Mead Sends Shadle Park Home Panthers, Auburn Play For Fifth
Linda Sheridan just shook her head as Jeanne Helfer’s long wait ended.
The talented, but exasperatingly inconsistent Mead Panthers dismantled a good Shadle Park team 66-47 in a Friday morning loser-out game at the girls State AAA high school basketball tournament at the Kingdome.
“I knew we’re capable,” Helfer said. “This is what I thought we’d do early. We thought this was in us. This is the time to get it done.”
The third-ranked Panthers (24-4) used a 16-0 run in a 21-4 second quarter to bury the sixth-ranked Highlanders (23-5) and advance to today’s 10:30 a.m. game against Auburn for the fifth and eighth-place trophies.
Stacy Clinesmith, who scored a tournament-high 29 points on 12-for-18 shooting and dished out six assists, had seven points and three assists in the run that blew the game open after a 14-14 first-quarter tie.
“Both teams had been playing hard and were tired,” Clinesmith said. “We knew we needed to have the heart and desire. I always want to beat Shadle Park - they’re the team to beat.”
“I’m proud of the kids,” said Sheridan after the third loss in four games against the Panthers, “not necessarily the ones who got us here but the ones who stepped up here… . those unsung heroes all season were the key players here. But the best team won today.”
Mead scored 30 points off 23 Shadle Park turnovers, including 17 off 11 in the first half.
The victory allowed the Panthers to focus on the trophy game after losing by three points to top-ranked, undefeated defending champion Prairie on opening day.
“We want to get fifth so bad,” Mead senior Jodi Cory said. “After we lost the first game, it was like someone stole our hearts. But we were going to come back and die trying to get fifth. That’s the best we can do.”
Clinesmith added, “We want to really come out and win fifth. The draw was screwed up, and we want to prove to everybody we should have been in the championship game. It just didn’t work out.”
This is Mead’s sixth trip to state, and every one of the previous five ended with a trophy in the top four, including championships in 1990 and ‘92. A win today would give Mead a 20-4 record in the six tournaments.
“We’re trying to send a message with our play,” Helfer said. “We’re one of the best teams and nobody can show me different. But draws are draws - we could have played them (Prairie) in the second round. We have one game left and then we’ve done all we can do.”
Sheridan heard the Panthers loud and clear.
“They peaked at the right time. They played very well,” she said. “I’m sure they would like to have back the draw or play Prairie again today.”
The Highlanders and their senior standout, Kelly Bartleson, never really showed what they could do. Bartleson’s career ended with 11 points on 3-for-9 shooting. She fouled out with 2:52 left. Helfer was the first to meet her as she came off the court.
“I told her she had a great career and I wished her the best,” Helfer said. “I told her, ‘You have a heart the size of this Kingdome, and if I had 12 players with your heart, we couldn’t be touched.”’