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Eagle girls beat buzzer again as Fink's basket knocks off Titans
By Scott Nuzum
Herald-Tribune
UNIONTOWN, Kan. -- Once again, Kaity Smith helped Uniontown's girls win a game with time running out.
On Jan. 6, Smith hit the game-winning shot with less than five seconds left to give the Eagles a win over Erie. Friday night, she made the right pass, finding Carissa Fink for the winning jumper with eight seconds left to give the Eagles a 57-56 victory over Southern Coffey County here in Three Rivers League play.
"Carissa was our second option on the play," Eagle head coach Ken Holt said. "Brandi (Robertson) was the first. They came up with some pressure, which surprised me a little bit. I thought they'd hang back."
Uniontown will face Prairie View in the first round of the Pleasanton Tournament Tuesday night. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. in the south gym.
The Eagles (1-1 TRL, 3-5 overall) enjoyed a seven-point lead at halftime and were still up by that many with 3:49 left in the third period.
But the Titans (2-1, 5-3) went on a 12-0 run to take a 43-38 lead with under a minute left in the period. Smith scored at the end of the quarter to bring the Eagles back within three.
"We kind of fell asleep a little bit," Holt said of the end of the third period. "Defensively, you can't do that. But it was a great effort the way they came back."
Robertson scored the first two baskets of the final stanza as Uniontown retook the lead. Later in the period, consecutive baskets from Fink and Riley Stephens saw the Eagles go up 51-48 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining.
Southern Coffey County scored eight of the next 10 to go up 56-53 with 1:43 remaining. Robertson converted a pass from Smith to bring Uniontown within two with 30 seconds left.
Veronica Clements went to the free-throw line for SCCHS with 17 seconds left but missed both shots. Robertson grabbed the rebound and Uniontown called time out.
Smith took the inbound pass, moved up the left sideline and then hit Fink, who drove in for the layup.
"These girls never quit," Holt said. "They never think they're not going to win. They are a confident group."
SCC inbounded and called time out with five seconds left. Hannah Brooks had trouble gathering in the inbound pass and her shot over the defense of Kylie Shepard at the buzzer fell short.
Robertson was the game's leading scorer with 16 points as she made seven of 13 shots from the field. Smith and Shepard each finished with 10.
Ashley Cox led SCCHS with 14 points. Casie Combs and LeNesha Harvey, who had all her points in the second half, each finished with 12.
The Titans shot 46 percent from the field, making 21 of 46 field-goal attempts. But they were just five of 14 in the fourth quarter. It also didn't help SCCHS that it went just three of nine at the charity stripe in the fourth.
Uniontown finished 27 of 65 for 42 percent but went eight of 14 in the fourth.
Smith grabbed nine rebounds for Uniontown, which had a 37-33 advantage on the boards. Fink had eight boards while Stephens and Bethany Middleton each had six.
There were 61 turnovers in the game with SCCHS committing 31. Stephens had five of Uniontown's 17 steals.
Smith dished five of the Eagle's 18 assists while Shepard and Stephens each recorded four.
Robertson's three-point play with seven seconds left gave Uniontown an 11-8 lead at the end of one period. Smith scored the first two baskets of the second period.
Stephens scored five straight points on two baskets and a free throw to boost the Eagles' lead to 28-15 with 1:40 left in the half. The Titans scored the last six of the half.
Uniontown won the JV game over SCCHS, 27-14. Alison Warren led the Eagles with seven points.
Notes: Crest defeated Altoona-Midway in TRL play Friday night 91-90 in overtime. Brooke Sloan scored 33 points in a losing effort, hitting nine three-point shots.