PANTHER FROSH GIRLS CRUNCH COUGARS
By Marc Atwood
marcatwood@aol.com
 
(2/12/08 Chico, CA) The Chico girls' freshman basketball team used an 18-3 run in the fourth quarter to defeat Foothill 49-32 Tuesday at "The Panther Pit."
 
Sam Conroy made the Panthers' first basket 56 seconds into the game. Shannon Jimenez made a shot with 6:03 remaining in the first quarter to give the Cougars their first points. Holli Meredith made a bucket with 4:02 to go in the first to put Foothill up 6-4. Conroy hit a basket with 2:50 left in the period as Chico tied the game at 8-8.
 
Jimenez made a free throw 49 seconds into the second quarter to bring the Cougars within two points at 11-9. Neither team would get another point until 3:04 to go when Jimenez added a free throw as Foothill was down a point. A three from Jessica Maynes with 2:29 left in the first half put the Panthers up 14-10. Bailey Smith made a hoop with 1:03 to go in the half as Chico's lead stood at 16-11.
 
Tiffany Chu made one of two free throws with 7:07 remaining in the third quarter to give the Panthers a 17-13 lead. Jean Mutch hit a bucket with 6:54 to go in the third as the Cougars were down by two points. A hoop from Raeanne Bertagna with 3:26 left in the period cut Chico's deficit to 27-24. Foothill came within a point at 30-29 when Kamie Langford made a pair of free throws with 54 seconds left.
 
Andie Smith hit a free throw 27 seconds into the fourth quarter to give the Panthers a 32-29 lead. Bethany Duval's three-pointer with 5:01 left in the game accounted for the Cougars' only points of the fourth period. Smith's three-pointer with 2:31 remaining in the contest moved Chico ahead 44-32.
 
Conroy paced the Panthers with 13 points and eight rebounds. Bertagna scored 12 points and Smith added 10 points. Jimenez and Aubrae Pearson each scored eight points for the Cougars.