http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Mekeel-Christian-Academy-girls-hold-off-Schalmont-12529764.php
Mekeel Christian Academy girls hold off Schalmont
Mekeel Christian Academy sees 14-point lead disappear before holding on for win
Published 11:34 pm, Friday, January 26, 2018
Rotterdam
Six minutes of sloppiness was on the verge of negating 26 minutes of solid two-way play for the Mekeel Christian Academy girls' basketball team Friday night. That is until junior forward Madison Show flipped the script.
After watching a 14-point lead vanish, MCA avoided a complete collapse as Show gathered up a miss by teammate Liz Singleton and scored with three seconds left for a 46-44 nonleague victory over Schalmont.
"Happy to get the win," Show said.
Show scored five points. Her second basket came after she corralled her fifth rebound of the game. The junior didn't even remember how she scored.
"It all happened so fast. I just went back up with it," Show said.
The Lions (14-2), ranked No. 4 in the latest Class C state poll, were thrilled to depart Rotterdam with a victory. MCA dropped a 46-43 verdict Tuesday at Cooperstown.
Asked if Show's bucket bailed out his team, MCA first-year coach Kelsey Collins said, "She did save us. Hats off to Schalmont. They came out flat and turned it around. They switched up their defense and put on some pressure and we didn't handle it as well as I thought we would have."
Singleton, who produced 12 of her 13 points in the first quarter, set up teammate Rebekkah Dean in the corner and the senior drained a 3-pointer to provide the Lions a comfortable 44-30 advantage with 6:20 left.
The Sabres (9-6) slowly went to work behind the sister combination of senior forward Madison Graber and eighth-grade point guard Payton Graber.
A 3-pointer from Madison Graber shaved Schalmont's deficit to 44-35 with 3:20 remaining. The Sabres began pressing and the Lions began turning over the ball nearly every possession.
A steal and conversion by Payton Graber with 43 seconds left cut the MCA lead to 44-41. The Lions missed on a shot and turned it over twice before Madison Graber tied the game at 44 on a three-point play with 12 seconds left.
"We definitely didn't want them to come back like that. It is something we have to work on," Show said.
"We will work on that in practice and be better prepared the next time."
"It is eye-opening. When we get a lead, we need to keep building upon it," Singleton said.
Schalmont's 14-0 spurt was aided by 0-for-9 shooting and eight turnovers during that span by MCA.
"That's not good," said Singleton, who also contributed eight rebounds and five assists. "I think they didn't do anything we couldn't handle, I think we just sort of fell apart. We can't allow that to happen."
Madison Graber led the way for the Sabres with 18 points, 11 rebounds and two assists.
Senior forward Paige Brinkman tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds and Payton Graber chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists.
"I think our defense wasn't as good as it could have been in the first half," Madison Graber said. "We didn't press in the first half and that was the one thing we changed."
Payton Graber displayed poise far beyond her years as she scored six points and made three steals to help fuel the fourth-quarter comeback.
"I am very proud of her," Madison Graber said of her sister.
"I thought she played a great game," Singleton said.
"She is so little doing it. In three or four years, it is going to be maddening seeing what she will do," Collins said.
The two teams will play again Feb. 7 when MCA plays host to Schalmont.
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