SSC player Emily Cline was lights out last night for Glendale as she put up 30 points and the game winning basket against local rival Kickapoo. Below is the article in todays News-Leader about the game. Good job Emily, keep it up!!
Glendale wins on Cline's shot
Freshman's 3-pointer at the buzzer stuns rival Kickapoo.
Michael Stacy
News-Leader
On senior night at Glendale High School Monday, a freshman stole the show, and she did so with gusto.
First-year Glendale guard Emily Cline scored a career-high 30 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer that broke a tie, and the Lady Falcons helped their lone senior, forward Rachel Duckworth, close her home career in winning fashion with a 52-49 victory over rival Kickapoo.
"I just can't believe that happened," Cline said afterwards. "When I scored, I didn't know what had happened. I just kind of stopped, and everybody came out on the court."
Cline was mobbed by her team after hitting the winning shot, a fitting close to a frenetic final few minutes.
Kickapoo took its first lead of the game, 43-42, on a Casey Carroll layup with 4:50 left, and Caroll increased the Lady Chiefs' lead to 45-42 with a layup 50 seconds later.
The Lady Falcons (10-10, 5-1 Ozark Conference) then responded with a 5-0 run over the next minute and led 47-45 with 2:44 to play.
A pair of free-throws from each team kept the Lady Falcons' lead at two until Kickapoo senior guard Shawna Bettinger tied the game at 49.
Bettinger, who led the Lady Chiefs (15-5, 5-1) with 15 points, hit a layup and drew a foul with 16 seconds left. She then had a chance to put Kickapoo ahead but couldn't convert her free-throw.
Glendale junior center Kaley Lyons corralled Bettinger's rebound and got the ball to Cline, setting the stage for the final shot.
Cline dribbled into traffic, passing out to Erica Sturdefant, who eyed a shot for a moment before passing back to Cline, who was open on the left wing and let it fly, sending the senior night crowd into hysterics with a swish.
"Tonight, with it being senior night... they really wanted it for Rachel," Glendale coach Renee Temple said of her team. "She's the heart and soul of this team."
That showed from the start, as Glendale led from the opening tip, building a 14-8 lead after one and taking a 21-19 advantage into halftime.
The Lady Chiefs kept things close thanks in part to their ability to shut down Lyons from the field. Kickapoo held Glendale's low-post threat to just one field goal all game.
But Lyons, like the rest of her team, made her living at the line. She hit nine of 10 free-throws to finish with 11 points. As a team, Glendale hit 21 of 29 free-throws. Kickapoo, by contrast, shot just 16, making 11.
And then there was Cline.
"She stepped up and carried her team and had a phenomenal game," Kickapoo coach Stephanie Phillips said.
