LISBON — Lisbon’s run of Western Class B girls’ basketball tournament appearances is likely to end in three weeks.
Hey, playing the spoiler can be fun, too.
Jessica Campbell scored all 11 of her points in the fourth quarter and overtime Thursday night, rallying the Greyhounds to a 46-40 victory over Monmouth in an MVC clash at Manchester Gym.
Kelsey Linnell led the way with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots for Lisbon (4-10), which rallied from an eight-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to halt a six-game losing streak.
“It’s nice to get a win. We hadn’t won a game since the first week of January,” Lisbon coach Jake Gentle said. “They feel good about themselves right now, and they should.”
Campbell’s drive to the basket with 2:34 remaining in the extra session gave Lisbon the lead for good. She also delivered a go-ahead basket in the fourth quarter and hit the first of two free throws with 12 seconds left in regulation.
That shot ultimately saved the Greyhounds when Monmouth’s Sierra Spencer hit a 3-pointer at the horn to force overtime.
“During (Monmouth’s) timeout we said, ‘Absolutely no 3-pointers’ and ’42 (Spencer) doesn’t get to shoot,” Gentle said. “They did a good job making the pass and setting the screen to give her a little, floating 3. It looked like she was a little off-balance, but it went in.”
Monmouth (5-9) enjoyed few other offensive highlights after intermission. The Mustangs were 5-for-24 from the field in the second half and 1-of-11 in overtime.
Kylie Kemp’s free throw pulled the Mustangs within one at 41-40 with 2:02 left. Bailey Madore matched it by hitting her second try for the Greyhounds.
Lisbon clung to that tenuous two-point margin until Campbell’s inbounds pass to a wide-open Sarah Giraldo for a backbreaking bucket with 40 seconds remaining.
Daisi Poole led Monmouth with 12 points, including eight on four consecutive attempts in a torrid first quarter. Kemp added seven points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Monmouth’s 5-foot-10 post presence, Kristine Kahl, fouled out at the end of regulation with six points.
“That’s tough, because you’re taking her out of an offense that’s already struggling to score,” Monmouth coach Scott Wing said.
Spencer’s 3-pointer capped her seven-point output, all in the second half.
The sophomore also located Poole inside for a hoop that sliced the Mustangs’ deficit from four points to two late in regulation.
“She was sick. She played more than I expected her to play,” Wing said of Spencer.
Spencer had both Monmouth baskets in the third period. Kahl also hit two free throws, increasing the Mustangs’ 21-14 halftime advantage to 28-20.
Helped by three Monmouth misses from the line, Lisbon rattled off 10 unanswered points to christen the fourth quarter, grabbing its first lead since 2-0.
Campbell and Linnell combined for eight in that surge. Allicyn Fitzgerald cashed in a steal for a transition layup.
Haley Eck also made a steal underneath the Monmouth basket and kissed it off the window to break a 32-all tie.
“We executed in the offensive end when we needed to. We started making some free throws when we needed to,” Gentle said. “For a while we were doing everything we could to lose the game. Then we started doing the things we needed to do to win.”
Monmouth is one of eight teams battling for the 10th and final playoff position in Western Class C.
Few of them have as many chances to control their destiny down the stretch. In addition to a game against once-beaten Hall-Dale, Monmouth meets Madison, Georges Valley and St. Dom’s — three of the teams dead ahead.
“I think we need to win them all to get in,” Wing said. “Those are all teams ahead of us, so there’s still a light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s getting smaller.”
koakes@sunjournal.com
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