THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Conway High School Athletics

Roosevelt used a big second half to pull away from Class AA No. 3 ranked Washington Friday night in the Washington gym. The Riders (7-5) overturned a two-point halftime deficit and went on to beat Washington 53-42. The Riders outscored Washington 34-21 in the second half. Freshman Tatum Kooima led the Riders with 13 points, including a 3-for-5 effort from beyond the 3-point line. She was also perfect from the free throw line, as was just about every other Roosevelt player. The Riders shot 19-for-22 from the line, and they needed them all to stay in the game. Peyton Stolle and Tahia Mitel each had 11points for Roosevelt. There were a total of 54 foul shots attempted between both teams and 39 fouls were called. The teams combined for 24 turnovers and if not for a solid third quarter, Roosevelt would have been in real trouble. They finished the game shooting just 30-percent, but Washington was even worse, shooting a dismal 26-from the field and the Warriors (8-3) connected on only 11 field goals all night. #ArgusPreps Roundup: Lincoln girls win third straight “Both teams did a nice job defensively, but it was probably hard for the spectators to watch for a majority of the first half,” said Roosevelt coach David Maxwell. “We didn’t execute some things right away, but we played a little more free and loose in the second half.” Thankfully the Riders did loosen up in the second half because they were actually lucky to be in it at halftime. They shot just 17-percent in the opening half but trailed just 21-19 at the break. At halftime, they had managed just four made baskets, the final coming with just three seconds to play in the half. The Riders didn’t get their first field goal until five seconds to play in the opening quarter, but amazingly, they held an 11-8 lead. They were 8-for-8 from the free throw line and Katie Johnson’s 3-pointer was it for the Riders in the opening frame. But Roosevelt scored the first five points of the second half, including one of Kooima’s three 3-pointers. Her long ball gave the Riders a 24-21 lead with 5:26 to play in the third quarter, but Washington rattled off nine straight to give the Warriors their biggest lead at 30-24 when Taylor VanderVelde hit a 3-pointer. VanderVelde finished with six points and six rebounds. Kelsi Kearney led Washington in scoring with ten points After Washington’s little run to open the six-point lead, Roosevelt went on a 15-3 run with 3-pointers from Kooima, Mitzel and Mackenzie Phillips. “We had talked about putting in some sets in the second half, but I told them to just go and play,” Maxwell said. “I told them to just move and pass and cut. I just kind of freed them up a little bit. We tried to be a little more aggressive because I thought in the first half we were a little passive. We didn’t look to attack at all.” To say it was a sluggish start for both teams is an understatement. The first half was littered with missed shots, turnovers and sloppiness on both ends of the floor. The first quarter lasted nearly 20 minutes and included 12 called fouls. Roosevelt was actually in the bonus still in the first quarter. It didn’t get much better in the second quarter for either team, or the whistles. The half lasted just under 40 minutes and included 21 fouls with the teams a combined 17-for-27 from the free throw line. Roosevelt didn’t get its second field goal until the 2:54 mark of the half when Kooima hit a 3-pointer. Obviously she’s not the biggest, strongest girl and by here size you might think she’s a freshman, but by her play, you could never tell,” Maxwell said of Kooima. “She’s just really poised. She’s really smart and her basketball IQ is really high. Especially in a game like this tonight when teams are playing zone the majority of the night, she does a really nice job as a shooter to find her spots.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Conway High School Athletics

ROOSEVELT GIRLS PULL AWAY FROM WARRIORS LATE

TOM SAVAGE

Argus Leader | 1/27/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Roosevelt High School Athletics