Rochester Beats Winamac in OT
By Paul Dendiu
Pilots Sports
WINAMAC � There aren�t many surprises when Rochester�s girls basketball team travels to Winamac.
�Winamac is always the best fundamental team we play,� Rochester coach Tony Stesiak said. �They do all the little things well, and they don�t beat themselves.�
The Zebras almost didn�t beat them, either.
Courtney Felke tallied 17 points, four assists and four steals, and junior Aubry Roe made some big plays down the stretch that enabled Rochester to escape with a dramatic 55-50 overtime victory.
�This is probably the toughest place to play on our schedule,� Stesiak said. �They�re a tough team to play wherever you play them.�
It was nearly too tough for Rochester.
Neither team shot well in the first quarter. It took more than two minutes for the first points (a layup by guard Julie Chumley) to appear on the scoreboard, and ended at 8-7 after Amanda Heater put in a rebound basket with 10 seconds left.
Winamac put together an 11-2 run in the second period, turning an 11-10 deficit into a 21-13 advantage. Rochester scored five of the last seven points in the quarter, however, and went into the locker room trailing 23-18.
�Our defense has gotten a lot better lately,� Winamac coach Jim Swaney said. �It�s really kind of bizarre because our defense has gotten better and our offense has gotten worse. Maybe we spend too much time worrying about our defense.�
The primary concern Monday was containing Felke.
The Warriors (6-2) utilized a variety of zone defenses to try to throw off the Rochester star�s rhythm, and it worked through the first two quarters. Felke finished the first half with just two points.
�We planned for the junk defenses and the �box-and-ones�,� Stesiak said. �Courtney had good looks and I told her at halftime to trust her shot.�
Felke put the advice to good use.
The 5-7 junior scored eight straight points, including two 3-pointers from opposite corners, to help her team gain a 30-29 lead after three periods.
�Those were sweet shots. We just didn�t go out and guard her,� Swaney said of Felke�s threes. �I thought what she did even better than that was she started penetrating into the lane and dished off for some easy shots.�
Both teams traded shot for shot in the final 12 minutes.
With under a minute left in regulation and her team down 42-40, Heater grabbed another offensive board and was fouled as she made the basket. She sank the foul shot to put Winamac up by one, but freshman Jenna Easterday corralled one of her five rebounds on Rochester�s next offensive play, and canned one of two at the line to send the game to the extra session.
That�s when Roe came to the rescue.
Felke netted the first points of the overtime with a running bank shot in the lane, and then found Roe wide-open under the basket. Roe was fouled on a layup, and completed the three-point play. She then rebounded four Warrior misses during the proceeding two minutes, and netted two more foul shots that gave Rochester a 52-48 margin.
�She hasn�t practiced since Wednesday. We weren�t really sure what to expect from Aubry,� Stesiak said. �She came through and gutted it out. She�s a great athlete, and she did a great job of getting herself in places where she could be successful.�
Swaney thought his team was successful despite the loss.
�Before the game, we told the kids if we�re close with three minutes to go in the game and we have a chance to win, then we�ve done a great job,� he said. �I thought we played pretty well tonight for a bunch of young kids who haven�t played in many big games.
�We felt this was kind of a measuring stick. We were five points away from beating a really good team.�
ROCHESTER 55, WINAMAC 50 (OT)
At Winamac ROCHESTER (55): Ryleigh Carr 2 1-2 6, Morgan Thomas 1 0-0 2, Aubry Roe 3 3-4 9, Courtney Felke 6 3-5 17, Lindsey Dishman 0 0-0 0, Jamie Fornal 0 0-2 0, Jenna Easterday 4 3-5 11, Laura Whistler 3 4-4 10. TOTALS: 19 14-22 55. WINAMAC (50): Lindsey Fox 0 0-0 0, Lisa Good 0 0-0 0, Julie Chumley 3 4-4 12, Jennifer Chumley 7 0-1 14, Meg Swaney 1 0-0 2, Amanda Heater 2 1-1 5, Amanda Fritz 0 2-6 2, Wendy Fritz 2 0-0 5, Whitney Fritz 4 2-4 10. TOTALS: 19 9-16 50.
Score by Quarters
Rochester 7 18 30 43 55
Winamac 8 23 29 43 50
3-point goals: Rochester 3 (Felke 2, Carr), Winamac 3 (Julie Chumley 2, Wendy Fritz). Total fouls (fouled out): Rochester 12, Winamac 14 (Wendy Fritz, Julie Chumley).
JV score: Winamac 41, Rochester 17.
Records: Rochester 6-0, Winamac 6-2.
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