Palmyra Girls Down Highland In Overtime, Bringer Scores 1000th Career Point

PROTECTED CONTENT

If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.

Username

Password

Login

Lost your password?

Username and Password Help

Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.

Email

Submit

← Back

By David Sharp

Palmyra (19-7) defended well in the first half of their Class 3, District 6 championship semifinal contest with Highland. The Lady Panthers took advantage of Highland turnovers for a 20-6 second quarter burst to a 30-17 halftime lead.

The Lady Cougars (14-13) fought back in the second half. Ansley Bringer sank a three ball with 22 seconds remaining in regulation time, sending an exciting February 23, 2022 game to overtime tied at 51 each.

Chandra King and Sydney Compton led the Lady Panthers on a 10-2 overtime run for a 61-53 Palmyra win. South Shelby downed Palmyra by a 59-55 margin in the Monroe City Girls District Championship game.

Junior Ansley Bringer sank a midrange jumper with 3:04 to play in the third quarter for the 1000th point of her Highland varsity career. Palmyra saw their lead cut to 33-30 on the play.

“Our girls talked about how they had to stop the runs they put on us,” Palmyra coach Alex Brandenburg said. “I didn’t know (Ansley Bringer) was close to 1000. That is a great accomplishment for her.”

“When you face adversity, you find out what you have got,” Alex Brandenburg said. “We have some great competitors in that locker room. We faced some adversity here. When you face a good team that works really hard that is well coached you have played two times in a row, it can be really hard to win those games.”

“We made some mistakes defensively. Highland played great,” Coach Brandenburg said. “They handled the pressure much better down the stretch. Fortunately for us, we hit some shots, got some rebounds and had some big stops.”

Summer Goings hit a momentum shifting three point shot with 4:05 remaining in regulation time, pulling Highland within a 44-41 deficit. The Lady Cougars tied the score at 44 with 2:26 showing on the fourth quarter clock.

Ali Reed made a play for the Lady Cougars, stealing the ball and sinking three free throws for a 47-44 Highland lead at the 2:09 mark of the fourth quarter. Sydney Compton turned in a Palmyra three point play, tying the game at 47 with 1:49 remaining.

Ansley Bringer sank a free throw with 49 seconds on the clock. Carissa Schroeder rebounded the second shot. The Lady Cougars could not get the ball through the cylinder. Palmyra led 49-48.

Both sides had a chance to win the game with last minute free throws. Jansen Juette hit a free throw for a 50-48 Panther lead with 33.6 seconds to play in regulation. Chandra King rebounded the second try. King hit one free throw. Ansley Bringer pulled down a missed free throw.

Highland worked the ball to the wing. Ansley Bringer nailed a contested three ball, tying the game at 51 with 22 seconds to play.

Neither side could score the winning point in regulation time. Highland outscored Palmyra 34-21 in the second half. The game went to overtime tied at 51.

Palmyra made big scoring plays in overtime. Chandra King sank a three ball with 2:31 to play in overtime for a 56-51 lead. King took advantage of a turnover for a free throw and a 57-51 edge.

Claire Williams rebounded, setting up Chandra King for another field goal during a hectic few seconds late in overtime.

Sydney Compton converted a turnover into a three point play for a 60-51 lead with 1:18 remaining. Palmyra outscored Highland by a 10-2 margin in overtime for the 61-53 win.

Seniors Alexis Vaughn, Carly Murphy, Summer Goings and Carissa Schroeder played their final basketball games for Highland.

“We were trying to build an atmosphere of family environment,” Ashton Jaco said when asked to talk about her seniors. “They just bought in. They accepted their role whether they were starting or cheering on the bench.”

“They didn’t care who scored. That mind set is what got us to what we were,” Coach Jaco said. “They bought in. They were good leaders. They were good teammates. That is what allowed us to continue to get better. We maximized our potential. Played to our highest level.”

Palmyra held a 20-16 advantage in made field goals at the close of play. The teams made four three pointers each. Palmyra was 9-21 at the free throw line. Highland sank 9-19 free throws on the night.

Candra King led Palmyra with 21 points. Sydney Compton scored 12 points. Jansen Juette was the third Lady Panther in double figures with ten points.

“We turned it over way too much in that second quarter,” Highland coach Ashton Jaco said. “We were down 13 at half. That is a big deficit to come back from. I really challenged them in the locker room.”

“We had to be tougher. We just had to play better basketball,” Coach Jaco said. “They absolutely responded. They played their tails off. We kind of ran out of gas in overtime. I’m just proud of our effort and we never gave up.”

All Conference and All District junior Ansley Bringer scored a game high 26 points. Ali Reed was in double figures with 14 points. Summer Goings and Morgan Keith scored five points each. Carissa Schroeder added three Lady Cougar points.

“We executed at the end of regulation. We made that three which was huge,” Ashton Jaco said. “We just ran out of gas at the end. I’m just so proud of them. We worked hard and got better every single game.”

“We got beat by some pretty good teams early in the year,” Coach Jaco said. “We just struggled to figure it out. We got rolling at the Palmyra Tournament. In the second half of the season, we started to figure it out and played some pretty good basketball.”

“I wish it would have ended in a win tonight, but it’s only up from here as far as the future goes.”