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Huge Comeback Win for Ramla
Orli Klinger
,11/30/2009 |
Down 17 with 17 minutes left in regulation, Ramla's coach called timeout. She returned with a zone defense and Noelle Quinn at the point. Ramla made no more subs as they came all the way back to an amazing overtime win. Ramat Hen still led 76 - 72 with 38 seconds to go in the 4th after Noa Ganor's huge 3, but Quinn tied it at the line and there was no stopping them after that.
Ramat Hen 85 - Ramla 94 (F/OT)
Boxscore
Boy, what a game. It was a tale of two halves, and actually for Ramla a tale of two teams. In the first half Ramla as usual didn’t look on the same page, while Ramat Hen used it to run and put up 51 points on 69% shooting inside the arc, 19 points courtesy of Tiffany Jackson. But since the 23rd minute, following a timeout called down 17, everything changed. Noelle Quinn, Shimrit Gigi, Ina Gourevitch, Deanna Jackson & Ashley Paris didn’t get any rest till the end of the game. They created 7 straight stops to fuel an 18 – 2 run over five minutes, making it a 58 – 60 game. The road to victory was still long and hard, even though Ramat Hen shot 26% from the floor after halftime.
"When something is working you don’t change it. We had the momentum and I had to decide if to keep fighting with the tired players to maintain it", said Noa Ricanati about not making any subs in the final 22 minutes. "I chose to stick with what worked because we had to win. We decided at halftime that we will win the game. What Noelle Quinn did here tonight, that's something special".
The obvious question of course is when will she get the keys to the team. It's not just her 9 assists tonight, but mainly the fact she's a real playmaker who knows when to get her teammates the ball and when to do it herself. When someone else calls the shots, she usually thinks too much about who to go to, and Quinn is rarely the chosen option. "I played a lot of PG in the WNBA. I'm just trying to learn and improve and be a better point guard for this team. A point guard needs to trust her teammates and be calm in these situations, show leadership", said the modest Quinn. "After regulation I told DJ I ran out of gas, but I knew we fought so hard for this game we were going to find that extra effort in overtime".
After Ramat Hen looked sharper and more motivated in the first half, it was obvious in the 4th that both teams wanted it just as bad. Quinn & Jackson tied it from the line early in the 4th to complete the comeback, seven minutes left. Ramat Hen recovered with points by Jackson & Epstein, and three free throws by Noa Ganor after a very silly foul by Gigi, 72 – 66 with 4:20 left. Following a timeout Ramla answered with some blocks and a 6 – 0 run of their own, tied again. Both teams failed to hit a shot before the excellent Ganor hit a huge three, 76 – 72 with 38 seconds to play in regulation. The gym staff began folding up the signs but Quinn got fouled twice and tied the game again. In the remaining 5 seconds, Epstein drove for an impossible shot.
Shimrit Gigi opened the overtime with a big three that gave Ramla its first lead since way back in the 1st quarter. Ramla took over the game as Gourvitch, Gigi and Jackson scored, 87 – 80, with under 2minutes to play. Ramat Hen kept fouling even when all hope was gone and increased the final margin.
The first half as mentioned was a completely different story. Ramat Hen dominated the game from the first quarter, in which they led 26 – 17. Ramla refused to give the ball to the very efficient Ashley Paris while on the other end Ramat Hen fed Jackson constantly until she was hot enough to hit a three. Noa Ganor scored on two fast breaks and Bobbit hit an open jumper to complete a 10 – 2 run and open a 47 – 31 lead with about 2 minutes left in the half. The final two minutes of the half were very important, as instead of Ramat Hen breaking the game open, Ramla cut the lead to 39 – 51. The local momentum carried a little bit into the 3rd as Ganor and Bobbit hit threes and Stonesco racked up her final miss and turnover of the game, 41 – 58. Sounds like ancient history.
For Ramla:
Deanna Jackson 30 pts, 7 rebs
Noelle Quinn 21 pts, 9 ast, 6 rebs
Ashley Paris 19 pts, 16 rebs
Shimrit Gigi 14 pts
Ina Gourevitch 10 pts, 6 rebs
For Ramat Hen:
Noa Ganor 26 pts
Tiffany Jackson 23 pts, 15 rebs
Shannon Bobbit 16 pts
Michal Epstein 10 pts
Careem Gay 6 pts
Lin Golan 4 pts
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