Anderson and Hanover Look to Catch Spartans in Women’s Hoops
February 8, 2008
GREENWOOD, IN – The women’s basketball race continues to tighten up as the season winds down. Manchester has led the way from the start, but has been feeling some pressure as Anderson and Hanover continue to stay in striking distance. Manchester still has two meetings left with third place Hanover and one with second place Anderson. Saturday afternoon the Spartans will travel south to face Hanover. The Panthers have posted a 5-1 record at home during conference play.
Manchester (14-6, 9-2 HCAC) got off to a bad start last week, falling at home to Franklin 71-60. The Spartans were able to get back in the win column with a 64-61 win at Bluffton Wednesday night. Junior forward Kelley Meiklejohn (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss to Franklin. She turned in another 19 point effort against Bluffton to raise her season average to 15.5 points per game, ranking her third in the conference. The Spartans will look to distance themselves from Hanover with a win Saturday. MC will remain on the road February 13 for a date with Defiance.
Anderson (14-7, 9-4 HCAC) split their two games last week to remain two games back of Manchester in the loss column. The Ravens beat Bluffton 57-54 to earn their sixth straight win, but saw that win streak come to an end at Hanover, 61-58. Junior forward Kayla Martin (Bedford, Ind./ Bedford North Lawrence) scored 18 points and added 12 rebounds in the win over BU. Junior forward Mel Hawthorne (Indianapolis, Ind./.Perry Meridian) scored 15 points in a losing effort against Hanover. As a team, AU leads the conference in three point field goal percentage defense (26.1%) and scoring margin (+7.4 ppg). The Ravens will look to stay perfect at home during conference play next Wednesday against Rose-Hulman.
Hanover (13-7, 7-4 HCAC) notched a crucial 61-58 win over Anderson Wednesday night to stay in the hunt for first place. Freshman center Molly Martin (Terre Haute, Ind./North) posted her fourth straight double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds against Anderson. Martin leads the league in scoring and rebounding, averaging 16.8 points and 13.4 rebounds per game during conference action. The Panthers have won two of their last three games and will look to continue their great play at home against Manchester Saturday afternoon. HC will travel to rival Franklin next Wednesday to cap off the week.
Transylvania (10-10, 6-5 HCAC) stayed in the fourth spot of the standings after a split last week. The Pioneers road woes continued with a 59-45 loss at Rose-Hulman. Junior guard Kelsey McCarty (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart) scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds in the loss. McCarty came up huge in the Pioneers’ 83-63 home win over Franklin. The junior guard scored a career-high 38 points and added 12 rebounds to lead Transy to the blowout win. The Pioneers will look to continue their hot play at home when Bluffton comes to the Beck Center Saturday. TU will travel to Mount St. Joseph next Wednesday.
Rose-Hulman (10-11, 6-6 HCAC) ran their win streak to three in a row after their 59-45 win over Transylvania. Senior guard Candace Procter (Southfield, Mich./ Groves) scored 13 points in the win over Transy. The Engineers’ win streak came to an end at Mount St. Joseph, as the Lions defeated the visitors 47-42. Freshman center Donna Marsh (Mobile, Ala./Baker) notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the losing cause. Marsh ranks third in the HCAC with 8.3 rebounds per game. As a team, RHIT leads the Heartland in scoring defense (52.5 ppg), field goal percentage defense (33.4%), and blocks (89). Rose will welcome Defiance to help celebrate the Engineers’ 100 th season of basketball Saturday afternoon, before a road trip to Anderson next week.
Franklin (8-11, 5-6 HCAC) earned a big road win last Saturday at Manchester 71-60 before falling at Transylvania 83-63. The Grizzlies received two great games from freshman guard Monica Planalp (Tipton, Ind./H.S.). Planalp scored 17 points in the win over Manchester and in the loss to Transylvania. Sophomore center Heather Harper (Mooresville, Ind./H.S.) added 16 points against the Spartans to raise her season average to 15.6 points per game, ranking her second in the league. FC will travel to Mount St. Joseph Saturday afternoon and head back home for a rivalry game with Hanover February 13.
Mount St. Joseph (6-14, 5-7 HCAC) followed up a 72-63 road loss to Defiance with a 47-42 home win against Rose-Hulman. The Lions have won two of their last three games to remain in contention for a conference tournament berth. Senior forward Ashleigh Stallkamp (Paulding, Ohio/H.S.) scored 22 points and notched eight rebounds in the loss to the Yellow Jackets. Freshman guard Kat O’Neill (Burlington, Ky./Conner) led the Lions with 13 points against RHIT. MSJ has posted a 5-1 mark at home during conference play, but is 0-6 away from Cincinnati. The Mount will have two home dates this week as Franklin and Transylvania come to town.
Defiance (8-11, 3-8 HCAC) ended a five game losing streak with a 72-63 win against Mount St. Joseph last Saturday. Senior forward Sarah Bird (Fayette, Ohio/Gorham-Fayette) scored 19 points in the win to lead DC. The Jackets blew out Taylor-Ft. Wayne 116-62 in a non-conference match-up on Wednesday night. Bird was the leading scorer once again, posting 17 points in the victory. As a team, Defiance leads the conference in scoring (73.7 ppg), rebounding (45.1 rpg), assists (14.4 pg), and steals (10.5 pg). The Jackets will travel to Rose-Hulman Saturday afternoon to close out the road portion of their conference slate. Manchester will come to northern Ohio next Wednesday.
Bluffton (8-13, 2-10 HCAC) dropped two conference games last week, but was very competitive against the league’s top two squads. The Beavers began the week with a 57-54 loss to Anderson and ended it with a 64-61 defeat against Manchester. Senior guard Amanda Bell (Napoleon, Ohio/ Liberty Center) led the scoring with 14 points against Anderson and 12 points vs. Manchester. Senior forward Lindsey Bush (Howard, Ohio/East Knox) added 18 rebounds in the loss to the Spartans. Bluffton will travel to Lexington Saturday to take on Transylvania in their only game this week.
Women’s Basketball Schedule (Feb. 8 –Feb. 14)
Feb. 9 |
Defiance at Rose-Hulman |
1:00 PM |
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Bluffton at Transylvania |
3:00 PM |
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Manchester at Hanover |
3:00 PM |
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Franklin at Mount St. Joseph |
3:00 PM |
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Feb. 13 |
Rose-Hulman at Anderson |
7:30 PM |
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Transylvania at Mount St. Joseph |
7:30 PM |
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Manchester at Defiance |
7:30 PM |
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Hanover at Franklin |
7:30 PM |