Published: Feb. 7, 2015
Warhawks turn it on in time
Germantown trails by 12 in 4th quarter
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
GERMANTOWN — A scream came from the corner of the court in
front of the Grafton bench Friday night.
Then the gym went silent.
On the floor was Germantown’s all-time leading scorer,
Taylor Higginbotham.
“That’s not a very comfortable sound to hear, that’s for
sure,” Germantown coach Matt Stuve said.
Just about everybody, including Higginbotham, thought the
senior’s night was over in her last regular season home game.
With about six minutes left in the fourth quarter,
Higginbotham checked back into the game.
That was the motivator Germantown needed as the Warhawks
rallied from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Black Hawks, 44-41.
“I don’t want to get into a lot of these situations, but
it’s nice to know they’ve been there, they’ve done that, they don’t lose their
composure.”
For three quarters plus two minutes, it was a game the
Warhawks (16-3, 11-1) had no business winning.
They struggled all game long making shots, going 8 of 37
(21.6 percent) through three quarters, which led to them trailing 37-25 going
into the final quarter, with Higginbotham on the bench with an ice wrap on her
left ankle.
“When Taylor went down, we knew we had to step it up,”
Germantown’s Val Meissner said. “It looked pretty bad.”
Soon after the quarter started, the ice pack came off
Higginbotham’s ankle, she put on her shoe and went into the hallway.
Moments later, she took a seat on the bench, looked at her
coach and said she was ready to go.
He didn’t waste any time.
“It was nice to get her back in there,” Stuve said. “From a
confidence standpoint, having her on the floor just helps other kids.”
For the first time all game, the Warhawks played with energy
as the Black Hawks dominated the first 24 minutes of the game.
Val Meissner made a 3-pointer with 4:53 left in the fourth
quarter to make it 37-28 in favor of Grafton. And here came the Warhawks,
chipping away at the lead, and Higginbotham did her part.
The Western Illinois-signee made some defensive plays that
led to fastbreak points.
“It just clicked,” Meissner said.
Higginbotham scored nine of her game-high 20 points in the
fourth quarter.
“She’s a tough kid,” Stuve said.
“That could’ve been a long-term thing,” he added.
The Warhawks scored 19 points in the fourth quarter after
scoring only three in the third quarter on 1 of 10 shooting.
“We just didn’t match their energy,” Stuve said. “They’re a
tenacious team. Not as skilled offensively as we are, but they get after it.”
Higginbotham went down early in the third quarter.
“The girl was doing a cross-over and I wasn’t ready for it
and I just stepped the wrong way,” she said. “I’ve never done anything to my
ankle so I didn’t know what that feeling was like. It was a scary feeling at
first. I’m just glad it wasn’t anything serious.”
While on the bench, she became a cheerleader, trying to
motivate her teammates who were rattled.
What she noticed was a lack of energy.
“I knew I had to go back in that game,” Higginbotham said.
She also didn’t want to finish her senior night on the bench
with an injury.
“My teammates didn’t need me,” Higginbotham said. “But at
the same time, having the feeling of being out there with them was a lot better
than being on the sideline.
“I’m glad I got to go back out there.” Higginbotham made a
basket with 3:40 left to tie the game at 37.
The Warhawks took the lead with 1:04 to go on a 3-pointer by
Meissner and held on for the victory.
“It’s definitely big,” Higginbotham said of the victory.
“We’re still one game ahead of everybody in the conference and that’s a good
feeling.”
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