Raps slow down McAllister, top Cosmos, 57-48

Girls basketball at Springfield.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20150215/SPORTS02/702159987

Published February 15, 2015 in the Rutland Herald Raps slow down McAllister, top Cosmos, 57-48 By POODY WALSH Correspondent SPRINGFIELD — Before the game Rivendell coach Hark Tenney was wondering how his Raptors were going to defend Springfield’s Chelsea McAllister, the Cosmos all-time leading scorer who was coming off a quadruple-double in her last game. By halftime he was still wondering as the senior had 18 points and the teams were in a battle, Rivendell leading just 31-30. Tenney and McAllister and very familiar with each other, as Tenney has had her on his AUU team the last four years. So maybe that helped him to make a decision to keep McAllister in check with the trio of Jennifer DeBois, Mikayle DeBois and Carrie Lynds taking turns being her shadow. It apparently worked as McAllister had just two points in the second half as the Raptors went on to win 57-48. It was the final regular-season game for both teams, which will have home games in the first round of the playoffs later this week. Unofficially, Rivendell, 13-7, will finish fifth in Division II and Tenney thinks the first-round opponent will be Bellows Falls or Leland and Gray. Springfield, 11-9, will likely finish seventh in Division II and coach Joe Brown thinks Woodstock will possibly be the opponent. Official pairings and first-round game will be announced Monday by the Vermont Principals Association. Tenney thought that it was one of the better games for his team and gave credit to not only the defense on McAllister, but the unselfish play on the part of several players who passed up shots to make that one more pass that resulted in an easier basket. “We made some smart basketball decisions today and were unselfish with the basketball,” said Tenney. “We’re a small team and we have to do the fundamentals well and we did that today.” Rivendell had the big second half without Riley Thomson, the talented freshman who had six points early in the game until taking a hard fall and injuring her jaw. She never returned to the game. Tenney did not know if she would be ready for the postseason. “The other girls rally stepped up when Riley went down,” said Tenney. Two of those girls who really stepped up were Jennifer DeBois and Tayo Ameden. DeBois, in addition to guarding McAllister, had 11 points and eight rebounds. Amaden, the only senior on the team, had 19 points. Springfield was playing catch-up all game, leading for just a short spell in the second quarter. “Our heads weren’t here today,” said Brown. “There were too many distractions. “We didn’t capitalize on our opportunities, but we can’t let this game define us. There’s a whole new season starting next week.” What squashed the Cosmos’ chances for a fourth-quarter comeback were two big 3-point Rivendell baskets. With 4:10 to go in the game Springfield had closed the gap to 46-42, but Amaden hit a 3. The lead eventually got to 51-43, but the resilient Cosmos cut it to 51-45 before Mikayla DeBois applied the final dagger with a 3-point dinger.