BY JOEY CRANDALL
Appeal News Service
RENO - After a first quarter that saw two teams combine to score just 14 points, it appeared the Douglas High girls basketball team was in for a fight against the upstart Wooster Colts.
And the Tigers turned around and blew away every expectation about the game, outscoring the Colts 12-2 in the second quarter on their way to a 51-29 Sierra League win at Wooster Friday night.
Douglas got 14 points from Bridget Maestretti and 12 from Jessica Waggoner on its way to the rout, which was a far cry from how the game started off.
The Lady Tigers were plagued by missed field goals and turnovers early on, and Wooster built a slim 8-6 lead through the first quarter. The Colts' Ayden Finau keyed the early lead with four first-quarter points.
Katie Buffo jump-started the Tigers in the second quarter with a pair of 3-pointers over the first three minutes to give Douglas a 12-8 lead. Other than Buffo's slick shooting, the first six minutes of the quarter didn't see any more scoring from either team.
Aldine Hobbs, who led the Colts with 11 points, made a basket with just over two minutes remaining in the half, but Douglas came alive in the final two with four points from Maestretti and a pair of free throws from Gina Pfaffenberger to take an 18-10 lead into the locker room.
The Tigers fell back into their offensive woes early in the third, getting just two points over the first five minutes while Wooster pieced together a 6-2 run to close within four at 20-16.
Sarah Hartley hit a key 3-pointer to send Douglas on an 11-4 run to close out the quarter.
Wooster managed to cut the lead to 31-24 on a basket and a free throw from Hobbs, but Douglas used a 14-2 run, highlighted by a magnificent one-minute stretch from Waggoner to put the game away.
With Douglas leading 37-26, Waggoner scored a basket and then stepped in front of a pass at the other end and parlayed the steal into another layup on the ensuing possession.
Wooster was barely back across the half-court line when she made a leaping interception and got back down the floor in time to convert yet another layup.
Douglas finished with six points from Buffo and Pfaffenberger, five from Hartley, and two apiece from Jessica Gorton, Dany Heidt and Helen Fillmore.
DOUGLAS BOYS 91, WOOSTER 48
The Douglas boys had little trouble with Wooster, jumping out to a 14-2 lead in the first four minutes and cruising to an easy win.
Five Tiger players finished in double-figure scoring with sophomore C.J. Marcotte leading the team with a career-high 19 points.
David Laird finished with 13, James McLaughlin had 12 and Kevin Emm and Jeff Nady had 10 each.
Douglas was also superb from the free-throw line, going 17-for-20, with Laird going 5-for-6 and Herman Fillmore 4-for-4.
Every player on the Tigers' roster put points on the board, and the defense limited Wooster standout post David Torres to just seven points.
Fillmore and Drew Hamlett each put six points on the board, Tim Rudnick had four and Parker Robertson, Nick Hales and Ross Bertolone each contributed two.