North Putnam girls upset Eagles, 36-34

Saturday, February 4, 2006

In overtime, with the score knotted at 54, North Putnam's Laura Blaydes stepped up when her team needed her most.

Driving through the lane, Blaydes stopped, lunged, and falling forward, hit a layup as the third second ticked off the clock.

That was the ball game. As a Jessica Canary last-second desperation three-pointer rimmed out, the Cougars picked up their sixth win of the season, with a come-from-behind overtime victory over South Putnam, 56-54, Friday at North Putnam.

'That was just a clear-out play for her,' North Putnam Coach Kevins Smith said, describing Blaydes' play. 'We knew the worst thing that could happen is we go into another overtime.'

Blaydes scored 24 points, leading all scorers, tallying 19 points in the second half alone.

North Putnam trailed until Blaydes hit a three-pointer with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter, giving the Cougars a 20-19 lead.

From there, the game saw eight lead changes and three ties, until Blaydes scored the game winning points.

With the Cougars leading 30-28, Jessica Canary pulled some heroics of her own, jump-stopping in the lane and rolling in two points, forcing overtime.

The Eagles held a 32-31 advantage in overtime when Canary connected with Meghan Canary for two points with 2:52 remaining.

However, minutes later, Chelsea Greene hit a three-pointer from Brooke Miller, giving the Cougars a 34-32 lead with 1:33 remaining.

Jessica Canary hit two free throws to tie the game, before Blaydes hit the game-winner.

"This is huge for us, going into sectional and getting ready to go -- beating a rivalry on Homecoming," Smith said.

The Eagles looked dominate in the first half, taking a 17-5 lead into halftime.

Jessica Canary had five points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in the first half alone. South Putnam held the Cougars to just 1-of-17 shooting from the field.

"We really struggled with our shots in the first half, and getting good shots,' Smith said. "We really challenged our kids at half.'

The Cougars responded, going on a 15-2 run to start the half, trailing only one point at 21-20, going into the fourth quarter.

'We didn't shoot the ball well,' South Putnam Coach Debbie Steffy said. 'Defensively, we stopped guarding people. I thought North Putnam did a good job of coming out and trying to penetrate to the basket.

'They hit free throws, the hit some shots, they got the momentum on their side. And we couldn't get it back,' Steffy added.

Jessica Canary led the Eagles with 15 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, while Meghan Canary scored 11 points. Bailey Birt added six points for the Eagles.

For the Cougars, Greene added seven points, including two big three-pointers down the stretch. Taylor Alles led the Cougars with seven rebounds.

The Cougars finish the regular season with a 6-14 overall record and a 2-4 record in the West Central Conference. The Eagles finish the regular season with a 14-6 record and a 4-2 record in the WCC.

North Putnam plays Tri-West Tuesday at the Cascade Sectional at 7 p.m., while South Putnam plays the winner of the Cougars and the Bruins Friday at 6 p.m.

At North Putnam

South Putnam 9 8 4 9 4 -- 34

North Putnam 2 3 15 10 6 -- 36

South Putnam -- M. Canary 4 2-5 11, J. Canary 6 2-2 15, Birt 3 0-0 6, Mink 1 0-0 2, Boetjer 0 0-0 0, Stanifer 0 0-0 0, Booe 0 0-0 0. Totals FG 14, FT 4-7, TP 34.

North Putnam -- Greene 2 1-2 7, Miller 1 0-0 2, Alles 1 1-5 3, Blaydes 7 6-6 24, Johnston 0 0-2 0, Skene 0 0-0 0, Diebold 0 0-0 0. Totals FG 11, FT 8-14, TP 36.

3 pt. -- South Putnam 2 (M. Canary 1, J. Canary 1), North Putnam 5 (Blaydes 3), Rebounds -- South Putnam 26 (J. Canary 15), North Putnam 22 (Alles 7), Assists -- South Putnam 6 (J. Canary 5), North Putnam 7 (Greene 3), Steals -- South Putnam 5 (J. Canary 3), North Putnam 6 (Miller 3).

Next game -- North Putnam plays Tri-West at the Cascade Sectional Tuesday at 6 p.m., while South Putnam plays the winner of Tri-West and North Putnam at the Cascade Sectional Friday at 6 p.m.

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