KFDM COOP Posted February 15, 2007 Report Posted February 15, 2007 Ozen girls lose DAYTON - For three quarters, Ozen had an answer for Crosby. But the fourth quarter proved to be too much. The Lady Cougars made their first seven shots from the field in the final frame and put a stubborn Lady Panther team away with a 64-48 win Tuesday in the first round of the Class 4A girls basketball playoffs."I think we kind of settled down," Crosby coach Edwin Egans said. "Our emotions were sky high. I think this was a big win for us. A lot of the kids haven't been through this and it will help us. We did what we were supposed to do to get the win."Creshun White led all scorers with 29 points in the game, shooting 8-of-10 from the field and 13-of-16 from the free throw line. Each time Ozen pulled to within one or two points it was White who put the game in her hands and made a play. Ozen fell behind 42-36 late in the third after White scored four consecutive points. The Lady Panthers pulled within four and forced a turnover with three seconds remaining in the quarter. A'lexus Brannon took the inbounds pass on the far side of the court and nailed a 3 from just inside the half court line to put Ozen within 42-41 leading into the final quarter.White scored to open the quarter and Daronica Williams added a 3 to give the Lady Cougars a 47-41 lead. Much like they had the entire game, Ozen answered on a basket by Brannon. But this time, Crosby did not allow them to get back in the game. Bianca Johnson hit a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Lady Cougars a seven-point lead, and from there, Crosby took control of the game. The Lady Panthers only made 3-of-11 from the field in the final quarter."I kind of took a deep breath when they made that 3," Egans said. "I was thinking here we go again, but it worked out. Tonight Creshun got creative with her moves. She made a move to get them off-balance. They were packing it in and trying to keep us from penetration and gave us some open looks. We have some girls that can shoot from the outside when they get their feet set."Ozen came out strong in the first quarter taking a 7-3 lead. Kayla Celestine hit a 3 to get the Lady Panther started. The freshman had five points in the quarter and 14 in the game to lead Ozen.Crosby rebounded and took a 16-15 lead into the second quarter. It was then that White began to assert herself scoring 10 of her points. Ozen closed within 23-22 but a three-point play by White lifted the Lady Cougars as they went on to take a 30-25 lead into the half. Other leading scorers for Crosby were Williams with 12 and Johnson with 11. Ozen's Brannon and Sojourner Brown each had nine.
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