Published: November 04, 2009 10:56 am      

WC cagers drop season openers to Lon Morris

It was a disappointing start on both ends, as the Weatherford Coyotes and Lady Coyotes both fell to Lon Morris Tuesday night at Betty Jo Crumm Graber Athletic Center.

The Lady Coyotes came the closest to a victory, falling in overtime to the Lady Bearcats, 81-77, after crawling back from as many as 28 points down.

“The first part of the game, we just looked like we were playing really, really nervous,” said WC head coach Bob McKinley. “We were just standing around on defense and not really rebounding very well.

“The second half, I thought our pressure was a little better, and we started the second half on a big run.”

A 21-2 run, to be exact, which helped propel the Lady Coyotes to a 69-69 score at the end of regulation. Lon Morris scored the first points of the overtime period, as Jessica Jackson drained a three-pointer. Weatherford would cut it to a point’s difference on a layup by newcomer Shameka Lunford, but Christy Willis hit another shot from behind the arc, making the score 76-71 and WC’s future bleak. But the Lady Coyotes weren’t done yet, as Kasondra Foreman made a layup with under a minute to play. The score cut the game to just a three-point difference, but the Lady Bearcats were able to make crucial free throws and get defensive stops to ice the win.

“All in all, I was pretty pleased with the effort and where we’re at right now, considering that we’ve had two of our players that just started trying to play again tonight. One of them had knee surgery in September and the other had a stress fracture on her ankle,” McKinley said. “I think the further along we get with them, they’ll be two more experienced players and that’s going to help us a lot.”

Down 15 at the half, the Lady Coyotes kept nipping on the heels of Lon Morris, finally tying the game at 59 with four minutes left in regulation. WC soon surpassed the Lady Bearcats, when Keneisha Benjamin came up with a steal, leading to a breakaway layup and a four-point advantage. WC looked to be in complete control, leading by five with 30 seconds left, but Willis drained a three-pointer to cut it to two. The Lady Coyotes gave possession back seconds later after being called for a five-second violation on the baseline.

They would get it back after a missed shot on Lon Morris’ end, and Monica McGill made one of three free throw attempts to push the lead up to three. It all evaporated, as Willis hit yet another of her four total three’s to tie the game with .9 seconds remaining.

Foreman, a returning guard for WC, led the team scoring with 23 points. Brittani Wilkins followed with 19 points, and McGill added 12.

The Weatherford Coyotes were boasting a large recruiting class, with 10 freshman on the WC roster. The youth was apparent Tuesday night.

“There were some good things with some guys but our youth really showed,” WC head coach Dave Donnelly said. “Tonight was more about inexperience than anything else.

“They were ready to play, it’s just that it’s going to have to take us some time to learn how to play together. That’s why we play good teams at the beginning of the season.”

The Bearcats had the advantage from the get-go, jumping out to a 6-2 lead within the first few minutes. That lead soon turned into double digits, but Jason Brown had a three-point play to cut it a deficit of six. That effort was followed by an even bigger one from Lon Morris, who went on a 9-2 run to go up 23-10 with under 12 minutes to play in the first period. The deficit continued to grow, until the Coyotes forced back-to-back turnovers. Taking advantage of the miscues, Weatherford transfer Sammy Yeager nailed a three to cut it to a 14-point difference. Kenneth Stewart added a layup to keep up the run, and the Coyotes were able to get within 10 at the half.

“We turned the ball over, and just couldn’t get into a flow on offense,” Donnelly said. “We made a couple of nice runs on them, even cutting it to 10 at halftime.”

Within the first four minutes, the deficit grew once more, and Jorge Redmon’s layup added to the offensive onslaught by the Bearcats, making the score 57-34. After falling behind by more than 30, WC went on a 5-0 run, capitalizing on two turnovers, to get it down to 72-54. The hole was just too deep to get out of, however, as the Coyotes succumbed to the Bearcats. The Lady Coyotes travel to Waco Friday and Saturday, playing in the MCC Classic.The men’s team travels to Hutchison, Kans. Thursday-Saturday for the Hutchison Quarterback Classic.