Thomas Corwin, Special to the Times
Thursday, February 10, 2011
NAPLES — Naples First Baptist and Keswick Christian brought plenty of offensive weapons into Thursday's Class A region quarterfinal. But First Baptist made better use of theirs.
The Lions overcame the dominance underneath by Sarah Trill and at the 3-point arc by Cassie Foster to beat Keswick 48-42. Foster led the Crusaders with 17 points, including three 3-pointers in the second half, and Trill had 12.
"I'm proud of how we played tonight," said Keswick coach Karrmayne King. "We did well, considering that we were on the road and faced a hostile environment in the crowd here. We just didn't shoot quite well enough to win. (First Baptist) made their shots, and we didn't make ours. …
"We got plenty of good looks at the basket for the whole game, but we just didn't get enough to fall in. I told the girls they can hold their heads high. The scoreboard may have said we lost, but they acted like true winners out on the court."
Eighth-grader Emily Lines led First Baptist with 17 points, and Amber Emerson chipped in 11.
Keswick led for most of the third quarter before the Lions rallied to take a 32-31 lead in the final minute. But Foster hit a 3 right at the buzzer, and the Crusaders led 34-31.
The key for the Lions came early in the fourth when they put together a 9-0 run. After two free throws by Emerson, First Baptist was ahead 44-39 with two minutes remaining.
Foster made a 3-pointer to pull within 45-42 lead with 37 seconds left, but the Crusaders couldn't get any closer.