By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
ROSSVILLE – It took every ounce of life for the Rossville girls basketball team to prevail in a 61-52 double-overtime victory over a Rock Creek team, which had beaten them nine consecutive times.
Junior Kinsey Perine gave Rossville a big lift in double overtime in the Bulldawgs' 61-52 win over Rock Creek. [File photo/TSN]
It would be an understatement to say Rossville faced adversity in double overtime.
Two of Rossville's leading scorers fouled out with plenty of game time left, shots weren't falling as the Bulldawgs would like, and Rock Creek was fueled full of momentum after trailing for 36:32 of the game and tying the game to go into overtime.
Rossville wasn't supposed to win, but it did, and that's all that matters to the team.
"It's always good to win no matter what," Rossville coach Michael Bell said. "You get the (win), and you're going to sub-state, which is always nice. We haven't beaten (Rock Creek) in a while, and they are a great team. I think if you ask (Rock Creek coach Adam Plummer), he'd say that we both didn't play pretty well. But we are happy with the win."
The Bulldawgs won with great defense, forcing turnovers, junior Katie Spielman's poise in clutch moments and the 10-point performance in the second overtime period from standout junior Kinsey Perine.
Going into Tuesday night's contest, Perine led all classes in Kansas in assists per game (7.3) and was second in the state for steals per game (6.2). Perine's role on Rossville's team is to be the peskiest defender she can be while going out of her way to find the open player on offense.
Perine had to flip her script when top scorers Emma Mitchell and Rylee Dick fouled out. Then, Perine had to put the team on her back offensively and finish the job.
After hitting a deep corner 3-point shot, Perine willed her way to the foul line in the second overtime numerous times. The guard went seven of eight from the charity stripe, making the contest unwinnable for Rock Creek.
"With our top scorers going out, I knew my priorities were different," Perine said. "My role was different, and I couldn't just focus on what I do best on the defensive end. I knew I had to take matters into my own hands, get to spots where I could score, try to get my teammates open and communicate the best I could. I thought I did pretty well in the second overtime."
Perine had one point through four quarters; therefore, that flip to become the scorer couldn't have come at a better time.
"I looked at the book at halftime, and she didn't have any points," Bell said. "She doesn't care. She likes to do everything else and make people around her better. Obviously, at the end of the game, we had to have her (scoring). She stepped up big, took control and made the free throws down the stretch. I was very proud of her and her leadership."
It's been over a month since these two Mid-East League rivals met. On Jan. 10, Rossville couldn't overcome Rock Creek's free throw shooting at the end of regulation in a 55-53 loss on the road.
The free opportunities that Rossville gave Rock Creek in that January contest greatly affected its loss. The Mustangs were nearly perfect from the free throw line, going 16 of 19 from the charity stripe.
On Tuesday night it was Rossville's turn to sting its opponent from free opportunities.
"It felt amazing," Perine said. "I have always had a rivalry with Rock Creek ever since my freshman year. They ended our season my freshman year when we lost to them at sub-state. I've always wanted to beat Rock Creek, and now it feels amazing."
In the first quarter, Rossville controlled the pace of play. The Bulldawgs jumped out to an 8-7 lead and ended the opening quarter on an 8-0 run.
Mitchell led the game in points with nine, and the Bulldawgs were rolling with its six of 10 shooting while Rock Creek shot a forgettable two of 11 from the field.
Rossville's second and third quarters were rugged offensively, unlike the first quarter, where the Bulldawgs were rolling with the hot hand.
Rossville shot four of 21 from the field in the second and third quarters. Although Rossville's shooting percentages weren't significant, the Bulldawg defense secured an 11-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
"I think we are flying around well," Perine said. "Our defense has played really well. On offense, we need to handle the ball better and shoot more often. We must keep getting people open on set plays and not settling."
Rock Creek struggled against Rossville's pressure and needed help to get the shots to fall in the middle quarters. The Mustangs collectively were five of 23 from the field.
Down by 11 points, the Mustangs would mount a massive run in the fourth quarter.
A pair of Sam Killingsworth 3-point conversions, automatic free throw shooting from Claire Matzke, a Kinlee Ebert mid-range jumper and a Hadley Rempe 3-point shot sent inched Rock Creek to a lead despite trailing 36:32 of the game.
Down 42-39, Dick and junior Kinley Porter's offense tied the game and sent the game into overtime, giving Rossville hope.
Deadlocked at 42-42 and Rossville's leading scorer (Mitchell) fouling out on a questionable call, the Bulldawgs had to find extra momentum to carry them the remainder of the game.
Each team scored six points in the first overtime. However, the second leading scorer, Dick, fouled out in the first overtime, putting freshman Maggie Sanders under pressure.
"We definitely have players on the bench that we trust," Bell said. "We know the (bench) can do the job, and they did. Emma Mitchell was one of our girls making some shots for us early. It's unfortunate because I don't know if she played more than 16 minutes that whole game. And Rylee (Dick) caught a couple of cheap fouls, I thought, at the end. So my two big scorers are sitting on the bench during key moments of the game.
Sanders answered by drawing a significant blocking foul. As well as Sanders drawing a crucial foul, Junior Katie Spielman scored four points in the paint with pressure in her face.
Perine's 10-point second overtime period, Rock Creek running out of gas and the Bulldawgs playing stellar defense allowed Rossville to create a memorable memory on its homecourt on Senior Night.
ROSSVILLE GIRLS 61, ROCK CREEK 52.
Rock Creek 7 8 7 20 6 4 – 52
Rossville 16 8 9 9 6 13 – 61
Rock Creek — Conrow 0-1 0-2 0, McFall 1-3 2-2 4, Matzke 3-12 2-2 8, Klingenberg 1-5 2-4 4, Ebert 3-11 4-6 11, Rottinghaus 2-5 3-3 7. Plummer 0-0 0-4 0, Killingsworth 3-5 2-2 11, Rempe 2-5 1-2 7. Totals – 15-47 16-27 52.
Rossville — Perine 1-6 8-10 11, Mitchell 3-7 3-3 11, Porter 3-9 0-2 6, Dick 3-8 5-6 12, Spielman 5-10 5-10 15, Haehn 1-3 4-14 6, Sanders 0-0 0-2 0. Totals – 16-43 25-45 61.
3-point goals – Rossville 4 (Mitchell 2, Perine, Dick), Rock Creek 6 (Killingsworth 3, Rempe 2, Ebert). Total fouls – Rossville 23, Rock Creek 34. Fouled out – Rossville: Mitchell, Dick. Rock Creek: Klingenberg, Rottinghaus. Technical fouls – none.
