By Ted Waddell
ROSCOE — January 19, 2001 – It was a nip-and-tuck ballgame Wednesday night, as the homestanding Roscoe Lady Blue Devils defeated the Lady Wildcats of Livingston Manor 55-48 in an Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division V game.
At the end of the first period, the score was dead even at 6-6, and in the following stanza the hosts outscored their opponents by three, to take a slim 19-16 point halftime lead into the locker room.
In the third period, the Blue Devils reached down into that secret place where victory dwells to outgun the visitors by six (19-13). The Lady Wildcats came scratching back in the closing minutes, as they outscored the home team by a couple of points (19-17), but came up seven short at the final buzzer.
Roscoe hoopsters making it into the record book as double digit scorers: Kelly Ahart (13), Amanda Huck (12) and Danielle Austin (11).
For Livingston Manor: Bridget Ellison (16), Rachelle Irwin (16) and Casey Green (10).
At the free throw line: RCS 5/8 (63 percent); LMCS 7/19 (37 percent).
“I thought it was everything we expected it to be,” said Manor coach Gail Whaley. “It was a pretty close battle.”
She added that while the game didn’t turn out the way they wanted, her team matched up pretty well against Roscoe.
“We have a lot of young players,” said Whaley. “They’re doing well in getting some experience, and I expect them to have it all together as the season comes to an end. We improve with each game.”
According to Roscoe’s veteran coach Becky Ahart, she thought it was “an excellent game” on both sides of the court. “I think both teams played very well,” she said.
Ahart credited the win to her team’s executing a spirited man-to-man defense.
In dusting of her coach’s crystal ball for an inkling of what will unfold as the year of hoops develops, Ahart said, “I project a tough finish to the season. I think everybody’s playing excellent ball.”