Shepard makes the right call

Updated: March 23, 2011 9:38AM

Shepard sophomore Amanda Weiss talked the talk last week when she predicted a victory over South Suburban Red leader Argo.

Tuesday night, she and the Astros walked the walk, not only beating the Argonauts, but holding them to 16 points.

The new division leader, by a half-game, is Richards. Guess who Shepard plays Thursday?

Predictions, anyone?

"We're retiring Nostradamus for the season," Astros coach Rick Mundo said with a chuckle after the 29-16 victory. "No more prognosticating."

Jamila McClinton had 10 points, Kayla McKinney seven points and six steals, Raynisha Dent five points and six rebounds and Weiss five points and two steals as Shepard improved to 7-14, 3-6.

Amanda Brookshire had five points while Dena Hammad had four points and seven rebounds for Argo (8-10, 5-5).

Perhaps the most shocking stat of all in the offensive struggle was that concerning Argo's Crystal Bell. A week earlier the speedy senior guard

forward scored 31 points against Reavis, hitting 19 of 20 free throws. Tuesday, she scored two points and never got to the line.

"Coach told us to stay on her left and force her to go right," McClinton said. "She is strong to her left and we knew she was their best free-throw shooter, so we tried not to foul her."

McKinney was a key defensively for Shepard in the first quarter, making three consecutive steals on three Argo possessions. It was part of a zone defense shutdown that allowed the Astros to take an 8-2 lead out of the first period.

"I just see who can dribble and who can't and I just go for it," McKinney said. "Sometimes I foul a lot. But I try to take advantage and get the ball for us every possession we can."

McKinney also had back-to-back drives for layups on a night when doing anything inside was at a premium. Argo in particular struggled mightily to get the ball inside.

"A bad night," Argonauts coach Dan McCarthy said. "But credit has to start with Shepard. They just packed the zone in and had their way with us. They wanted the game more.

"Obviously their focus was on Crystal Bell. They always had two-three people around her. They dared the rest of us to beat them and ... we're better than this."

Argo got to within 15-12 midway through the third period, but the Astros ended the quarter with a 6-0 run, the highlight a drive to the basket by McClinton. Weiss added to the tally at the start of the fourth with a driving bank-in and was very effective, along with McKinney, at running clock down the stretch.

"All the girls came through, and it was a big win for us," Mundo said. "We're trying to climb up that ladder, and so far, so good."

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.