totals: 28 10-16 73
MICHIGAN 61
Emily Ross 1 0-0 3; Sarah Svoboda 1 0-0 3; Astynn George 5 3-4 16; Stephanie Koontz 4 0-0 10; Courtney Webb 8 1-2 22; Katy Stuppy 1 0-0 3; Hayley Cashier 0 3-6 3; Courtney Teske 0 1-2 1. Totals: 20 8-15 61
Halftime score: East 32, Michigan 25. 3-pointers: East 7 (Lechlitner, Fisher, Stevens 3, Desimone 2), Michigan 13 (Ross, Svoboda, George 3, Koontz 2, Webb 5, Stuppy). Total fouls: East 14, Michigan 14. Rebounds: East 53 (Fisher 11, Hamilton 11), Michigan 44 (George 13)