Westminster Gets Its Revenge, Ends MICDS' Win Streak At 11

TOWN AND COUNTRY -- As the No. 1 seed and defending champion of the MICDS Holiday Tournament, the Westminster Christian Academy girls basketball team was the overwhelming favorite to win the event again this season.

But the third-seeded hosts from MICDS had different plans, and pulled off one of the great surprises of the season by upsetting Westminster to win their own tournament for the first time.

That victory happened to be the Rams' eighth in a row, and helped spark them on to three more, for an 11-game winning streak heading into Friday's rematch with the Wildcats at the WCA Gym.

This time though, it was Westminster that made the big plays down the stretch of another tight ballgame, and earned itself a hard-fought 58-56 revenge victory over MICDS.

"They came out hungry," MICDS head coach Scott Small said. "I thought they learned some things from our last game, and it's always nice to play in your own gym. I thought they fed off that. And we're young and we're still growing."

Junior guard Kayla Armstrong led the way for Westminster, with a game-high 20 points, which included an 8-for-8 effort from the free throw line that helped the Wildcats put the game away in the final minutes.

Armstrong also hit a pair of key jumpers during a critical stretch late in the fourth that allowed Westminster to turn a small 46-44 lead into what proved to be an insurmountable 53-44 edge with just over two minutes to play.

Teammate Adrienne Horn had 14 points and 10 rebounds to help the Wildcat cause as well.

MICDS, which fell behind late in the second quarter and was never able to get the lead back, did make it close in the final seconds, when sophomore Maya Howard hit a three with 11.7 ticks left to make the score 56-53.

But Armstrong added two final free throws on Westminster's next possession to make it 58-53, which made it a moot point when MICDS' Rachel Thompson hit a three at the buzzer for the Rams to make the final score 58-56.

"We never really talked about any winning streak," Small said. "We just treat every game like it's a one-game season, and try to put our best effort towards winning that one game."

Westminster is now 13-5 on the year, with a 2-0 record in league play, which ties the Wildcats with Principia for first place in the Metro League standings this year.

MICDS fell to 13-2 overall, and is 3-1 in Metro League games.

Both clubs will be back in action on Tuesday, with matchups against a pair of non-conference opponents.

MICDS, which is ranked No. 6 in the Small School girls rankings this week, but may slip after Friday's loss to No. 7 Westminster, will be on the road again that night, with a 6:30 p.m. game at Visitation Academy.

Westminster, on the other hand, will be hosting the No. 8-ranked team in the Large School girls poll -- Eureka High -- back at the WCA Gym at 6 p.m.

SCORING SUMMARY

Score by Quarters ........... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 -- Final Score

MICDS ............................... 9 .. 9 .. 13 . 25 -- 56

Westminster Christian .... 7 .. 13 . 16 . 22 -- 58

Individual Scorers

MICDS -- Rachel Thompson 13, Emily Kyman 11, Maya Howard 11, Cameron Jackson 8, Taylor Baur 5, Caroline Militello 4, Josie Cusworth 4.

Westminster Christian -- Kayla Armstrong 20, Adrienne Horn 14, Brooke Cusumano 9, Hannah Stipanovich 7, Sadie Stipanovich 6, McKenna Montgomery 2.