HEAVENLY HOOPS: Confidence key for Russellville

— Kaylee Wiedower and the Russellville Lady Cyclones are playing with confidence.

Wiedower hit a threepointer with 1:42 to play to account for the final of her 13 points as the Lady Cyclones escaped with a 47-44 victory over Star City in the final of the Mount St. Mary Heavenly Hoops on Saturday afternoon.

“My dad always tells me if I have a shot to take it,” Wiedower said. “I just had to have confidence I was going to make it.”

Russellville Coach Steve Wiedower, Kaylee’s father, said his team is more comfortable with his system in his second year at the school.

“All of these girls have a lot of confidence in themselves and I think that makes a big difference,” Steve Wiedower said. “They’re getting more used to me and I’m getting more used to them. It’s not as new to them and that helps.”

Russellville (3-0) never trailed in the second half, but the Lady Cyclones’ biggest lead was only five points. Star City (5-1) tied the game at 30-30 with 2:01 remaining in the third quarter and again at 40-40 with 3:45 to play, but the Lady Bulldogs never had the opportunity to take an advantage.

“It was like we were climbing up a hill all day,” Star City Coach Becky Brown said. “We never got ahead of them and that was huge.”

Star City guard Kara House hit a three-pointer with 3:45 left to tie the game at 40-40, but Russellville regained the lead nine seconds later on a free throw by Jamie Long.

Russellville was still clinging to that 41-40 advantage when Long found Wiedower on the right side. Wiedower’s shot wentthrough for her third threepointer of the afternoon. It was Russellville’s lone field goal of the fourth quarter.

“That was a big shot for them,” Brown said.

The Lady Bulldogs managed to pull back within two points twice, the last of which came on a putback by Yasmine Pace with 25.3 seconds to play.

Mary Carol Davis hit the second of two free throws with 8.5 seconds left to give Russellville a 47-44 lead. Star City had a shot to tie, but House’s shot from the right corner fell short of the rim.

“This is something different for us,” said Steve Wiedower, whose program won the Heavenly Hoops for the first time. “But the girls have really worked hard. We’re still learning and we’re not near where we’re supposed to be, but this is a good start.”

Pace led Star City with 14 points and nine rebounds. House finished with 10 points. Star City was 12 of 47 from the field and 19 of 31 from the free throw line. Russellville was 15 of 40 from the field and 13 of 17 from the line. Star City outrebounded Russellville 28-25.

“Russellville was quick, maybe even as quick as we are,” Brown said. “We didn’t do a great job with our press. I thought our rotation on the press wasn’t where it was supposed to be and the fact that we missed 12 free throws didn’t help either.”

Sports, Pages 29 on 11/21/2010

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