Freedom New Mexico: Liliana Castillo
Elida's Shanna Anthony blocks Grady's Mandy Rush path to the basket during Tuesdayâs Class 1A state tournament game at Rio Rancho.
Most Viewed Stories
Fourth-quarter run dooms Grady
March 11, 2008 10:45 PM
RIO RANCHO — Every time the second-seeded Elida Lady Tigers fouled a Grady player, the Lady Bronchos’ fans would single out the responsible player by yelling, “Hey (uniform number), you can’t do that.”
One could have said the same thing about the upstart Lady Bronchos, who rallied to tie favored Elida after three quarters. The Lady Tigers responded with a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter and held off a late Grady charge for a 57-49 victory in a Class 1A girls quarterfinal game at Rio Rancho High School.
Elida (25-3) moves on to play Magdalena Thursday in the semifinals.
Britnie Powell scored 15 points to lead Elida, and freshman guard Margo Ortiz added 12, including four points to start the fourth-quarter run.
“(Our coach) told us to push the ball and make plays,” said the 4-foot-9, 132-pound freshman, whose nicknames include Margarita and Midget.
After two baskets by Ortiz and three free throws from point guard Lindsey Smith to open the fourth stanza, Powell put the nail in the coffin with a trey from the right side. Grady had no choice but to foul, with top scorers Katarina Grau and Molly Rush fouling out in the process.
“We just got in a bad situation with foul trouble,” Grady coach Alicia Rush said. “That’s plagued us all year.”
Elida coach Dan Howard could certainly understand, as the Lady Tigers fell into early foul trouble and fought off a cold shooting night, which Howard attributed to solid Grady defense.
But Grady couldn’t compete with Elida’s depth, as seven of eight Lady Tigers scored.
“Anybody can lead us on any night,” Howard said. “I guess that’s what's got us to where we are.”
Mandy Rush led Grady with 16, while Molly Rush added 15 and Grau 10.
Grau is the only senior on the Grady roster, and Coach Rush thinks the confidence the team showed Tuesday can only help next year.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” Rush said. “They believed they could win the game, and you could tell.”
One could have said the same thing about the upstart Lady Bronchos, who rallied to tie favored Elida after three quarters. The Lady Tigers responded with a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter and held off a late Grady charge for a 57-49 victory in a Class 1A girls quarterfinal game at Rio Rancho High School.
Elida (25-3) moves on to play Magdalena Thursday in the semifinals.
Britnie Powell scored 15 points to lead Elida, and freshman guard Margo Ortiz added 12, including four points to start the fourth-quarter run.
“(Our coach) told us to push the ball and make plays,” said the 4-foot-9, 132-pound freshman, whose nicknames include Margarita and Midget.
After two baskets by Ortiz and three free throws from point guard Lindsey Smith to open the fourth stanza, Powell put the nail in the coffin with a trey from the right side. Grady had no choice but to foul, with top scorers Katarina Grau and Molly Rush fouling out in the process.
“We just got in a bad situation with foul trouble,” Grady coach Alicia Rush said. “That’s plagued us all year.”
Elida coach Dan Howard could certainly understand, as the Lady Tigers fell into early foul trouble and fought off a cold shooting night, which Howard attributed to solid Grady defense.
But Grady couldn’t compete with Elida’s depth, as seven of eight Lady Tigers scored.
“Anybody can lead us on any night,” Howard said. “I guess that’s what's got us to where we are.”
Mandy Rush led Grady with 16, while Molly Rush added 15 and Grau 10.
Grau is the only senior on the Grady roster, and Coach Rush thinks the confidence the team showed Tuesday can only help next year.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” Rush said. “They believed they could win the game, and you could tell.”
