Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolverettes Fall Short Of Goal

Even the best of teams have off nights.

For Prescott's Wolverettes, their off night came at the worst possible time the finals of the AAA State Championship.

No matter what the Wolverette players did, nor how hard they tried, the ball simply wouldn't bounce their way.

At time, it appeared as though their goal was capped, while the Dover goal had been widened to let the ball through easier.

When all was said and done, though, the Wolverettes finished as runners up after a 48-43 loss.

The game began with Prescott taking the opening tip. From there, however, the bottom began falling out.

Twelve seconds into the game Andrea Cossey was hit with her first foul. Cossey had taken a pass and turned to dribble downcourt. The official whistled her for bumping into a Dover player, though the Lady Pirate in question clearly moved into Cossey's path.

Dover built a 6-0 lead as the Wolverette offense was just slightly out of sync and unable to connect with a basket.

Prescott got on the board with a 17-foot jumper from Stacy Stockton with about five minutes left in the first period.

The Wolverettes managed only one more basket for the remainder of the quarter as their shots caught nothing but iron time after time.

The Lady 'Bucs ended period one with a 10-4 advantage.

Stockton opened the second period with two, but Dover scored three to take a 13-6 lead.

The Lady Pirates were a deliberate team on offense, passing the ball until an opening was found and burying the shot.

Defensively, the Lady 'Bucs played a tighter than expected man defense and were an extremely physical team.

The Wolverettes weren't able to get into their style of offense for the entire first half, managing a total of 11 points at the break, while Dover scored 21.

The third quarter saw the Wolverettes get their offense in gear and outscore the Lady Pirates 16-8 to cut the gap to two by the end of the frame.

After Dover opened the second half with a bucket, Prescott returned the favor as the Wolverettes were beginning to find their stroke.

For the most part, the officials allowed the two teams to play and hack at one another.

Prescott's girls left everything they had on the floor in the third quarter as they battled their way into the game, ending period three with the score 29-27 in Dover's favor.

The third quarter put the Wolverettes in position to win the game in the final eight minutes. For a brief time, it looked as if they would rally and do just this as they took a 32-31 lead, their only lead of the game, with 5:55 showing.

Jeanie Haynie picked off a Dover pass, but before the Wolverettes could convert, they turned the ball over and the Lady 'Bucs scored to regain the lead.

Dover then went on a 5-0 run to push their advantage to 38-32 with 3:14 remaining in the contest.

The Lady Pirates went into a semi-stall offense, working the ball and the clock.

With time becoming a factor the Wolverettes were forced to foul. Prescott managed to cut the lead to 38-34 with 1:56 left in the game, with Traci Graham driving in the lane. She was hammered and knocked to the floor, but no call was made by the officials.

Dover, down the stretch, hit eight consecutive free throws to hold onto its lead and post its first title of any kind in school history.

Graham hit a three at the buzzer for the Wolverette's final points.

A total of 4,471 people filled the Pine Bluff Convention Center to watch this game, with fans from both sides rooting for their team.

However, the victory for Dover came from the free throw line. The Lady Pirates connected on 12 of 14, while the Wolverettes shot less than 50 percent at five of 12.

Graham led the Wolverettes with 17 points, the only Prescott player in double figures. Stockton, who sacrificed her body time after time during the game, including diving into press row after a loose ball, ended her prep career with eight. Cossey and Amanda Hodges scored five each, while Jessica Hendrix and Haynie added four apiece.

Brandy Boley led all scorers with 23 points in the contest.

Stockton and Graham were named to the all-tournament team.

Prescott Coach Bill Cossey said Dover was the better team on this day, but added the Wolverettes will gladly play the Lady Pirates again.

"We missed a lot of shots early and they didn't," he said.

"Free throws have been our forte throughout the year, and we didn't shoot them well.

"I'm proud of them for getting this far," Cossey continued. "We're grateful for the fan support we've gotten throughout the year, especially during the tournaments. It was unreal."

Cossey said the crowd following the Wolverettes to Pine Bluff for the finals was incredible especially with the weather as bad as it was.

"We had good senior leadership all year," he said.

During the past four seasons, the Wolverettes have amassed more than 100 wins, won four district titles, two regional crowns and have made trips to the state tourney four times. They made it to the quarter finals twice and the finals once.

"It hurts to lose," Cossey said, "but they went out as champions."