Washington & Jefferson 62, Ohio Wesleyan 50
Heidelberg 72, Northwestern Ohio 57

Dec. 30, 2008

Sophomore post Kayla Gordon (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) scored 3 baskets as Ohio Wesleyan raced to an early 8-4 lead, but Washington & Jefferson took the lead with a 14-1 run and pulled away during the second half to take the championship of the Bishop Classic "Hoops for Hope" tournament on Tuesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

Heidelberg defeated Northwestern Ohio in Tuesday's consolation game.

After a pair of Gordon baskets, freshman post Dany Finck (Hilliard/Darby) broke a 4-4 tie with a pair of free throws before Gordon sank a lay-in to give the Bishops an 8-4 lead at the 17:33 mark.

The Presidents reeled off the next 9 points, with Stephanie Smith contributing a bucket and a 3-pointer and Emily Hays scoring twice from the lane, to take a 13-8 lead just over 5 minutes into the action.

Sophomore guard Pam Quigney (Mentor) hit a free throw to make it 13-9, but Washington & Jefferson got a 3-pointer by Lindsey Hyre and a lay-in from Vanessa Rivera to extend the lead to 18-9 with 10:56 left in the half.

Sophomore wing Tyler Cordell (Columbus/St. Francis DeSales) buried a 3-pointer to bring the Bishops within 18-12 at the midway point of the half.

The Bishops would score only 2 baskets during the next 7-plus minutes of action, but the Ohio Wesleyan defense kept the game close. When Quigney knocked down a jumper from the lane, the Bishops were within 24-19 with 2:43 left in the period, and when Cordell scored with 1:31 left, Ohio Wesleyan had cut the deficit to 25-21 with 1:31 to play.

After Gordon stole the ball on Washington & Jefferson's next possession, the Bishops had the ball with a chance to make it a one-possession game, but the momentum quickly swung back to the Presidents when Smith, leading a fast break, chased down an errant outlet pass in the right corner and flung the ball toward the lane, hitting the trailer, Jamie McKitrick, for a lay-in. Washington & Jefferson tacked on a jumper by Kennan Killeen just before the buzzer to take a 29-21 lead into the locker room.

The Presidents opened the second half with a pair of baskets by Hays, stretching the lead to 12 points, and the margin would remain in double figures for the remainder of the contest.

Gordon led the Bishops with 16 points, while Quigney finished with 11 points and Cordell posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Junior wing Rachel Seibel (Johnstown/Johnstown-Monroe) had a team-high 4 assists.

Hays and Maggie Gibson led Washington & Jefferson with 14 points apiece, with Gibson snaring a team-high 12 rebounds. Smith finished with 10 points and dished out a team-high 5 assists.

In Tuesday's consolation game, Heidelberg's Morgan Harrigan buried a pair of 3-pointers as the Student Princes opened the game with an 8-2 run only to see Northwestern Ohio come back to take an 11-8 lead thanks in part to a pair of Amanda Francis lay-ins.

The Racers still led, 15-12, after a Kelly Warris lay-in with 11:33 left in the first half when Heidelberg countered with a 10-0 run that included 3 straight lay-ins by Jenny Miller. Brittany Skolnicki finished the Student Prince spree with a fast break lay-in that gave Heidelberg a 23-15 advantage with 6:19 to go.

Northwestern Ohio closed the gap to 24-23 after a pair of free throws and a jumper from the lane by Amanda Francis, but Heidelberg again turned to Harrigan, who buried 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to put the lead back at 7 points.

Sarah Kesse hit a pair of lay-ins in the closing minutes of the half as the Student Princes built a 34-26 lead at the break, and the Racers would come no closer than that 8-point margin during the second half.

Miller led Heidelberg with 20 points, going 8-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line. Harrigan finished with 17 points and a team-leading 4 assists, Skolnicki added 11 points, and Richard led the Student Princes with 8 rebounds.

Francis led Northwestern Ohio with 17 points and Alexa Kennedy added 11 points.

Washington & Jefferson's Hays was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Killeen and Gibson of W&J, Gordon of Ohio Wesleyan, Miller of Heidelberg, and Kennedy of Northwestern Ohio.

Ohio Wesleyan-Washington & Jefferson Box Score
Heidelberg-Northwestern Ohio Box Score