Supporting cast played huge role in Panthers' wins By MIKE KEMMETER Special to The Gazette MADISON -Janel McCarville received most of the attention after Stevens Point Area Senior High's semifinal and quarterfinal wins in the girls state basketball tournament at the Kohl Center. But while McCarville took over portions of both games, her supporting cast - players like Michele Rosicky and Abbey Peterson - had huge roles in both victories and helped get the Panthers to the state championship game. The Panthers got out of the blocks early in SPASH's 42-38 semifinal win over Eau Claire Memorial, but the Old Abes clawed back. McCarville, who had already scored eight points and was dominating in the middle, ran into foul trouble in the second quarter, picking up her second foul with 4:56 left in the half. When McCarville went to the bench, Memorial had just taken an 18-15 lead. Rosicky and SPASH's defense stepped up in the senior center's absence, with Rosicky striking big on the next Panther possession. The senior guard nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing, tying the game, and giving SPASH some confidence with their leader on the bench. "I knew Janel was in foul trouble. But because I was a senior, I thought it was my job," Rosicky said. While the defense held fast, Rosicky struck again from behind the arc, two minutes later, giving SPASH a 21-18 lead. "I thought Janel was just dominant tonight. But if Michele didn't show up tonight and hit those threes, we wouldn't be here," SPASH coach Kraig Terpstra said. Lynn Eckerman, a senior forward, put the Panthers ahead by five entering the half with a clutch jumper with 29 seconds left in the quarter. The defense also did its job with McCarville on the bench. The Panthers held Memorial scoreless during that stretch, with the Old Abes missing six straight shots and committing one turnover. "We weathered the storm in the second period. That was the only time all year that I really felt threatened," Terpstra said. SPASH entered the fourth quarter clinging to a 33-28 lead and rifled off five straight points, taking a 38-28 advantage with 5:22 remaining. The Old Abes strung together a 7-0 run, to move within 38-35 with 1:46, making things interesting. Carla Zarecki answered with two free throws, but Memorial got within two points with 40 seconds left. McCarville and Peterson both hit single free throws in the final minute, and Peterson's gave the Panthers an insurmountable four-point lead with 11 seconds left. "She's our closer," Terpstra said of Peterson. "She's in there because she's very composed. What she showed (Thursday) night made that decision that much easier." SPASH dominated the start of the semifinal with a 9-0 run to open the game. Rosicky opened the game with a 3-pointer from the top of the key and McCarville followed with a lay-in. Kara Kujawa then had a pair of fast-break lay-ups to give the Panthers a 9-0 lead just two minutes into the game. "The fast start was a big key," Terpstra said. "I thought they were more tense tonight." Terpstra wasn't able to let go of his tension until the final buzzer, when he jumped in the air with the rest of his team. "With their pressure, half-court and full-court, I was never comfortable," he said. * * * Peterson, who joined the varsity team this season, sank two big jump shots in a 56-second span in the fourth quarter and scored eight of SPASH's final nine points in a 44-35 quarterfinal win over Middleton. The two teams battled back and forth in the first half, with seven lead changes in the first quarter alone, until the Panthers took the lead for good midway through the second quarter. Not that the lead was ever safe. With SPASH clinging to a 24-23 halftime edge, the Panthers buckled down on defense in the third quarter, holding the Cardinals to only four points while building a 33-27 lead entering the final period. "I can't say enough about the defense we played," Terpstra said. "We changed defense and slowed them down. We don't play a lot of zone, but we had to stick with it. They didn't have an answer for it." Middleton got back within 33-31, with 6:06 remaining, after Leslie Oliversen and Kristin Marco sandwiched jumpers around a SPASH turnover. McCarville answered with a putback of her own miss and SPASH's defense cracked down again. The Cardinals committed four straight turnovers after rebounding their own misses on the offensive end. Rosicky picked up a steal with just under five minutes to go, starting Peterson's little scoring spree. The senior nailed the first jumper, putting the Panthers ahead by six with 4:37 remaining. After another turnover, Zarecki fed Peterson for another hoop, giving SPASH an eight-point lead with 3:33 to go. "It was unbelievable. I was so nervous when I was supposed to take them," Peterson said. "I was really, really nervous before the game." Peterson then sank four free throws down the stretch to help the Panthers advance. "Those jumpers she hit and the free throws she made, she'd get my game ball," Terpstra said. In the meantime, the Panther defense held Middleton scoreless for a 5:30 stretch in the quarter, until Amanda Seija hit a free throw with 28 seconds left. McCarville finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks, shooting 9-of-23 from the field. "Janel dominated the middle part of the game," Terpstra said.