Toads find heartbreak on Thacher Hill, 43-40
By Jesse Phelps

The score was 40-34 in favor of the visiting Central Valley Christian Cavaliers when Thacher's girls' basketball team's leading scorer, Steffi Rauner, was benched with five fouls. CVC had the ball with less than three minutes to play when Rauner made her last big play of the year for Thacher.

Rauner powered to the hoop and flipped in a tough shot, even as she was fouled hard underneath. The ensuing free throw pulled Thacher to within three points and solidly shifted the momentum in what was looking like a sure victory for CVC in the fourth quarter.

Moments later, senior forward Annie Wheatley grabbed a defensive rebound and, after being fouled, nailed one of two free throws to cut the deficit to two. In her final performance as a Toad, Wheatley grabbed 10 rebounds to go with five points.

Thacher coach Melissa Johnson praised the effort of her lone senior. "My deepest gratitude to Annie Wheatley," she said, "on just throwing her heart out there on the court."
Freshman guard Erica Puccetti, coming off her toughest game of the season in Thacher's CIF Southern Section championship game, turned up the defense as the fourth quarter went along.

She stole the ball and earned two free throws with time on the side of the Cavaliers. CVC coach Mark Branderhorst called time-out after Puccetti missed the first. His icing tactic worked, as Puccetti missed another and moments later, Rauner fouled out trying to defend an interior move by CVC guard Nancy Vander Tuig.

Vander Tuig missed both shots and Thacher proceeded to give up a series of offensive rebounds, allowing the clock to run down to under a minute.Junior center Whitney Livermore then made her biggest play of the night, a powerful block that got the packed house of supporters out of their seats cheering. Puccetti took the ball and drove the length of the court to earn two more free throws.

After making one of two, she stole the ball again and earned another two shots with the potential to give Thacher its first lead since the start of the quarter. She made one and suddenly the game was tied, the CIF state quarterfinals game on the line.

At the other end, CVC's Madison Fragoso powered inside to earn two shots of her own. She made the first, Wheatley rebounded the miss on the second and once again Thacher had the ball with a chance to take the lead. But sophomore point guard Becky Horton couldn't quite hit a tough runner in the lane, CVC's Sarah Keelweyn calmly nailed two shots - her only two points of the game - and time ran out on the Toad comeback.

The Cavaliers were led by Leslie Tos and Tessa Umbaugh with 10 points apiece. Tos scored eight of her 10 in the final period as CVC opened its six point lead after Thacher briefly took a one point lead on a Rauner three-point play to open the fourth.

"(Tos) had a couple of those (great games) this year," said Branderhorst. "This one just came at the right time. She has the prettiest shot on our team."

Before that, the action went back and forth all night. Puccetti had a steal and shot that would have tied it at the end of the third but officials said she released the ball after zeroes showed on the clock and waved off the shot.

Thacher was led by Rauner, who totaled 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots in minutes limited due to foul trouble. She sat out most of the third period in which the two teams scored a combined 10 points. With Rauner on the bench, Thacher struggled to put the ball in the hoop in its half-court set.

Livermore's production was limited offensively as she faced a player of equal size inside in CVC's Katie DeHaan. However, she made up for it on the defensive end, where she blocked six shots.

Branderhorst credited the Toad defense with keeping his team off-balance. "Their match-up zone, or whatever it was, really made things tough for us," he said after the game.
Puccetti went for 10 points, seven rebounds and six steals in her finest game of the playoffs. She credited coach Melissa Johnson for inspiring the team to persevere through tough situations. "My coach teaches us to never give up and always do what we can," said Puccetti. "To make it this far is so amazing."

"We did have a great season and the girls have a lot to be proud of," Johnson echoed. "It's an honor to be their coach."

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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