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Leto rallies from a 21-point halftime deficit, but falls short in the end in a 51-47 loss to Wharton.
By EMILY NIPPS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 8, 2002
TAMPA -- It could have been long, lopsided and ugly.
One full quarter into the game, Wharton had picked up 13 points, while Leto barely mustered two.
The Falcons (7-10) became frustrated as they watched an 11-point hole sink to a 22-point grave, and it looked like it was going to be a long night.
As it turns out, Leto could have used a few more minutes on the clock.
Wharton (12-3) defeated Leto 51-47, just as the Falcons had landed on steady ground. Holly Manniken hit three 3-pointers in the second half, and Leto's man-to-man defense held the Wildcats to three field goals in the final quarter.
"We just got in a slump," Wharton coach Eddie Henderson said. "They got a little rattled when (the Falcons) started hitting some 3's, but I told them it wasn't time to panic."
Granted, the Wildcats were able to take it easy after entering the second half with a 33-12 lead. Leto tried to focus on cutting Wharton center Candice Dupree out of the game in the first half, but had to switch to man-to-man after it fell into the deficit.
Dupree, a 6 foot 2 senior, scored 21 points -- all in the first half.
She also had 19 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks -- an average performance for her. Dupree recently recorded a triple-double -- 26 points, 14 rebounds and 15 blocked shots -- in the A.P. Leto Holiday Classic last week.
As the Falcons found their groove in the last 10 minutes of Monday night's game, Dupree was hardly a factor.
Leto sophomore point guard Yarenis Blanco (14 points) jolted the Wildcats with three steals in the final quarter. J.J. Womble, who had the unenviable task of guarding Dupree for most of the game, brought Leto within arm's reach of Wharton's lead with a team-high 16 points.
It wasn't enough, however, as Wharton's Kristen Fleming stepped in and sank two buckets to keep the score from getting too close.
"I'll take an ugly win," Henderson said.
Leto coach Todd Price said that after Leto played Wharton just last week in the Holiday Classic, the Falcons knew what they had to do to defend Dupree entering the game.
"Our problem is we missed too many shots and got ourselves in trouble early," Price said. "But I'm proud of the way they came back in ... The girls really played their rear ends off."
The biggest sore spot for the Wildcats was free throws (3-for-15), which has been Wharton's "Achilles' heel for the last five years," Henderson said.
As usual, though, Henderson was pleased with the team's ability to keep the lead, however big or small.
"We're almost where we want to be," he said. "Our true test will be against Tampa Bay Tech (on Wednesday), in terms of handling pressure."