Meade girls basketball coach Ed Corporal won't have too many complaints about his team's shooting as long as it rebounds and plays defense.
In a rematch of two Class 4A East regional semifinalists, the visitors from Anne Arundel County overcame a woeful 24.6 percentage from the floor to defeat C. Milton Wright, 53-42, last night in Bel Air.
Meade, which suffered a 66-62 setback in the playoff semifinals last season, improved to 2-1 on the strength of a 38-27 advantage in rebounds and a defense that contained the host Mustangs to just five points in the fourth quarter.
The play on the glass, especially a 22-10 surplus in offensive rebounds, may have helped Corporal overlook a 16-of-65 night from the field.
"We were getting good shots, but they just weren't going in," he said. "The last two games, we've been getting out-rebounded. That's been a big concern of mine."
Meade also converted 17 of 25 trips to the free-throw line. Conversely, the Mustangs of Harford County missed 11 of 17 free-throw attempts.
"Tonight, we couldn't buy one," said C. Milton Wright coach John Harvey, who also saw his team miss 28 of 29 free-throw attempts in a loss to Westminster last Friday.
Trailing 15-10 at the end of the first quarter, Meade stormed back by putting up 19 points to the Mustangs' 10. At the end of the first half, Meade was 8 of 36 from the field, but had made 10-of-14 free throws and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.
Fans from both teams endured a harrowing scene at the 5:26 mark of the third quarter when C. Milton Wright junior guard Stacie Johnson collided with Meade sophomore guard Lay Hicks as Hicks was driving to the basket.
The game was delayed about 15 minutes as paramedics transported Johnson, who apparently hit her head on the hardwood floor and was knocked unconscious, to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment. Her condition was not known.
When the game resumed, the Mustangs tied the game at 35, but Meade went on a 7-2 run to end the third quarter.
Meade senior forward Nicole Dailey led all players with 20 points and 16 rebounds.
Senior guard Andrea Stephenson paced C. Milton Wright with 13 points - nine from three-pointers - three assists, and two steals.
