Lindsey reaches milestone with victory over Gaithersburg

JAN 11, 2002, NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM -

Blair's victory tonight, a 45-39 win over Gaithersburg High School, was a familiar feeling for Coach William Lindsey.

In his 22nd year coaching career, Lindsey has seen his ups and downs. But tonight, with his girls' basketball team improving to 4-7, Lindsey reached a coaching milestone— his 300th win.

From the start of the game, the Blazers were dominant, going on an early 6-0 run and never relinquishing their lead. For the third time in four games, sophomore Emily Ramsay led the team in scoring, dropping 12 to lead all players.

Along with Ramsay, sophmore Caroline Kuttner added 10 points. Ramsay, Kuttner and senior Erin Ivey proved to be an unavoidable obstacle for a smaller, less talented Gaithersburg team, who dropped to an overall record of 3-8.

The victory was the Blazers' first home win of the season and came after a disappointing road loss to Churchill High School, ranked #15 by The Washington Post.

Junior Lara Dean played solid offensively, scoring six points and creating opportunities for the rest of the team. The team's only seniors, Latasha Peace and Ashley Moorefield, showed their leadership out on the court. While Moorefield went scoreless except for one free throw, Peace contributed six points, three of which came on the game's only three pointer.

Compared to games earlier in the season, the Blazers utilized better shot selection and were less hesitant to take mid-range jumpers, which were a key factor in their offensive production tonight.

In addition, more effective play on the offensive boards by Kuttner, Ramsay and Ivey led to increased scoring opportunities for the Blazers, who made only seven of 17 free throws.

This poor free throw shooting hampered the team, who's lead shrunk to one point going into halftime, leading 21-20. By the end of the third quarter, however, Blair broke away from Gaithersburg, upping their lead to 6 points.

After the game, reflecting on his coaching milestone, Coach William Lindsey said, "It feels pretty good. It's like something you knew was there but didn't really think about."

This season, Lindsey has been busy attempting to improve his squad, which has had two consecutive losing seasons, the first two of Lindsey's coaching career.