Panthers win all-Gary final

Updated: March 23, 2011 9:24AM

By comparison, as exciting as the Portage Sectional has been - and it's been one upset after another in that bracket - the Class 3A sectional in Gary had been ... well, not so exciting.

So, when you had sectional favorite Roosevelt going up against a Wallace team they had embarrased twice in the regular season, you figured the results would be a foregone conclusion.

But after Wallace hung in there, trailing by only four after one quarter, and after the Hornets cut a 20-11 second-quarter Roosevelt lead with a run to tie it at the half, and after Hornets guard Shaunice Emory hit a high-arcing 3-pointer that seemed to travel three time zones before hitting nothing but net to end the half all square at 25, you got the message that the Hornets were not only going to stick around for the entire party, but they might become party crashers.

"It turned out to be a good game so we're happy we got the win," said Roosevelt guard Takita Lenoir. "I was very surprised how well they played."

On the flip side, there was nothing surprising on how Roosevelt eventually knocked off the Hornets 57-35 to win their second sectional in three years. It's the same formula they used two seasons ago: When in doubt, get the ball to No. 25.

During that first sectional win in 2009, it was Tatianna Washington who led the Panthers to a final win over Hammond, ending the Wildcats' four-year sectional run. This time around it was junior Kelly Moten, who scored six of her game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter to break open a game that the Panthers (17-6) led 35-31 after three quarters.

"It's a good feeling being sectional champs," said Moten, who also had 17 rebounds and nine steals. "We had to step up and play better defense. We didn't want them to stay too close to us towards the finish.

"We're going to celebrate tonight and get ready for regionals next week."

Saturday's game makes it easier for Wallace to get ready for next season.

While there is work to be done for this team to be as good as the Larry McKissack-coached, Terrilyn Johnson-led Wallace team that won its only girls semistate title 25 years ago, the past 24 hours, which included a win over defending sectional champion Gavit in the semifinals, could become a building block.

"I'm proud of every one on this team," said Hornets coach Kim Jackson. "Our inexperience hurt us late in the game but we're improving. We'll be back next season."

The Hornets (5-14) got nine-point scoring outings from Shauniece Emory and Tyler Davis.

For Roosevelt, whose last two wins over the Hornets were far less dramatic (63-31 in December and 67-30 last month), Lenoir had 13 points. The Panthers head to the regional winners of five in a row and six of their last seven.

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