http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100123/SPORTS/1230364
OV gets a big victory
By POODY WALSH Herald Correspondent - Published: January 23, 2010
SPRINGFIELD — Otter Valley pulled away from Springfield in the fourth quarter to post a 39-33 win in a Marble Valley League girls basketball game Friday night at Dressel gym. While neither team is in the running for the Division II lead, it was pivotal for both clubs. The Otters are 7-7 and looking at a first-round bye in the tourney if they continue their winning ways. They were in sixth place in the standings at game time.
"We really needed this," Otter Valley coach Ray Counter said.
While Springfield is 2-13, there are still three teams behind them and they need to move up to avoid playing one of the top teams in the first round. There are 15 teams in the division.
However, the Cosmos let a chance for victory get away as they trailed by just one point at the start of the fourth quarter.
"They slowed down our tempo," Springfield coach Brodie Ladue said. "We want to play at a faster pace, but they took that part of our game away from us."
What Otter Valley also did in the second half was get its penetration game in gear and they were getting more makeable shots in the final 16 minutes.
"We kind of got stagnant in the first half," Counter said. "We picked it up in the second half."
It also helped that point guard Kristy Pinkham was back in the game. She picked up her third foul at the 1:34 mark of the first period and sat on the bench until the second half.
Springfield stayed close for more than four minutes of the final period, trailing 30-28 with 3:34 to go. It was at that point the Otters began putting the game away. Pinkham hit a 3-bomb from the corner and shortly thereafter, Ladue was charged with a technical foul by official Vickie Goodrich for leaving the coach's box. Michelle Lefebvre made both free throws. Four more Otter Valley free throws followed, two each by Amanda Sanderson and Brittany Young, and the Otters were suddenly in front 39-28 with just 1:06 to play.
"You know, we haven't been playing very well lately," Counter said. "We're still a work in progress and we're getting stronger. This really helped tonight."
The Cosmos had a 5-0 lead with 4:30 to go in the first period as they were weaving the ball outside and patiently waiting for the good shot. Then they began turning the ball over and by the half the Otters were in front 18-16 and led 27-26 after three periods.
Sanderson and Lefebvre each had eight points for the Otters while Pinkham had seven. For Springfield, Desmond Dana had 10 and Kayla Perham nine.
Otter Valley hosts Bellows Falls on Monday while Springfield goes to Woodstock in another Monday game.
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