It took seven seconds for momentum to swing around in the Lady Cat Classic’s third place game against host-El Dorado and rival Circle.
It was to the Lady Thunderbirds’ benefit as they pushed a two-point lead to seven in the final moments of the first half of the way to a 56-45 victory over the Lady Wildcats.
Up to that point in the second quarter, El Dorado had not allowed a Circle field goal and trailed 18-16 on two free throws by Jaimie House. But Taci Richard hit a lay-up, then Charity Hon stole the in-bounds pass and made a jumper as she was fouled with two-tenths of a second left. Hon made the free throw to push the Lady T-Birds up 23-16 at intermission.
It was the second time the Lady T-Birds beat El Dorado in three weeks and the Lady Wildcats (5-9) started on the attack at the start.
El Dorado forced six turnovers and one field goal in Circle’s first eight possessions on the way to building a five-point lead. The Lady T-Birds (12-2) answered by scoring the final eight points of the first quarter to build a 12-9 lead.
The second quarter saw Circle miss its first nine shots, but maintained the lead with six free throws as El Dorado committed fouls that put the Lady T-Birds on the line. The Lady Wildcats made two baskets early to tie the game at 13-13, but made only three free throws in the final five minutes of the half.
Circle pushed the lead to double digits by scoring the first four points of the second half and maintained that margin throughout the stanza, leading 33-23. The largest margin for the Lady T-Birds in the fourth quarter was 13 points before El Dorado made a final run, led by Paige Slayton’s 10 points on three three-point baskets and free throw.
Slayton led El Dorado with 13 points, while Brea Rice added 10 for the Lady Wildcats.
Kyrstie Ehm scored 17 points to lead Circle in scoring while Richard added 14 (10 in the first half).
CIRCLE (56) — Charity Hon 9, Hanna Flaming 4, Kyrstie Ehm 17, Courtney Kifer 4, Ally Burden 4, Christy Covey 6, Taci Richard 14. Totals 17 22-32 56.
EL DORADO (45) — Ashley Leckliter 5, Jaimie House 4, Katlyn Utech 6, Lindsay Klein 7, Paige Slayton 13, Brea Rice 10, Andrea Valadez 4. Totals 15 12-22 45.
Circle 12 11 10 23 — 56
El Dorado 9 7 7 22 — 45
Three-point baskets — El Dorado 3 (Slayton 3). Records — Circle 12-2, El Dorado 5-9.
El Dorado, Kan. —
