January 29, 1997|By Bill Free | Bill Free,SUN STAFF
Jackie Edwards and Kammi Cottrell have rescued the Annapolis girls basketball team many times, but their second-half performances were special last night in a dramatic come-from-behind,51-49 victory over Meade on the road.
The ninth-ranked Panthers were hanging on the ropes early in the third quarter when Dena Eldridge scored inside to give the 17th-ranked Mustangs (12-3) a 31-14 lead with 7: 45 left in the period. However, first Cottrell and then Edwards came through with one big play after another to lead Annapolis (12-3) all the way back.
Edwards completed the impressive comeback by hitting two free throws with three seconds left to break a 49-49 tie and send a loud Meade crowd home disappointed.
Edwards, a 6-foot-2 junior, was brilliant in the fourth quarter with 10 points, four rebounds, one assist and one impressive near-steal to halt a Meade fast break.
"I was nervous when I went to the line at the end and just didn't want to miss," said Edwards. "And I was scared when we were down by 17. I thought we weren't going to win. But we all stayed together, our fans got into the game and we found a way to win it."
Edwards finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals.
Cottrell, a 6-1 junior, ignited the Annapolis rally in the third quarter by scoring seven points and grabbing two rebounds. She also had four points in the fourth-quarter run, including a 10-foot jumper with 25 seconds left in the game to tie the score at 49.
Cottrell wound up with 18 points, 13 rebounds and two steals after failing to score until there was 2: 04 left in the first half.
A third Annapolis junior, Kia Green, joined in the late heroics with six free throws in the fourth quarter and six points in the third quarter to finish with 13 points.
Senior Annapolis guards Kristen Kapusta and Dina Brown also helped the Panthers by playing superb defense on Meade's exceptionally quick, high-scoring guard, Angela Creek. They limited Creek to just nine points, far below her 21.4-point average.
Meade was also hurt once again by poor free-throw shooting (7-for-13 in the fourth quarter and 10-for-26 in the game).
Another setback for the Mustangs came when 6-4 junior center Megan Poehlman fouled out with 3: 56 left and her team leading, 45-35.
For Meade, it was a devastating loss because it looked as if the Mustangs were ready to pull off the victory they need to prove they belong with the elite teams.
Dena Eldridge, Lindsay Meyer and Katie Netherton all had outstanding games for the Mustangs. Eldridge and Meyer combined for 29 points and the 6-2 Netherton had nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
