By Staff
From Staff Reports/The Meridian Star
Jan. 20, 2002
Meridian went to the free throw 58 times against Heidelberg. They made 37. Senior guard Tony Dunn led the way going 12-for-13 from the line.
Dunn had a season high 31 points. Keno Leflore, the only Wildcat to foul out, had 18 including a 6-for-10 effort from the line.
Heidelberg, meanwhile, shot just 22 free throws and made 15. The biggest miss was Derrick Turner with 11.5 seconds. Had he made both, Meridian would have had to go for a tying three-pointer. Instead, Leflore was able to drive the lane and get fouled. He made both free throws tying the game at 80-80.
Jeff Byrd
A princess leader
Heidelberg Lady Oiler Princess Bender may be one of the youngest players on the team, but that hasn't stopped her from being a team leader. That, however, is a problem for Heidelberg Coach Nedra Hosey Jones.
Bender had 18 points in the 61-45 loss to Meridian on Friday night. The Lady Oilers were coming off an impressive win at home against 21-game winner Choctaw Central.
Jeff Byrd
Williams proud of team
Heidelberg Coach Ted Williams was proud of his Oilers for their epic battle with Meridian on Friday night.
The Oilers were seeking their third win of the season against the Wildcats. They appeared to be on the verge of doing just that when Marvin McDonald sank a running, 10-foot shot in the lane with 45 seconds left to put Heidelberg up 76-71.
A near capacity crowd at the Meridian Physical Education Building started for the exits. The flow increased when Heidelberg increased the lead to 79-71 with 25.7 seconds left.
Meridian, however, ralled scoring the final eight points in regulation to force overtime. The Wildcats then went on to post the 94-89 win.
Five Oilers fouled out in the contest. They were 16 fouls blown on Heidelberg in the first half alone. Another 20 came in the second half.
Jeff Byrd
Red Hot McDonald
One of the reasons Meridian nearly dropped three games to the Heidelberg Oilers is guard Marvin McDonald.
McDonald made seven, three-pointers in Friday night's game with the Wildcats. Many were from beyond NBA range (22-feet). One, in fact, was banked in from 25-feet.
The Wildcats had planned to attack Heidelberg's inside game by drawing fouls.
Jeff Byrd