By Greg Gielczyk
LocalSportsJournal.com
MANISTEE — After dominating the first half, Manistee saw its double figure lead evaporate all the way down to one in the second before finally hanging on for a 39-33 victory over Oakridge Tuesday night in Manistee.
Coming off a rough 61-49 loss to Hart on Saturday, the Mariners were playing their second game in three days … and have two more this week.
“We showed a lot of poise in the final minutes,” Manistee coach Kenn Kott said. “Things almost got away from us in the third quarter and the start of the fourth when they started creeping in on us. And it was mostly because of our mistakes. We allowed the door to be opened up, and they walked right in. I was really happy thought after we settled down in the fourth quarter.”
Manistee built a 22-10 lead in the first 16 minutes, starting with limiting the Packers to just two points in the first quarter and then outscoring them, 13-8, in the second.
But the Packers came storming back in the second half and closed the gap to six points, 28-22, after three with a 12-6 advantage and then cutting the Manistee lead to just one in the fourth.
The Mariners came out of their funk, though, and managed to keep the Eagles at bay with some clutch shots and defensive stops.
“We showed a lot of heart and determination that we needed to do to pull out a win,” Kott added. “If there’s one thing we should all learn about playing in the conference is that there’s never a night off. Everyone of these teams we play, they all have the ability to come back and put it to you. You have to start the game strong, continue it strong and you definitely have to finish it strong.”
Libby McCarthy had a nice night for the Mariners, recording a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kott also credited her with playing the middle well on defense and coming up with five steals.
Jayna Edmondson contributed seven points, Avamarie Fett six and Alayna Edmondson and Lindsey Gardner five apiece.
Anna Lundquist was the only Eagle in double figures with 12 points.
Manistee squared its record at 5-5 overall and the Mariners stayed in the hunt for a WMC Lakes title at 4-1, sharing second place with Ludington. Fremont is 5-0.
Oakridge dropped to 2-7 overall and 1-4 in the conference. The Eagles are next scheduled to host Ludington on Friday.