Lebo’s Presley leads big comeback
Ken Easthouse
Saturday, December 9, 2006
Madison — The Madison girls basketball team was on its way to victory going into the fourth quarter Friday night. The Lady Bulldogs led by seven — the largest lead of the night for either team — and seemed to have momentum on their side.
Then Lebo guard Nickole Presley took over.
Presley scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone and 27 points total to lead the Lady Wolves in a come-from-behind 44-41 win over Madison Friday night.
“She’s our leader and our go-to person,” Lebo coach Mike McDougald said.
Presley was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, shooting at times when the lead was at stake.
“I couldn’t think about anything otherwise I’d miss them,” Presley said. “I just went up and shot them.”
Presley is the only starting senior on the team; every other starter is a freshman, making it among the youngest lineups in the league.
“I just have to help them keep their head high,” Presley said. “They’re going to make their freshman mistakes. They’re going to be really good.”
Lebo was behind for the majority of the game, due to the solid play of Madison freshman forward Shelby Buster, who ended the game with 20 points.
“She is a very good player, especially for a freshman,” McDougald said. “She is going to get her points, but the key is to stop the other players.”
One of those other players was freshman guard Morgan Stout, who is usually the high scorer for Madison. Instead, she finished with just 1 point and fouled out in the fourth quarter.
“I thought they shut her down pretty good,” Madison coach Megan McGuire said.
McGuire, while making no excuses, acknowledged her team had gotten too comfortable with a slim lead with plenty of time left on the clock.
“We got out there ahead and we were comfortable being five points ahead,” McGuire said. “We played behind for four years, so playing ahead is a learning experience.”
Madison boys 44, Lebo 36
The Madison boys basketball team slugged it out to a 44-36 over Lebo Friday night.
Neither team shot the ball well, but both coaches emphasized it was not a shooting match-up.
“We came in to win the game and do what it takes,” Madison coach Mike Pitko said. “We were patient and took some good shots.”
Lebo is currently in a transition period after losing eight seniors to graduation last year that left large shoes to fill.
“We don’t have the type of personnel we’ve had the past few years here, but we’ve still got good personnel,” Lebo coach Matt Barrett said. “We’re all in a learning mode.”
Both teams also were worn down due to intense schedules this week, playing multiple games inside a week’s span.
“We didn’t have a lot of legs left last night (against Olpe),” Barrett said.
The rigorous pace seemed to have benefited the Bulldogs, who rotated more players in throughout the game.
“We play 9 and 10 people; by the end I think our depth made them a little more tired,” Pitko said.
Another key difference in the game was free throw shooting. While Madison was a near-perfect 9-for-11 from the line, Lebo was only 13-of-19, with key misses late in the game.
“We haven’t been shooting but 52 percent,” Pitko said. “That was an important factor for us.”