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          Web site of the Daily Star, Hammond, Louisiana :: Search Archives: Search Classifieds: Lady Falcons fall at Top 28 | | | Text Size By John Lenz Wednesday, February 27, 2008 12:48 PM CST For three playoff games - and a bunch of regular season games before that - the out-manned St. Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcons found a way to win. But on Tuesday night in the Ladies Top 28 Tournament against John Curtis, Lady Patriots 6-foot center Kristi Bellock was the answer for every problem STA posed. Bellock poured in a game-high 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting, and she was the dangerous scoring option the Lady Falcons simply didn't have as John Curtis rolled into the Class 2A championship game with a 47-37 victory over the Lady Falcons in the University Center. And perhaps even more telling than Bellock's offense was her effect on the other end as she and 5-11 Kaitlyn Ruffin took away the Lady Falcons’ scoring options inside. "Usually when we don't have that outside shot we're able to drive in, but when you're going against 6-(foot)-one, taller people, it's kind of hard in there," said STA guard Kelseigh Hughes. "It's not like we haven’t faced people like that, but tonight just wasn't our night." ADVERTISEMENT As a result the Lady Patriots (27-9) advance to the Class 2A championship game on Friday at 8 p.m. against No. 1 Donaldsonville (32-2), which pulled away late to dispatch Homer 67-59 in Tuesday's other semifinal. The Lady Falcons’ defense was almost good enough to get them there. Bellock was the lone double-figures scorer for John Curtis; Nadia Collins was next with nine. And despite Curtis' significant size advantage, the plucky Lady Falcons actually outrebounded them 27-26 and forced 22 turnovers, though STA did commit 20 of its own. "I thought we stayed in our game with defense," said STA assistant coach John White. "We played a good team tonight, and it showed. "We were scrappy. That's what we’ve done the last two games - find ways to win. The girls had confidence; it just didn't work out." It didn't because STA (23-10), plagued by serious foul trouble, had to work so hard to get points. Rebekah Greer led them with 10 points before fouling out late, and her foul trouble prompted Marie-Anne Bohn to play extensively off the bench and produce eight points and five rebounds. Christy Shelby added six points and Hughes had a game-high nine rebounds for the Lady Falcons, who shot just 34 percent from the field. The two teams traded 10-0 runs in the second period, and the first half resulted in a 23-23 tie despite Curtis’ 52 percent field goal shooting in the first half. And STA was still clinging to a 33-32 lead going into the fourth quarter despite coughing up six turnovers in the third period alone. But the Curtis defense took its toll in the fourth quarter. STA shot just 1-for-7 from the field in the final period and turned it over seven times. The Lady Falcons went scoreless for the first 5:39 of the fourth quarter, while Nadia Collins hit a pair of buckets and Bellcok hit a jumper and also had a steal that set up one of Collins’ buckets to build a 38-33 lead for Curtis. STA's Lee Anne Towle finally found the range with off a pass from Shelby with 2:21 to play to make it 38-35. But Collins scored inside to make it 40-35 with 1:41 to play. STA got a chance to tighten the noose when a technical foul was called against Collins. But STA's Casey Buie hit just one of the two free throws, and the Lady Falcons missed two opportunities to score off the possession. Shaknocka Lewis rebounded a St. Thomas miss and Lacey Huxen was fouled and hit two free throws with 43 seconds left that made it 42-36. Shelby hit one of two free throws for the Falcons to make it 42-27, but by then STA had to foul and Bellock hit 3-for-4 and Trenell Spears was 2-for-2 from the line over the final 21 seconds. "I thought they did a good job stopping us," White said. "We had a tough time getting our offense moving around, but you’ve got to give them credit with the big girls they had down low. "But a lot of heart by our girls, and that's what we've seen the last three weeks," White added. "They should be very proud of themselves." Comment Blog - Note: All Comments Subject To Approval Comments are limited to 200 words or less. (optional) Current Word Count:   COMMENT RULES Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responible for comments posted on this Web site. Do not post: Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo. Obscene, explicit, or racist language. 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