JAMESTOWN — On a very snowy final Friday night in 2017, the Miami Trace Lady Panthers faced the Rams of Greeneview High School for the McDonald’s Holiday Tournament title.
After a good start for Miami Trace, Greeneview caught up and from that point on, the teams would stick close to one another the remainder of the game.
Miami Trace was able to prevail against a very determined Greeneview squad, 44-42.
The Lady Panthers finish the 2017 portion of the schedule with a record of 10-1.
The Rams go into 2018 with an overall record of 6-2.
Miami Trace senior Tanner Bryant was the game’s leading scorer with 15 points. She also led the Lady Panthers with five rebounds and was tied for the team lead with three assists.
Bryant was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Senior Victoria Fliehman, who needed 17 points going into the game to reach the 1,000 mark for her career, scored 14 to go along with four rebounds and three assists. She was named to the all-tournament team.
For Greeneview, sophomore Sylvie Sonneman led with 12 points, including three three-point field goals.
Senior Faith Strickle scored 11 and was named to the all-tournament team and senior Frankie Fife scored eight points and was named to the all-tournament team.
Miami Trace took a 12-4 lead with just over one minute to play in the first quarter.
Scoring the final five points, Greeneview pulled up just behind Miami Trace, 12-9 after one.
Greeneview had their most success, if you will, with a 13-8 second quarter to put them into the lead, 22-20 at the half.
Miami Trace junior Cassidy Lovett, sustained two fouls in the first 1:13 of elapsed game time and her playing time was limited after that.
The game had no longer resumed in the third quarter than, after just 13 seconds of play, Lovett was assessed her third foul.
Greeneview led by as many as four points and then, with one minute to play in the third, the Rams were in front by five, 29-24.
Lovett had another foul called on her with 2:43 to play in the third.
Bryant scored and converted the old-fashioned three-point play to pull Miami Trace back to within two, 29-27 at the end of three.
The tournament MVP tied it right away in the fourth with a quick bucket.
Then Olivia Fliehman hit a three-point shot to put Miami Trace back in front, 32-31 with 7:12 remaining.
Free throw shooting was the advantage on the night for the Lady Panthers. Though they didn’t shoot well from the line, they had enough attempts to overcome, making 14 of 24 for 58 percent.
Greeneview was 4 of 8 from the line on the night.
In the fourth quarter, Miami Trace was 6 of 11 from the line.
Lovett made a nice assist to Bryant to put the Lady Panthers back in front, 35-34 with 4:16 to go.
After two further lead changes, Bryant hit a lay-up that made it 39-36 with 1:29 to play.
Strickle made two critical throws for Greeneview with 16.9 seconds to play, making it 42-41, Miami Trace.
Bryant then made two of the next four free throws, putting the score at 44-41.
Sonneman went to the line with three seconds to play and made the first and missed the second, as likely planned.
Greeneview got the rebound and a quick shot off to tie before the buzzer, but it was no good, bringing a well-fought game to an end.
“Greeneview plays very hard and they are always very well-coached,” Ackley said. “They were very well-prepared. I thought they had a good game plan. Their coaches did everything they could do to put them in a position to win the game late, so, give them a lot of credit.
“I’m very disappointed,” Ackley said. “Our energy was awful. I thought we looked tired for 32 minutes. We were lethargic. I’m not real pleased.
“This will be a great time for us to have 10 days off,” Ackley said. “It’s actually longer than that. We don’t play again until the 10th of January (home against Hillsboro).
“We need to get back after it and begin competing at a higher level,” Ackley said. “Tonight, we just didn’t. That’s on me. I didn’t’ have them ready to play. I’m not taking anything away from Greeneview, they have a nice team. I just thought that we were a step slow on defense and we weren’t communicating — a lot of things that we hang our hat on and we have for six years, we didn’t do well tonight.”
“They are a very tough team,” Greeneview head coach Tim Hoelle said. “We had an opportunity there at the end to tie it. I told them in the locker room, I am so proud of them, how they fought, the entire game. They never gave up.
“Even though we lost, it was a good game for us,” Hoelle said. “We played hard and fought the whole way.”
Greeneview hosts West Liberty Thursday, Jan. 4.
