By Colin Altevogt
Contributing Writer
FORT WAYNE ââ?¬â?? With their star stuck on the bench in foul trouble for the majority of the second quarter, the Fort Wayne Luers Knights showed that they could be OK without sophomore MarKee Martin.
When she entered the lineup at the start of the third quarter, the Class 3A No. 16 Knights proved to be great with her. The result was a 59-51 win over Fort Wayne South in semifinal action at the Summit Athletic Conference Tournament.
Saddled with two fouls early, Martin temporarily handed point guard duties to teammate Natalie Henry. Henry proved to be a worthy substitute as she led the Knights against the pressing full-court defense of Fort Wayne South.
In the first half, Amanda and Megan Pedro picked up the scoring slack created by Martin�s absence. The Sisters Pedro combined for 13 points in the first two quarters.
With the score tied and thirty seconds on the clock, Henry hit two free throws and nailed a long two as time expired to give her team a slight edge at halftime, 29-27.
Martin returned after intermission with a vengeance. The sophomore scored on the first possession of the second half and added 13 more in the quarter while Luers bulked its lead to 11, 50-39.
While Luers was taking control, the Archers� sharpshooters went cold. Shots outside the arc were off and South even had troubled from the line, going 9-18 for the game.
With the help of their star, the Knights gradually pulled away from the top-seeded Archers. Megan Pedro dished the ball off to freshman center Mary Hathaway, pushing the Luers lead to 45-36.
A minute later, Martin stole an inbounds pass and took it the distance to give the Knights their first double digit lead. South Side�s Zaquanna Braden hit a three on the other end, but Martin answered with a trey of her own.
It was the final nail in the Archers� coffin. The lead never dipped below ten until a meaningless last-second three to make the game 59-51.
For South, it was the second loss this season to Luers. The Knights defeated the Archers on Dec. 9, 62-53. The victory advances Luers, the two-time defending tourney champ, to its fourth straight SAC winter tournament title game.
So what do you think? Share your thoughts in our forum.
Processing your request, Please wait....
