Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Lady Bucs run into brick wall

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Saturday, December 18, 1999

Lady Bucs run into brick wall
Powerful Carroll upends streaking Miller, 56-46
By Stu Duncan
Caller-Times

Michelle Christenson/Caller-Times

Miller's Dionne Collier (left) drives past Carroll's April Ramirez Friday during the Lady Bucs' loss to the Lady Tigers.

After winning the 15th annual Pride of Texas Basketball Tournament at Tuloso-Midway High School last weekend, the hard-charging Miller girls basketball team seemed to be cruising right along.
   Until district play began, that is.
   The Lady Buccaneers ran into defending Class 5A state finalist Carroll in their District 28-5A opener Friday night, and fell to the Lady Tigers, 56-46.
   Miller gave the defending district champions quite a first quarter, but had no answer for Carroll's back-door cuts to the basket or its big-game experience.
   "They're probably a little too confident for my comfort," Carroll girls basketball coach Leticia Canales said of her players returning from last year's team. "I've got to bring them back down to Earth. I think this game will (do that).
   "(Playing in the district opener) is a different intensity level, a different type of game and I guess the kids felt a little pressure," Canales said, "because it is a big game and one of those that you don't want to lose."
   A combination of Miller turnovers, missed point-blank shots early by the Lady Bucs and Carroll's offensive execution helped the more seasoned Lady Tigers (15-0 overall, 1-0 in district) take a first-quarter lead and then hold off pesky Miller (13-5, 0-1) late.
   "Sometimes when we miss shots we get down," said Miller freshman post Margaret Wimbish, who with sophomore forward/post Clatisha Clay and junior guard Precious Winn combined for 41 of the Lady Bucs' 46 points. "And that's what brings the team down. When we get down - the whole team just falls apart.

Michelle Christenson/Caller-Times

Carroll's Sabrina Mitchell (back) prepares to block the shot of Miller's Clatisha Clay during the Lady Tigers' 56-46 victory Friday over the Lady Bucs..

   "Everybody thought we were going to lose by 30 because they were beating everybody else (so convincingly)," Wimbish added. "I think we did good to hold them to only a 10-point (victory). There's always next time. We'll get them."
   Carroll junior forward/post Sabrina Mitchell scored 19 of her 20 points in the first half, as the Lady Tigers built a 34-21 halftime lead.
   Behind Clay's six consecutive points, Miller closed to within eight points three minutes into the third quarter, but Carroll senior guard Nicole Dunson stifled the rally with two straight baskets to push the Lady Tigers' lead back to double digits. Dunson continually slipped past her defender and to the basket for several uncontested layups in scoring 14 of her game-best 22 points in the second half.
   "They were playing a really aggressive man-to-man defense," Dunson said. "It was pretty good, but sometimes they didn't catch that back door."
   "We just executed and did what we were supposed to do," Canales said of Carroll scoring after cutting back to the basket. "When you do that - it's kind of hard to stop."
   Earlier, Miller held an 10-9 advantage when Wimbish posted up Mitchell, used a nice spin move and then banked in a short jumper with 25 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
   The Lady Tigers took the lead for good with two seconds remaining in the first quarter. Mitchell passed to Dunson, who went in for a layup to give Carroll an 11-10 edge.
   Mitchell's free-throw line jumper and senior Shaye Yoakum's layup helped the Lady Tigers go on a 6-2 run to extend the lead to 17-12.
   The Lady Buccaneers cut the deficit to three points on a basket by Wimbish, but Carroll outscored Miller 17-7 in the final 5 minutes, 48 seconds of the first half to forge ahead by 13.
   April Ramirez also contributed 10 points for the Lady Tigers in the victory.

   CARROLL 11 23 17 05-56
   MILLER 10 11 13 12-46
   CARROLL - Shaye Yoakum 2, Nicole Dunson 22, April Ramirez 10, Kendall Brooks 2, Sabrina Mitchell 20.
   MILLER - Precious Winn 11, Dionne Collier 5, Margaret Wimbish 14, Clatisha Clay 16.
   3-point goals - Carroll (Ramirez 2) Miller (Winn 3, Collier 1). Records - Carroll 15-0, 1-0. Miller 13-5,0-1.JV score - Carroll 50, Miller 42. Freshmen - Carroll 40, Miller 18.



Staff writer Stu Duncan can be reached at 886-3702 or by e-mail at duncans@caller.com

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