Wartburg Lady Bulldogs end Oliver Springs’ Season 43-36
By Terry Futrell
Sugar and spice, and everything nice – that’s what little girls are made of. Well, they may be like that in real life, but on the court Tuesday evening the Wartburg and Oliver springs girls basketball teams were anything but sugar and spice. With bodies repeatedly hitting the floor like bowling pins after a strike, the two teams engaged in a physical contest that was more a battle than a game. The stakes were high – the winner moved on to both the district and regional tournaments, while the season was over for the loser. After 32 minutes of intense battle, the Wartburg Central Lady Bulldogs emerged as the 43-36 victor and earned the opportunity to play top-seed Coalfield Thursday evening in the District 3-1A semifinals.
Fans who love fast-paced, high-scoring games probably would not have appreciated this game. It was a major defensive struggle with every shot challenged and every drive to the basket met with maximum force. Dirty Harry Callahan would have felt right at home.
Wartburg took a 14-4 first quarter lead before the Lady Bobcats got their offense in gear. Wartburg’s scoring drive was highlighted by Olivia Davis scoring the 1,000th point of her high school career. Davis and Edye Ann Williams each chalked up multiple scores for Wartburg. Oliver Springs matched Wartburg’s scoring during the second quarter, and the Lady Bulldogs took a 24-15 lead into the locker room.
Wartburg pulled away again in the third quarter behind the shooting of Selena Byrge and extended their lead to 37-22. The Lady Bobcats bounced back and put 14 points on the board in the fourth quarter behind the scoring of Christen Chasten. Aggressive defense by Oliver Springs held Wartburg scoreless from the field for the entire fourth quarter, and the Lady Bobcats cut Wartburg’s lead to 40-36 with 1:22 remaining. The Lady Bulldogs cloased out by hitting critical free throws for a 43-36 victory.
Words do not adequately describe the physical nature of this game – Oliver springs was called for 22 fouls and Wartburg was tagged with 18 fouls. There were several obvious fouls that were not called by the referees, who gave the teams much latitude in playing the game. One can only imagine the extent of the bruises and floor burns experienced by the “sugar and spice” ladies on both teams. If this game was an indication, the remainder of the District 3-1A tournament promises to be characterized by intense play by the four remaining teams, any of which could ultimately take the championship regardless of seeding.
