(January 29th, 2015) – FAYETTE: In what is possibly the biggest upset of the season so far, the girls of Stryker took down the Lady Eagles in Fayette.
The Lady Panthers, with a roster filled with youth and inexperience, weren’t expected to do very well in 2015. Meanwhile, Fayette was a heavy, heavy favorite to win the Buckeye Border Conference in the preseason, and has mostly lived up to the hype.
None of that mattered last week, however, as the Stryker girls beat the Eagles in dramatic fashion, 43-41.
The Panthers got off to a strong start, taking control of the contest right away. They claimed an early 13-4 lead by the end of the first period. Fayette tried to battle back in the second quarter, but couldn’t surpass Strykers’ total for the period. Heading into halftime, the Panther girls commanded a 26-15 advantage.
Fayette wasn’t about to just fade away, however. Locking down defensively, the Eagle girls surged in the third quarter. They outscored Stryker 13-5 in that span, quickly evaporating the sizable lead held by the Lady Panthers. Fayette continued their run in the fourth quarter, overtaking Stryker in the process.
This is where the dramatics come into play.
In the waning seconds of the contest, Stryker found themselves down a single point, with the ball in their possession. Sophomore Taylor Haines drove the ball at the rim, electing to kick it out to waiting teammate Brittany Breier, who was standing behind the three-point line and ready to shoot. The junior knocked down the shot, giving the Panthers a 2 point win.
Breier led the Panthers in scoring with 14 points, connecting on 4 threes to do so. Haines put up 12 points, while freshman Haley Doehrmann scored 9. Audra Rupp, a junior for Stryker, made 6 points in the win.
Taylor Griffiths helmed the Lady Eagle effort, making 4 three-point shots on her way to a team leading 14 points. Kaela Seiler and Alexis Fruchey each added 9 points to the Fayette cause. Senior teammate Paige Keefer contributed 5 points in the loss as well.