WOMEN'S INTERHALL GOLD LEAGUE: BP defense halts Lyons
PHIL KOESTERER
Sports Writer
All it takes is one big play to break the game wide-open and secure a victory. In Thursday night's 6-0 defeat of Lyons, Breen Phillips got just such a play from defender Kelly Landers.
On the first play of the game, Landers intercepted Lyons quarterback Sarah Jenkins' pass, and returned it for a touchdown, giving BP a 6-0 lead that would hold for the rest of the game.
While Lander's play may have made the difference in the game, the Babes' defense was a dominant force, with defenders Molly Cummings and Tessa Sainz each contributing another interception.
"Our defense really stepped it up and controlled the ball in this game with the three interceptions," said BP coach Corey Timlin.
In the second half, Lyons could not put together a drive of any substantial length.
"We expected a tough game from them tonight, especially with the [rain]," said Lyons coach Jerry Fasoldt. "We knew that they had an athletic quarterback, so we set up the defense to key off of her and they did an excellent job."
Quarterback Katie McFarland and the BP offense found it difficult to get into the endzone. The Babes offense was held scoreless, and forced to punt the ball frequently.
"For the playoffs, we need to brush up on a couple of things, [including] scoring," said BP captain Jenny Wahoske. "We've been all about knocking on the door, but not getting it in."
As BP improved to 3-1-1 on the year, Lyons saw any hopes of a playoff berth slip through its hands, falling to 2-4.
"We had to win tonight to get in [the playoffs]," Fasoldt said, "But we had a good season. We started off (0-2), and a lot of people wrote us off. The girls were great, coming back and winning the next two games."
Badin 12, Pasquerilla East 0
In yet another rainy weather match-up, the Badin Bullfrogs moved a step closer to the playoffs and defeated the Pyros of Pasquerilla East.
"It was a really big game because we knew we had to win or tie to get in [to the playoffs]," said Badin coach Brett Gansen.
The Bullfrogs (3-2-1) started the game in full force with an eight-play scoring drive on their first possession. Badin quarterback Erin Zachary completed a pass in the endzone on the sixth play of the drive, but it was brought back after an illegal blocking call.
Two plays later, a Badin runner broke the plane of the goal line on a reverse to put six points on the board.
When PE quarterback Lindsay Terifay was intercepted deep in her own territory on the next drive, it set up another Badin touchdown, this time on a short pass from Zachary.
"That play was a turning point in the game because it gave [Badin] great field position, plus a lot of momentum after the first touchdown," said PE coach Josh Eckert.
The Pyros put together several strong drives, but could not seem to get the little things to go their way. Late in the first half on fourth down, Terifay threw an expertly-placed pass to receiver Kathryn Lent in the end-zone, who caught the ball as she fell out of bounds. The referee ruled that Lent's foot was already out of bounds when she caught the pass.
PE drove again early in the second half, with Terifay passing and running the ball with equal effectiveness. The Pyros were stopped on fourth down again, however, when Terifay scrambled to the goal line and was forced out of bounds without breaking the plane of the goal line.
"Our offense struggled in the red zone today due to the absence of [PE] offensive coordinator `Grandpa' Jack Palma," said PE coach Jim Donnelly.
Just as PE was unable to make the big plays offensively, they could not match Badin's defensive output. Badin's second touchdown was set up by an interception. Late in the second half, Bullfrog defender Jen Craig intercepted Terifay to stop a potential PE scoring drive.
"The defense played really solidly tonight," said Gansen. "This is a team that has allowed only three touchdowns in six games."
PE moved to 2-3 on the year, making its game on Sunday crucial to keep its playoff hopes alive
All Sports Stories for Monday, October 15, 2001
