By Staff
LET IT FLY n Bay Springs' Kristi Martin (13) puts up a shot against Baldwyn Monday night. Photo by Fredie Carmichael/Special to The Star
By Richard Dark/The Meridian Star
Feb. 27, 2001
JACKSON The Bay Springs Lady Bulldogs came out tentative to start the game and it cost them a spot in the Class 2A State semifinals, as the Baldwyn Lady Bearcats eliminated the Lady Bulldogs 51-36 in a defensive struggle at the Mississippi Coliseum.
Baldwyn (26-4) set the tone with a 7-0 run to start the game and despite going a stretch of nearly six minutes in which they only mustered six points, the Lady Bearcats maintained control throughout, mainly thanks to their hustle.
Kristi Martin, Bay Springs' eighth grade phenom, was hesitant to take open shots in the first half and the result was the Lady Bulldogs staring down a 30-12 barrel at the half.
The third quarter turned out to be more of the same for Bay Springs, as the Lady Bearcats extended the lead to 44-19 in a frame that was marked by plenty of turnovers and missed shots by both teams.
Martin's jumper with seven minutes remaining allowed the Lady Bulldogs to break the 20-point plateau.
She followed that up with a free throw, a 3-pointer and a steal and layup to get the Lady Bulldogs to within 44-27 with 5:01 remaining.
But Martin took a hard foul with 4:18 to go and left her first Big House game with a sprained ankle. She led the way for the Lady Bulldogs with 15 points.
With Martin gone, so went the Lady Bulldogs' hopes of advancing in the tourney.
But to its credit, Bay Springs outscored the Lady Bearcats 17-7 in the fourth quarter to make the final score respectable.
During that stretch, the Lady Bulldogs' defense held Baldwyn to just three points in the final three minutes.
Baldwyn, the North No. 3 seed, was led in scoring by Mel Pippen's 12 and Lacy Rutherford's 11.
Brittany Martin added nine for Bay Springs, whose roster is comprised of six players who are freshmen or younger.
Richard Dark is a sports writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at rdark@themeridianstar.com.