The Potomac Highlands Dispatch - the online newspaper

Trojans upset Cavaliers
* Allegany rallies behind Allen, Nesmith and Fossett
* Trojans collect eighth straight win

By Kevin Spradlin
PhDispatch.com
EAST PEORIA, Ill., March 15 -- Whew!

Allegany College of Maryland coach Garett Sherman and the Trojans women's basketball team couldn't have been breathing easy late in Tuesday's first-round NJCAA National Championship game.

They led Kankakee Community College by 16 points early. They led by 19 late. And yet, with 8.7 seconds left on the clock, Kankakee trailed only by five.

Momentum had gone against Allegany. The team's hot-shooting first 10 minutes seemed like ancient history. The Cavaliers' leading scorer, Britany Mathews, was held to just two points in the first half but had scored 16 in the second half.

Besides, Kankakee came in as the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Allegany, seeded 14th in the 16-team field, wasn't supposed to even have a chance. And the Trojans couldn't seem to sink their foul shots.

None of that mattered. The buzzer sounded and the Trojans walked off the court with a 75-69 victory over the Cavaliers inside the CougarPlex. PhDispatch.com reported the game via live webcast. The Trojans advanced to Wednesday's quarterfinal matchup against No. 11 Monroe (N.Y.) College.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

Allegany won being outscored 13-3 over the final four minutes. When the Trojans' Larae Allen hit two free throws that gave Allegany a 71-54 lead with about five minutes to go, it didn't seem so important.

But Kankakee rallied and scored 15 of the final 19 points of the game. And the Cavaliers might have won, too, if they hadn't had their own troubles from the foul line.

Early on, it looked to be a rout - in favor of Allegany. Tied 4-4, Kirksten Mitchell drove the lane right through Kankakee's defense for a layup and a 6-4 lead. Allegany never trailed again.

While Kankakee was known for its transition game and high-powered offered - the Cavaliers averaged 97 points a game before tournament play and scored 100 or more points 13 times - they were no match for the Trojans' defense, ranked third in the nation.

Allegany took leads of 9-4 and 17-7. Point guard Ashleigh Fossett gave the Trojans its first lead of more than 10 points when she hit a 3-pointer for a 24-12 lead.

After an easy layup by Tamara Nesmith, Fossett struck again, this time from two-point range, to give Allegany a 28-12 less than nine minutes into the game.

Then the Trojans went cold. Over the final 10 minutes of the first half, Kankakee crept back into the game. The Cavaliers cut the deficit to 14 points, then 13. Then 11. Kankakee's Lauren Link took an inbounds pass for a bucket and, fouled, completed the three-point play to pull the Cavaliers within 38-28.

Lexi Carson made the steal, went down the court for an uncontested layup just before intermission to make it 38-30 at halftime.

Both teams had reason to be satisified. Allegany, as the underdog, with an eight-point lead. And Kankakee, despite a dismall first half, was within only a few possessions of the lead.

In the first half, Allen led Allegany with 11 points. Nesmith had 10. Fossett and Mitchell and seven and six points, respectively. Demetria Ward led Kankakee with 13 points and Carson had seven while Mathews, the team's leading scorer averaging 19 points a game, had only two at the break.

Allegany shot 42 percent from the field in the first half compared to Kankakee's 29 percent.

The momentum in the opening minutes of the second half continued in favor of the Cavaliers, whose campus is just two hours away from the tournament site.

Sophomore Dakeea Marshall hit a 3-pointer out of the gate for Allegany to take back an 11-point lead. The Cavaliers responded with a 9-2 run to pull within 43-39 less than four minutes into the second half of play.

Yet, the Cavaliers couldn't close. Each time they got too close, the Trojans executed - usually in a defensive manner - to maintain the lead. Allegany's defense created many offensive opportunities throughout the game.

Clinging to a four-point lead, the Trojans had outrebounded Kankakee 29-23 at this point.

Then Torie Bosley showed up. Bosley, ranked 23rd in the nation in 3-point shooting, had missed her first three 3-point attempts in the first half. In the second half, Kankakee wasn't so lucky.

Her first field goal gave Allegany a 46-39 lead. Mathews countered with a 3-pointer of her own, and Noll followed that up with a steal and a fastbreak layup to pull within 46-44.

Bosley came up big again, though, and nailed another 3-pointer for a 49-44 advantage. Then Fossell, Mitchell, Nesmith (times three) and Allen each scored to comprise a 16-2 run that, in essence, put the game away with still 9:52 to go.

Still, there was 9:52 left on the clock and plenty of time for Kankakee to wreak havoc on Allegany's upset bid. The Cavaliers almost made the most of that time.

Allegany led 67-48 with 6:29 remaining in the game. And suddenly, the Trojans went from shooting great early in the first half, to decent later, then to downright bad. Or maybe it was Kankakee playing so well. Either way, the Cavaliers stormed back into the game behind Mathews, Ward and Carson.

For the Trojans, Allen and Nesmith led the way with 19 points apiece Fossett added 13 from the point position. Mitchell finished with 10 points.