Fast start flickers in Lady Cardinals' loss

The Corning High girls came out on fire in the first quarter at home against Yreka on Friday, and could have looked like world-beaters if they were able to keep up the torrid scoring pace the rest of the way.

But after taking a 21-10 after the opening eight minutes, the Lady Cardinals' were unable to finish off the visiting Miners, losing 55-50.

Corning wrapped up the regular season by going 6-17, and finishing 1-7 in the Northern Athletic League. As the 12th-seeded team in the Division IV playoffs, they traveled to play No. 5 Sutter Tuesday.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the first quarter on a Marisa Vinson jumper, a Gates Fears free throw, a Jennings trey, another hoop from Fears off a Jennings assist, a Jennings bucket off an inbound pass and a pair from the line by Jenny Devers.

The Cards continued with Fears going coast-to-coast after coming down with a rebound, and Corning closed out the period with a pair of freebies from Rachel Bentz, one by Fears, and buckets by Vinson and Shyanne Petty.

After the first quarter, Corning scored six, 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the remaining three periods.

"I think we forced pushing the ball instead of running our game," said Jennings, who finished with 11 points. "We got gassed."

Not helping the Corning cause in the second period was Yreka rattling off 22 points to take a 32-27 lead into intermission. The Miners' Katie Brummett finished the quarter with eight points, outscoring the entire Corning squad.

Corning pulled to within a point at the end of the third quarter, and forced a 46-46 deadlock when Fears drove the lane for two points with 1:30 remaining.

Brummett then had a prayer answered when she threw up a three as the shot clock was about to expire, and it went in to put the Miners back up by three.

Vinson scored on a fast break to make it 51-50 with 28 seconds left, but Brummett scored the last two of her 22 points from the line, and Ashley Ensminger sealed the deal with a steal and fast-break bucket.

Jennings' 11 was one-point shy of Fears' team-leading 12 points for the Cardinals. Vinson and Bentz each tacked on eight.

CONTACT Craig Purcell at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com