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THE STREAK ENDS
Winnetonka girls win first game in 67 tries
By Ben McClanahan
Winnetonka’s girls basketball team is winless no more.
For the first time in almost three years, the Griffins picked up its first victory with a 38-33 win over Park Hill last Friday, Feb. 8, snapping a 66-game losing streak dating back to February of 2005.
After senior Iffie Ehovuon put the finishing touches on the victory with a pair of free throws, Park Hill's final shot attempt came up short, sparking a long celebration in front of the team's bench during the Griffins' "Pack the House" night at Winnetonka High School.
"I’m so happy right now," said junior center Lisa Fitzmaurice, who did most of her celebrating on one foot after rolling her ankle in the third quarter. "It's exciting. We've improved so much this year. It's finally showing through. I'm shaking right now I’m so happy."
The scene after the game looked more like the Griffins had won a state championship, and more than one player said that's how it felt. When the game finally ended, players were swarmed by students, who appeared as happy as the Griffins players.
"I think we were all in shock," junior forward Khitam Jabr said. "We were like, 'Is this really happening?' It was kind of like a 'pinch yourself' moment. I can't even describe it."
It was a game the Griffins, who improved to 1-20 on the season, won't soon forget. Winnetonka coach Kendra Banzet said her players were confident before the game, and they were even sure of themselves when they went into the locker room at halftime up 19-13.
"They felt like they had a chance," Banzet said. "We'd been talking about playing together no matter what. They were way excited (at halftime). Our big thing is we always come out flat in the third quarter, and we struggled again, but we still played good defense and hung in there."
Park Hill, which fell to 6-17 with the loss, led briefly in the second half when Katy Plummer put the Trojans up 24-22 late in the third quarter. The Griffins regained the lead in the fourth quarter when Alexis Rosborough drained a 3-pointer in front of the student section with 7:15 remaining. Jabr then extended the lead to 28-24 with another 3-pointer. Park Hill tied the game one more time before Winnetonka put the game away at the free throw line.
Rosborough and Ehovuon each hit a pair of free throws to maintain the lead late in the game. Senior forward Andrea Moor led the team in scoring with 11 points. Rosborough and Jabr each added seven.
As exciting as the win was for the Griffins, it was just as disappointing for the Trojans, who entered the game coming off an emotional one-point win over St. Joseph Central the night before.
"Somebody had to do it," Park Hill coach Brian Rockers said of ending Winnetonka's losing streak. "It just happened to be us. They deserve all the credit. They outplayed us. They played with energy and we didn’t. They did a good job."
And with one victory, much of the pain of the last three seasons was put to rest.
"It feels like everything in the past is now gone and no one's going to think about our record anymore," Fitzmaurice said. "It feels so great."
Sports writer Ben McClanahan can be reached at 389-6606 or bmcclanahan@npgco.com.
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For the first time in almost three years, the Griffins picked up its first victory with a 38-33 win over Park Hill last Friday, Feb. 8, snapping a 66-game losing streak dating back to February of 2005.
After senior Iffie Ehovuon put the finishing touches on the victory with a pair of free throws, Park Hill's final shot attempt came up short, sparking a long celebration in front of the team's bench during the Griffins' "Pack the House" night at Winnetonka High School.
"I’m so happy right now," said junior center Lisa Fitzmaurice, who did most of her celebrating on one foot after rolling her ankle in the third quarter. "It's exciting. We've improved so much this year. It's finally showing through. I'm shaking right now I’m so happy."
The scene after the game looked more like the Griffins had won a state championship, and more than one player said that's how it felt. When the game finally ended, players were swarmed by students, who appeared as happy as the Griffins players.
"I think we were all in shock," junior forward Khitam Jabr said. "We were like, 'Is this really happening?' It was kind of like a 'pinch yourself' moment. I can't even describe it."
It was a game the Griffins, who improved to 1-20 on the season, won't soon forget. Winnetonka coach Kendra Banzet said her players were confident before the game, and they were even sure of themselves when they went into the locker room at halftime up 19-13.
"They felt like they had a chance," Banzet said. "We'd been talking about playing together no matter what. They were way excited (at halftime). Our big thing is we always come out flat in the third quarter, and we struggled again, but we still played good defense and hung in there."
Park Hill, which fell to 6-17 with the loss, led briefly in the second half when Katy Plummer put the Trojans up 24-22 late in the third quarter. The Griffins regained the lead in the fourth quarter when Alexis Rosborough drained a 3-pointer in front of the student section with 7:15 remaining. Jabr then extended the lead to 28-24 with another 3-pointer. Park Hill tied the game one more time before Winnetonka put the game away at the free throw line.
Rosborough and Ehovuon each hit a pair of free throws to maintain the lead late in the game. Senior forward Andrea Moor led the team in scoring with 11 points. Rosborough and Jabr each added seven.
As exciting as the win was for the Griffins, it was just as disappointing for the Trojans, who entered the game coming off an emotional one-point win over St. Joseph Central the night before.
"Somebody had to do it," Park Hill coach Brian Rockers said of ending Winnetonka's losing streak. "It just happened to be us. They deserve all the credit. They outplayed us. They played with energy and we didn’t. They did a good job."
And with one victory, much of the pain of the last three seasons was put to rest.
"It feels like everything in the past is now gone and no one's going to think about our record anymore," Fitzmaurice said. "It feels so great."
Sports writer Ben McClanahan can be reached at 389-6606 or bmcclanahan@npgco.com.