Warlassies open season with thrilling home win
Senior Mattie Lehman clinches Owen victory in final seconds
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
November 24, 2021
There was plenty of drama in the Owen gym, Nov. 23, as Mattie Lehman stepped to the free throw line in the final moments of her team’s 2021-22 basketball season opener. She would have four shots to give her team the lead over visiting West Henderson, with 2.8 seconds remaining on the clock.
The senior sank three of them, as the Warlassies treated their home fans to a thrilling 42-39 victory over the Falcons.
Led by senior Carly Hancock’s 22-point performance, Owen was in control for much of the game, but a furious fourth quarter comeback by West Henderson put the visiting team ahead by 1 point, with 5 seconds left to play.
With the Warlassies trailing 39-38, Lehman corralled a loose ball at half court, drawing as she drove to the baseline. The Falcons were assessed a technical foul when a player reacted to the call with a hard bounce of the ball.
Lehman converted three of her four attempts to give Owen a 41-39 lead. The Warlassies added another free throw in the final second to secure the win.
“It was a relief,” Owen head coach Chasity Simpson said of Lehman’s trip to the free throw line. “We struggle as a free throw shooting team, and Mattie has always been very consistent, and smooth from the line. She can handle that pressure, and it was great to have a senior step up exactly when we needed her to.”
The victory on opening night was an important one for the Warlassies, Simpson continued.
“We wanted to come out here and get a win in the first game of the season to give our team something to build on,” she said. “It wasn’t the win that we wanted, being up 7 points with a minute to go in the game and needing to come back at the end. We’re a team without a lot of depth, so we want to work on being able to play four quarters of good basketball.”
The Warlassies trailed by two after the first quarter, but the high-energy defense held the Falcons scoreless in the second. Owen was ahead by 12 points at the half, but struggled against the offensive attack of West Henderson in the second half.
“Our coaching staff really wanted to focus on the positive aspects of our play, because we didn’t want negativity creeping in,” Simpson said. “If you get down in that situation, we could’ve seen a different outcome for that ballgame.”
The Warlassies will take their 1-0 record to East Henderson, Tuesday, Nov. 30, where they will face the 0-1 Eagles, before returning home, Wednesday, Dec. 1, to host Thomas Jefferson at 6 p.m.
Photos from the Warlassies’ opening victory over West Henderson can be found in the gallery at the top of the page.