NEW LISBON FALLS IN REGIONAL FINALS, 48-45
David Paradise/Star-Times
New Lisbon's Jill Niles drives to the basket on Saturday during the Rockets regional final game in West Salem.
By David Paradise
Star-Times Sports Editor
The New Lisbon Rockets (13-10) girls basketball team traveled to West Salem on Saturday for the WIAA Division IV regional finals against the Alma-Center Lincoln Hornets (14-9).
Senior Hilary Roscovius got the Rockets on the board first when she converted a three-point play. Lincoln responded with a 9-0 run to take an early 9-3 lead.
New Lisbon answered with a 7-0 run to regain the lead.
Jill Niles had four of the seven, and Danielle Berry knocked down a three-pointer to give New Lisbon the 10-9 lead.
The Hornets regained the lead with a basket before Haley Woggon scored to put the Rockets back on top, 12-11.
Lincoln scored to retake the lead, but Niles hit a pair of free throws to give New Lisbon a 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. Lincoln started the second with an 8-0 run. Berry ended the run with a basket before a 4-1 run gave the Hornets a 25-17 lead.
Megan Neitzel knocked down her first basket of the game to cut the Lincoln lead to six, before back-to-back baskets gave the Hornets a 29-19 lead.
Roscovius knocked down a three-pointer to narrow the lead to seven, 29-22, at halftime.
The Rockets' defense picked up in the third quarter, limiting the Hornets to just five points, Niles led the Rockets' offense in the third with six points, and Neitzel added a basket, as the Rockets narrowed the Lincoln lead to just four, 34-30, heading into the fourth quarter.
The Hornets started the fourth quarter with a 5-2 spurt to take a 39-32 lead, before Roscovius scored five straight, including her second three-pointer of the night, to narrow the Lincoln lead to two.
The Hornets responded with a 4-0 run, that put them back up six, 43-37.
A Tanya Stickney basket cut it to four, before a Lincoln free throw pushed the lead back to five.
Niles hit her seventh and eighth free throws of the game to cut it to three with 1:41 remaining.
A pair of Hornets free throws put Lincoln back up five.
Niles hit two more free throws, and the Rockets forced a turnover on the ensuing Hornets possession, which Roscovius converted to cut the lead to just one, 46-45, with 33 seconds remaining.
The Rockets fouled to stop the clock, and Lincoln hit the free throws to give them a 48-45 lead. The Rockets got three shots off in their final possession, including two in the final eight seconds, but couldn't convert, and fell 48-45.
"The girls battled throughout, the whole they kept coming back," New Lisbon coach Brad Bolton said. "Jill (Niles) played a great game, hitting all 10 of her free throws. Hilary (Roscovius) our only senior, I am really proud of her. She has been a great leader all year. I want to thank all the fans that came for their support, it was great to see a big crowd. Hopefully the girls will work hard in the offseason, and we can make another run next year."
New Lisbon was led by Niles with 16 including 10 for 10 from the free throw line.
Roscovius added 13, Berry finished with eight, Neitzel had four, and Woggon and Stickney had two points each.