Mandi Mooney
Editor-in-Chief
March 5, 2005
They were the Cinderella team of the Appalachian Athletic Conference. They
weren’t expected to even make it past the first-round game against UVA-Wise but
they did. They certainly weren’t expected to beat Brevard, the regular season
conference champions but they did. They weren’t expected to defeat King College
who had beaten them twice already this season but they did. By the time the
Milligan College women’s basketball team took to the court for the conference
championship game against Bryan College on Saturday afternoon, no one knew what
to expect.
“I’ve never in my basketball career been through that much success in a tournament,” said senior Lacy York. “To experience that was just overwhelming.”
Nevertheless, despite their impressive run through the tournament, the dance ended for the Lady Buffs on Saturday. After 40 minutes of play, Milligan was defeated 45-63.
At the start of the game, Bryan came out strong, making three three-point shots and allowing Milligan no chances to make any baskets in the first three minutes. Bryan’s lead continued to grow throughout the first half as the Lady Buffs tried unsuccessfully over and over again to make any shots. With seven minutes left in the first half, Bryan had a commanding 17-4 lead over Milligan.
“(During the beginning), I was thinking about how many games that we had come back (from behind) and were successful,” said York. “I did not for one minute lose hope. I was still thinking we could easily come back and pull this off.”
After overcoming adversity throughout the tournament, the Lady Buffs were not willing to sit back and give Bryan the win. Instead, led by a basket by senior Ginny White that had the Milligan fans cheering, Milligan went on a 15-2 run to tie the game at 19 with only 2:47 left in the half. Bryan answered with two more baskets to bring the score to 19-23 at the half.
Just as she began Milligan’s first half run, White opened the second half with two points as the teams battled in what had become a close game. Bryan pulled away from Milligan early in the half but the Lady Buffs once again drew close when senior Lacy York made two free throw shots with 13 minutes remaining, bringing the score to 32-34.
Bryan responded with another three, a shot which began Bryan’s final run as they drew further away from Milligan. With only two minutes left, junior Leah Seevers fouled out. The Lady Buffs continued to foul as they tried to hold onto the game.
With tears from seniors Ann Marie Gardner, Ginny White and Lacy York who knew that their final game had come to a close, the final buzzer swept through the arena at King College, ending Milligan’s Cinderella dance and sending Bryan to the 2005 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa.
“Seeing as our season wasn’t all that successful, being in the tournament period was wonderful,” said York. “I was still extremely sad knowing it was my last game and we didn’t win. I was still so proud of all the girls. It was an awesome feeling to end my career that way. I’m going to miss it a great deal.”
The men’s basketball team closed its season last Thursday when the men were defeated by Montreat College (N.C.) 65-73 in the second round of the tournament.