Determined Johnson lifts Comets

The ball floated out of Sarah Johnson's hands Thursday night, arching high toward the net through which it eventually snapped. Not just once, either, but twice.

And the Comets were finally rolling.

Johnson's pair of long-range connections sparked a Carthage offense that sputtered in the first half of the Frontier League "A" Division girls basketball final at Jefferson Community College. The Comets, though, owned the second, and Johnson tallied 29 points and 15 rebounds during a 48-38 triumph over Immaculate Heart Central.

In the "B" final, South Jefferson held off General Brown, 48-30, to snatch the playoff title. The Spartans and Comets will meet Saturday at JCC for the "A"/"B" championship.

Johnson, who was selected the division MVP, managed just five points in the first half. She emerged from the locker room, then nailed her team's first two field goals of the third — both from behind the arc. She figured she had to do something.

"The 3s can add up quickly," she said. "I took it upon myself to go out there and shoot them. I was just lucky they went in."

CARTHAGE 48, IHC 38

Efficient ball movement late in the second quarter netted the Cavaliers consecutive 3s by Angela Vespa and Adriana Spicer, and a 10-point advantage.

That was when things looked good for IHC (12-7), which allowed Johnson just one field goal before the break. But the Cavaliers struggled from there. They posted only six third-quarter points — as Johnson continued her dominance of the league — and sank just three field goals after halftime.

"When you have a player who dominates inside, then steps out and hits 3s, it definitely causes problems," IHC's Anne Marie LaFave said of Johnson.

Carthage's zone defense caught the Cavaliers off-guard, too, denying their dangerous shooting guards clear outside looks. IHC surrendered the lead for good just moments after Caitlin McGraw scored inside on an assist from Spicer, who had 10 points.

"Our main concern was containing Spicer and (Jillian) Young because of the way they can shoot," Carthage coach Randi Smith said. "In the first half we weren't stopping them.

"We went to the 1-2-2, and that left the middle open, which allowed us to rebound more. That turned the game around for us."

The win allowed Carthage (14-4) to add to its regular-season title, three years after finishing 1-19.

"We set the goal to win this by the time I graduated," said senior Gabbi Kamide, who had five steals and five assists, and played during that dreadful 2005-06 campaign.

Johnson scored 12 straight points in the fourth as Carthage wrapped up the win on a 14-4 run. Sophomore Amy Tiernan contributed a trio of 3-pointers for the Comets, who last week handed South Jefferson its only loss.

"We probably stayed in our zone defense a little too long," IHC coach Jeff St. Croix said. "But we had to with our foul trouble."

SOUTH JEFFERSON 48,

GENERAL BROWN 30

Chelsea Cavellier's two 3-pointers in the second quarter helped the Lions (10-8) pull to within three points late in the first half, but the Spartans used a streak of their own connections from the outside to take control.

Whitley Perry, Cassie St. Hilaire and Tapulei Vaveao knocked down successive 3s to lead South Jefferson (17-1) to a 23-11 halftime edge. The series wrapped up a bad half of shooting for both sides. The Spartans led just 5-3 after a quarter.

"We had five different kids make 3s in that first half," Spartans' coach Pat Bassett said. "It was big because we weren't getting much inside against their zone."

Maddy Wetterhahn finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds as the Spartans' inside superiority was showcased down the stretch. Amanda Roberts chipped in with five assists, while St. Hilaire notched 10 points and three assists.

Lindsay Hanson was able to consistently penetrate South Jefferson's defense in the second half, and she led the Lions (10-8) with 11 points.

But Mike Hulbert, who was named the "B" Division's coach of the year, said South Jefferson's accuracy just before halftime created too big a deficit.

"I think we got a little tired there," he said. "We made three defensive mistakes and they hit the open threes.

"For two days in practice I talked about how we can't stand around passing the ball on the outside. We had some success in the second, but we dug a hole at halftime and never really recovered."

Wetterhahn, the "B" Division MVP, used identical post moves on back-to-back offensive trips to cap the Spartans' decisive 16-2 run. Seven of 10 players scored for South Jefferson.

"In the previous years we've had a dominant player around," Wetterhahn said. "Now there's no seniors and different people have to step up every game."