Manchester and Anderson Battle for Women’s Basketball Crown
February 15, 2008
GREENWOOD , IN – Four teams have claimed a spot in the six-team HCAC women’s basketball tournament field, while three others remain alive for the final two spots. Heading into the final week of play, Manchester and Anderson continue to battle it out down to the wire. The Spartans and Ravens will meet on February 20 with conference championship implications on the line. Hanover and Transylvania have also clinched spots into the conference tournament. Those two squads will also square off on Feb. 20 to jockey for playoff seeding. Franklin and Rose-Hulman can each clinch a spot into the tournament with one win during the final week. Mount St. Joseph will have to win their last two games and hope the Grizzlies and Engineers sputter, letting the tiebreaking scenario play itself out.
Manchester (15-7, 10-3 HCAC) controls its own destiny in the championship race. The Spartans pulled out a split during last week’s games to remain a half game ahead of second place Anderson. MC opened with a loss at Hanover and rebounded for a road win at Defiance. Junior forward Kelley Meiklejohn (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) scored 14 points in the 62-55 loss to Hanover and added nine rebounds in the 74-64 win at Defiance. Sophomore guard Rachel Wilkinson (Walkerton, Ind./John Glenn) led the scoring with 18 points in the win over the Jackets. The black and gold’s schedule is not an easy one during the final week of play. Manchester will welcome Rose-Hulman to town Saturday afternoon before dates with Anderson and Hanover to close out the regular season.
Anderson (15-7, 10-4 HCAC) turned in an outstanding defensive effort in the Ravens’ 42-26 win over Rose-Hulman Wednesday night. The Ravens held the Engineer offense to 21.3% shooting from the field. Junior forward Mel Hawthorne (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) turned in a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the victory. Anderson has won seven of their last eight games to remain in contention for their first women’s basketball title since the 2001-02 season. The ladies will look to finish with a perfect record at home during conference play when Manchester heads in on February 20 with the conference championship possibly on the line. AU will head to Franklin Saturday afternoon to look for the sweep of the Grizzlies.
Hanover (14-8, 8-5 HCAC) still holds hope for a claim to the championship, but will need to be perfect this upcoming week. The Panthers did their part by knocking off Manchester 62-55 last week, but could not defeat rival Franklin on the road. Freshman guard Lacey Hornaday (Rushville, Ind./H.S.) scored 14 points and grabbed nine boards in the win over the Spartans. Freshman guard Audrey Siebrase (North Manchester, Ind./ Manchester) scored 15 points in the 77-65 loss to Franklin. Molly Martin’s (Terre Haute, Ind./North) streak of four straight double-doubles came to an end this week, but continues to rank second in the conference in scoring (15.8 ppg) and first in rebounding (12.5 rpg). Hanover will entertain Bluffton Saturday afternoon before heading on the road for important games with Transylvania and Manchester to end the schedule.
Transylvania (12-10, 8-5 HCAC) moved into a tie for third place with Hanover after notching two conference wins last week. The Pioneers beat Bluffton 68-55 at home and earned a 63-53 road win against Mount St. Joseph for their third straight win. Junior guard Kelsey McCarty (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart) scored 28 points against the Beavers and added 22 points and nine rebounds in the win over the Mount. The junior has led the team in scoring six straight games after stepping into the starting lineup. The Pioneers have been a resilient bunch this season, continuing to play great basketball despite losing four key players to ACL knee injuries. Transy will travel up to Defiance Saturday afternoon to avenge an earlier loss to the Jackets. TU will tangle with Hanover next Wednesday before closing the regular season on the road against Bluffton.
Franklin (10-11, 7-6 HCAC) has won three of their last four games, including wins over Mount St. Joseph and Hanover this past week. Senior forward Jennifer Redicker (Vallonia, Ind./Brownstown Central) scored 24 points to lead the effort in a 74-67 win at MSJ. Sophomore center Heather Harper (Mooresville, Ind./H.S.) led the scoring with 29 points, helping defeat rival Hanover 77-65 in impressive fashion. Harper leads the conference in scoring with 17.3 points per game. FC needs one win in their last three games to clinch a spot in the conference tournament field. Franklin will welcome Anderson to the Spurlock Center Saturday afternoon before looking for the season sweep of Defiance and Mount St. Joseph.
Rose-Hulman (11-12, 7-7 HCAC) sits in the same position as Franklin, seeking a win to clinch a spot in the conference tournament. The Engineers split their two contests last week, defeating Defiance 75-65 and losing at Anderson 42-26. Senior guard Jill Floyd (Bloomington, Ill./ Olympia) scored 16 points in the win over the Yellow Jackets, while junior forward Liz Ridgway (Grosse Point, Mich.) added 10 points in the loss to Anderson. RHIT has been dominate in defensive categories as a team this season, leading the HCAC in scoring defense (52.6 ppg), field goal percentage defense (33.7%), blocks (94), and rebound margin (+8.2). The Engineers will look for their clinching victory on the road against Manchester or Defiance this week.
Mount St. Joseph (6-16, 5-9 HCAC) lost two games at home this past week and has lost three of their past four games. The host Lions fell to Franklin 74-67 and Transylvania 63-53, but still hold on to a slight hope of making the conference tournament. MSJ will need some help from Franklin or Rose-Hulman, but the Mount still has a chance if they can notch two victories in their final two games. Freshman forward Chelsea Doellman (Union, Ky./Ryle) scored 13 points in the loss to Franklin and Lauren Schaller (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) added 14 points and 15 rebounds in the loss to Transy. The sophomore forward ranks third in the conference with 8.2 rebounds per game. MSJ has yet to win on the road in conference play and will have to win at Bluffton and Franklin to have a chance at post-season play.
Women’s Basketball Schedule (Feb. 15 –Feb. 23)
Feb. 16 |
Transylvania at Defiance |
1:00 PM |
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Rose-Hulman at Manchester |
3:00 PM |
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Anderson at Franklin |
3:00 PM |
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Bluffton at Hanover |
3:00 PM |
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Spalding at Mount St. Joseph |
3:00 PM |
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Feb. 20 |
Hanover at Transylvania |
7:30 PM |
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Manchester at Anderson |
7:30 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph at Bluffton |
7:30 PM |
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Franklin at Defiance |
7:30 PM |
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Feb. 23 |
Rose-Hulman at Defiance |
1:00 PM |
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Transylvania at Bluffton |
3:00 PM |
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Hanover at Manchester |
3:00 PM |
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Mount St. Joseph at Franklin |
3:00 PM |
End of Regular Season |
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