Naab’s free throws push Lady Spartans past Hayden, 41-37
By Michael Ashford
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Emporia High junior Nichole Naab was in the midst of a shooting slump during Tuesday night’s game against Hayden, and yet, at the end of the game when Hayden started fouling, Naab wanted the ball in her hands.
Naab shot just 2-of-11 from the field during the game, but in the last 5 1/2 minutes, Naab went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Her first two freebies tied the game, the second pair gave the Lady Spartans the lead for good and her final two charity tosses gave EHS a four-point cushion, and the Lady Spartans went on to win, 41-37.
“I know I’m a good free-throw shooter,” said Naab, who finished with 10 points. “I wanted it in my hands.
“In my mind, I was trying to calm myself and relax. I just thought about shooting it at practice, and I made them.”
Naab’s six free throws late equaled the total combined scoring in the first quarter, as defense and sloppy play ruled the opening 8 minutes of the game.
Both teams struggled to find any offense in a first quarter that featured a combined seven turnovers and 16 missed shots, as Emporia led, 4-2, after the first period.
“That game is a great example of if you guard and if you rebound, you have a chance to win every game,” EHS coach Bill Nienstedt said. “We missed a lot of shots around the goal in both halves, but we made it tough for them to score.”
The start of the game was radically different from the first time the two teams met, when Hayden began the game by going 10-for-10 from the field in a 62-46 Lady Wildcats victory.
Instead, Hayden went just 4-of-17 (24 percent) from the field in the first half, and though Emporia was not much better (5-of-20, 25 percent), the Lady Spartans managed to take an 11-8 lead into halftime.
“That was the least scoring that I have ever seen,” sophomore guard Alli Armitage said. “It was horrible, but we played really good defense.”
Hayden hung around after the break thanks to the hot shooting of guard Aubree Luebbe. After scoring just four points in the first half, Luebbe went off for 13 points in the second half on 6-of-11 shooting.
“She’s a good shooter,” Nienstedt said, “and they do a nice job of running stuff to get her open looks.”
Luebbe’s 3-pointer with 5 minutes, 27 seconds left put the Lady Wildcats ahead, 27-25, but on the next Emporia possession, Naab was fouled by Jordyn Montgomery after Naab got behind the Hayden defense on a fast break, and Naab went to the free-throw line to begin her shooting display from the charity line.
“I was so proud of Nic for making a few of those free throws there late because she had not shot the ball well from the field,” Nienstedt said, “but it did not affect her confidence at the line, and she was able to step up and make those shots.”
Armitage finished the game with a team-high 12 points, while Luebbe led all scorers with 17 points.
Centennial League
Tuesday at EHS
Hayden 2 6 14 15 — 37
Emporia 4 7 10 20 — 41
HAYDEN (13-5, 9-3 Centennial League)
E. Thompson 2-8 0-0 4, A. Luebbe 8-14 0-0 17, A. Dodds 2-8 1-4 5, J. Montgomery 3-7 0-0 7, C. Stringer 1-2 0-3 2, C. Ball 0-2 0-0 0, L. Biggs 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 17-46 1-7 37.
EMPORIA (12-7, 6-6)
J. Muckenthaler 2-7 0-0 4, A. Armitage 4-9 3-5 12, R. Bachman 2-6 3-5 7, S. Webb 1-6 0-0 2, N. Naab 2-11 6-6 10, L. Arndt 2-5 0-0 4, L. Hileman 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 14-47 12-16 41.
3-point goals — Hayden 2-9 (Thompson 0-1, Luebbe 1-3, Dodds 0-2, Montgomery 1-3), Emporia 1-11 (Muckenthaler 0-2, Armitage 1-4, Bachman 0-2, Naab 0-3). Rebounds — Hayden 36 (Stringer 16), Emporia 32 (Armitage 7). Assists — Hayden 3 (Dodds 2), Emporia 4 (4 tied at 1). Turnovers — Hayden 13, Emporia 8. Total fouls — Hayden 12, Emporia 11. Fouled out — None.