Coyote Athletics : Women's Basketball : Headlines: 1-17-2006

Lady Coyotes split weekend set, move to .500 in Foothill

By Kyle Kensing, Sports Editor, The Daily Independent

"...the ladies we've got played their hearts out.”

Short on players but not short on heart, the Cerro Coso women's basketball team split a pair of home games over the holiday weekend.

The Lady Coyotes (14-6, 3-3 Foothill Conference, who had just six women available for duty, defeated Foothill Conference foe Mt. San Jacinto Saturday 61-50, but fell to Barstow Monday 54-48.

“Forty minutes is an eternity when you don't have depth,” said Cerro Coso head coach Tom Heck.

The injury bug bit the Lady Coyotes this season, who were without five players for the weekend home slate.

The short bench didn't hinder Cerro Coso from giving Barstow a fight, however.

The Lady Coyotes and Lady Vikings were locked in a nip-and-tuck contest throughout, with neither team trailing by anymore than six points for 38 of the game's 40 minutes.

Cerro Coso held a 40-36 lead on a Mariah Bomberry 3-pointer and layup, but the Lady Vikings scored six unanswered to take the lead.

The home team put up a defensive stand, trailing by two with 3:25 left, but Barstow's Kim Foxx put up a long ball with three seconds on the shot clock, that caromed high off the rim and fell in.

“It's just the way the ball bounces,” Heck said.

Barstow followed up moments later with a an Annie Ritstick 3-pointer to pull ahead eight.

Stephanie Hart came back with a layup and foul. The free throw was no good, but both Hart and Angel Lash had putback attempts that came up short.

“We missed a lot of inside, easy looks. That really hurt,” Heck said.

Conversely, Cerro Coso had no trouble burying its looks Saturday against Mt. San Jacinto.

The Lady Coyotes built a first half lead that ballooned to as much as 20 en route to a 33-19 halftime lead.

Darschelle Lynch and Angel Lash set the tone, each scoring game highs of 16 points. Lash also pulled in 12 rebounds.

Mariah Bomberry showed her versatile inside-outside game, hitting for 13 points including two 3-pointers, and hauling down a game-best 13 rebounds.

Heck said he's pleased with the relentlessness the Lady Coyotes have shown despite playing shorthanded.

“With only six players, there's not a lot of buttons for me to push,” he said. “[But] the ladies we've got played their hearts out.”

The Barstow loss, Cerro Coso's second to the Lady Vikings, leaves it with some ground to make up in conference play.

The Lady Coyotes return to league action Wednesday on the road at San Bernardino College. Cerro Coso next plays at home Jan. 28 when it hosts Chaffey.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

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