Turnovers costly for Cosmos against Minutemen

Tuesday’s game against Mill River was a night and day contest for the Springfield girls basketball team.

Related story: Streaking Minutemen edge Cosmos

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Turnovers costly for Cosmos against Minutemen By Anthony Labor Jr. | Feb 04, 2015 Share on print Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email More Sharing Services 0 SPRINGFIELD — Tuesday’s game against Mill River was a night and day contest for the Springfield girls basketball team. After a rough start, the Cosmos took the lead at the end of the half and held it until midway through the third quarter. With the game tied 30-30 with less than 30 seconds to go in the third, the Minutemen ended the frame on a 5-0 run and never looked back. Mill River came away with a 45-41 victory over Springfield. “I thought this was definitely a game we could have won even with the slow start we had,” said Springfield coach Joe Brown. “We just turned the ball over too much and had poor judgment from everyone out there at times.” Springfield held a 30-28 lead with 2:36 remaining in the third quarter before Mill River’s Rylee Nichols tied the game up with a drive to the basket. Taylor Worcester hit a 3-pointer with 14 seconds to go before Springfield was called for a double dribble with less than a second on the clock. The Cosmos were called for a foul on the ensuing inbound play as time expired and Jessica Audy (19 points) hit both free throws to make it a 35-30 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Minutemen built the lead to 39-30 into the fourth and Springfield never got closer than five points before Nicole Patterson (seven points) hit a 3 with two seconds left on the clock. “That hurt us for sure,” said Brown. “In reality, those five points that we gave up late in the third was the game.” In the end it was another tight battle between Division II opponents. Springfield won the matchup earlier this season by a 40-38 score. Neither team capitalized on easy chances from the floor throughout the game, but Mill River took advantage of their free throw shots. It was 15 of 22 from the line, which was a huge factor in the final. Springfield only took eight free throws and made five. “I don’t know what it is about playing Springfield, but the first time we missed a number of easy looks,” said Mill River coach Ken Webb. “Again tonight, we missed some easy baskets, but luckily we did a good job at the foul line.” After the Cosmos held the Minutemen to three second-quarter points, Audy put her team on her back in the second half. She scored 12 of her 17 points in the final two quarters and hit seven of eight of her free throws. The rest of the team also contributed with seven other players scoring in the game. “(Audy) shot the ball real well for us tonight,” said Webb. “She has a lot of those games for us. “But the good thing about this team is it seems like there is always someone new stepping up every night,” he added. “That’s what is always special about this team. Even the kids off the bench can come in and really contribute on any given night.” The first quarter left a lot to be desired from the Cosmos, as they trailed 16-7 after the first eight minutes. However, they started to step up their game in the second quarter. Audy hit a jumper for Mill River a minute into the second quarter before Springfield ended the frame on an 11-2 run to take a 20-19 lead at the half. Springfield extended its lead to as much as five after a Brooke Willey (nine points) 3 before Audy hit a jumper and a 3 to get the team back into the mix before the Minutemen ended on their strong run going into the fourth. After going down nine early in the fourth, Springfield wouldn’t go away without a fight. Chelsea McAllister (20 points) and Patterson hit a basket each and forced Mill River into turnovers to make it a game. However, the Cosmos couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity as Mill River hit its free throws down the stretch. They ended the fourth quarter hitting 8 of 10 foul shots to secure the win. The key for Webb and the Mill River defense was holding McAllister to her 20 points in the game. “Chelsea McAllister is a great basketball player and you aren’t going to hold her completely on offense,” said Webb. “We just said she is going to score, so we just have to contain her and make her work for everything she got out there.” Mill River improved to 12-4 on the season and sat in fourth place in Division II after the win on Tuesday. After holding down the fifth spot a couple of games ago, Springfield fell down to seventh after its two-game losing streak. The Cosmos fell to 9-8 with Tuesday’s loss and will look to get back in the win column Friday when they travel to Otter Valley. “We just gave up too many opportunities tonight,” said Brown. “I think we lose focus at times and don’t put together a full four quarters. We just have to work on our mental toughness going forward and focus on what we’re trying to do and not rush things.”