Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

In 2nd Round Action Of State AA Basketball Tournament

It is said revenge is a dish best eaten cold.

However, there are times when it simply is not possible to gain revenge. This is what happened to the Prescott Wolverettes Thursday, March 7, in the second round of the state AA tourney in Clarksville.

Pulaski Academy ended Prescott's season of dreams last year, and were the Wolverettes' opponents again Thursday night. The Lady Bruins again ended the Wolverettes' hopes of a state title with a 67-49 victory.

Prescott's crew had every reason to believe revenge would be theirs as they made the long trip to the College of the Ozarks.

The team was upbeat, confident and ready to play the Lady Bruins.

Gladies Gulley won the tip for the Wolverettes, who scored the first two points of the contest. Then, the battle was on.

The Lady Bruins were taller and physically stronger than the Wolverettes, a fact which was evidenced on the boards, as the PA crew was able to muscle the Wolverettes out of position and pull down most of the rebounds.

And, when the Lady Bruins weren't moving the Wolverettes, the ball appeared to bounce to them off the back iron.

Both teams utilized the full 94 feet of the court early on, and, with 2:00 remaining in the first, the score was tied 10-10.

However, the Lady Bruins were able to pull ahead at the buzzer 17-14.

Pulaski Academy started pulling away from the Wolverettes in the second, going up 20-16 with 7:25 left.

Another problem the Wolverettes faced was PA's ability to shoot free throws. Eventually, this proved to be the difference in the game, as the Lady Bruins netted 23 of 33 from the line, while Prescott was five of 11 at the stripe.

And then, the Wolverettes couldn't buy a basket. It seemed as though their shots were just slightly off, regardless of how well they were covered. Layups found the back of the rim, three-point shots would go in and bounce out.

With 3:06 left in the second, Coach Cecily Butler called a time out with her team trailing 28-19.

Though the Wolverettes came out battling, they were never able to get over the hump. By halftime, Prescott trailed 35-23.

Pulaski Academy came out in a stall offense to start the second half, working the ball around the perimeter, taking time off the clock, and making sure the shots they took were good ones.

With Gulley in foul trouble, Butler went to a three guard offense with Jessica Hildebrand, Stacy Stockton and Traci Graham. This put Leslie Hines at the post position and inside the paint.

However, with 2:37 left in the third, the Wolverettes trailed 41-27. But, they battled back, outscoring PA 7-5 for the rest of the period, and headed into the final eight minutes down 46-34.

The Wolverettes pressed and pressed hard during the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to single digits, but being forced to foul late in the game.

At the 6:45 mark in the fourth, the score was 46-37, with Prescott fighting for its playoff life.

With 4:59 remaining in the game, the Wolverettes had fought back to a 46-41 margin, by forcing several turnovers and converting easy layups.

At the worst possible time, the Wolverettes went cold from the field and had to foul the Lady Bruins.

Sixteen times, the PA team went to the line in the fourth period. Twelve of those free throws found nothing but the bottom of the net.

With time running out, and the game out of reach, Butler began clearing the bench, giving her players some valuable playoff experience.

"It was a bad time for an off night," Butler said. "We played hard, but were beaten by a better team. They were bigger and stronger than us."

This was evidenced by the way PA was able to muscle the Wolverettes out of the way for rebounds all night long.

Stockton led the Wolverette offense with 13 points, while Laura Culpepper added nine. Hines scored seven in the game, including a three-pointer. Gulley and Graham had seven as well. Hildebrand drove the lanes to score four points, while Christy Martin added two.

Hawkins led all scorers in the game with 17, while Peeples added 12 for PA.

The Wolverettes have nothing to be ashamed of this season. They finished with the best record and most wins of any Prescott girls basketball team at 28-6.

This group also won five titles in two years and made two consecutive trips to the state tournament.

"They made their mark," Butler said. "In three years of senior basketball, they made history and a new era in Wolverette basketball.

"Now, seventh and eighth graders are talking state tourney and these girls paved the way. They broke all the school records."

Butler will lose eight members of this team to graduation. She lost the same amount her first year as Prescott's coach, but was able to reload for last year's state tourney run.

"There's a lot of youth coming up and coming back," Butler said. "The young girls are showing a lot of promise.

"The girls coming up know what it takes to win and don't know what it's like to lose."

Still, Butler said, she is disappointed for this year's team because the girls fell short of their goal of bringing home the first state basketball championship.

"It's hard losing these eight," she said. "They're like my own. They've been mine the last three years and are part of my life.

"We'll miss their leadership skills and work habits."

PRESCOTT 69

HOXIE 64

Free throws almost cost Prescott's Wolverettes any chance at advancing in the state tourney, though.

In their opening game, the Wolverettes needed an extra period to put Hoxie's Lady Mustangs away 69-64.

The free throw problem came like this: Prescott couldn't hit one late and Hoxie did.

Still, one missed free throw by Hoxie's Laura Webb made the difference between winning and losing for Prescott.

The Wolverettes had built double-digit leads throughout the game, but never put the Lady Mustangs away when they had the chance.

Prescott opened with an 18-13 first quarter lead, and held a 32-27 halftime advantage.

The Lady Mustangs rallied in the third to go up 41-40. At the end of four, the score was tied at 59-59.

However, the Wolverettes led with three minutes to go in the fourth, forcing Hoxie to foul.

"They kept fouling, and we kept missing," Butler said. "Hoxie kept getting second chances."

With eight seconds showing in the fourth, Hildebrand was on the line with two shots. She made the first, but the second bounced out.

This gave the Wolverettes a 59-57 lead.

The Lady Mustangs raced downcourt, with Webb firing a shot from beyond the arc. However, Culpepper went up to block the shot, and did, but fouled Webb in the process.

This gave Hoxie's best shot three chances to win the game. On the other side of the court, Butler called three consecutive time outs to try and ice Webb.

The first two shots found the bottom of the net, while the third missed, sending the g