Close, but Delta still has Oran's number

~ The unbeaten Bobcats captured their tourney title with a ninth straight win -- 43-40 -- against the Eagles in three seasons.

Oran gave favored Delta quite a battle in Saturday's championship game of the Delta New Year's Tournament.

But Kaci Menz made sure the undefeated Bobcats would not fall victim to an upset.

Menz, a senior guard, scored 24 points and answered virtually every Oran run as the top-seeded Bobcats slipped past the third-seeded Eagles 43-40.

"I believe Kaci is really one of the better players in the area," said Delta coach Randy White, whose squad improved to 9-0. "She can do a lot of things and she plays very hard."

Menz was dominant throughout, but she saved her best for last after Oran (5-4) rallied to take a 40-39 lead late in the game.

Menz scored on a layup with 52 seconds left after taking a nice pass from Sarah Keys, putting the Bobcats back on top 41-40.

After an Oran turnover, Keys missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity with 26 seconds left, but Delta grabbed the rebound.

Menz was fouled with 19 seconds remaining and missed the front end, but Oran threw the ball away.

Menz received another opportunity with 10 seconds to play and this time she made both ends of the one-and-one for a 43-40 advantage.

The Eagles misfired on a late 3-point attempt, and the Bobcats held on.

"You have to give Oran credit," White said. "They have a good team and they played really well."

Delta owned Oran in the previous two seasons, winning eight straight contests between the two teams, including a pair of Class 1 district championship games.

This was the first meeting this season for the two teams, who have been placed in different districts for 2006-07 by the Missouri State High School Activities Association.

Menz, a second-team Class 1 all-stater last season as Delta finished third in the state, said the Bobcats might have been taken a bit by surprise with how tough Oran played them.

"I don't think we expected that tough a game," she said. "They played very well."

Sophomore Jodi Menz, Kaci's younger sister, added nine points for Delta.

Senior Tiffany Glastetter led a balanced Oran attack with 10 points.

Senior Erica Michelsen added nine points, followed by junior Callie Kielhofner with eight and senior Wendy Eftink with seven.

"Delta is tough, but we played hard and we played really good defense," Oran coach Larry Boshell said. "A couple of breaks here and there ... but I can't complain.

"It was a good game for us and hopefully it can carry over."

Oran hurt itself by making just seven of 17 free throw attempts, but Boshell said the Eagles have struggled from the line all season.

"Hopefully, we can fix that," he said.

Delta led most of the game, but things were close throughout, with the Bobcats' biggest advantage being just seven points.

Oran, trailing 8-7 after one quarter, scored the first basket of the second period to go ahead 9-8, but Kaci Menz answered with five straight points.

Delta led 16-14 at halftime and pushed the advantage to 20-14, but Oran rallied for a 26-25 lead before Menz again answered with six consecutive points.

The Bobcats carried a tenuous 31-28 advantage into the final period. It was 33-30 when Menz scored four straight points to seemingly give Delta control at 37-30.

But again Oran roared back.

Trailing 39-32, the Eagles took advantage of several Delta turnovers to go on an 8-0 run, capped by Kielhofner's basket with 1:26 left that put Oran up 40-39.

Menz then took control for the final time as the Bobcats kept their perfect record intact.

"We're not even worried about that," White said. "It's just good to win. It's better than the alternative."

Second-seeded St. Vincent beat fourth-seeded Woodland 68-36 in the third-place game.

Jessica Welker scored 24 points for St. Vincent, while Lacey Siegmund added 19. Francee VanGennip had 10 for Woodland.

In the fifth-place game, fifth-seeded Chaffee defeated No. 6 Meadow Heights 45-15 behind 14 points from Amber Kirk and 10 from Whitney Schlosser.

(Championship)

Delta 43, Oran 40

Oran 7 7 14 12 -- 40

Delta 8 8 15 12 -- 43

ORAN (40) -- Mandi Wood 3, Wendy Eftink 7, Callie Kielhofner 8, Erica Michelsen 9, Tiffany Glastetter 10, Jodi Urhahn 3. FG 15, FT 7-17, F 15 (3-pointers: Wood 1, Eftink 1, Urhahn 1. Fouled out: none)

DELTA (43) -- Ashley DeProw 4, Jodi Menz 9, Sara Blattel 2, Kaci Menz 24, Sarah Keys 2, Kayla Seabaugh 2. FG 17, FT 8-11, F 15 (3-pointers: K. Menz 1. Fouled out: none)

(Third place)

St. Vincent 68, Woodland 36

Woodland 9 13 12 2 -- 36

St. Vincent 21 20 19 8 -- 68

WOODLAND (36) -- Kayla Choate, Rehanna Greer, Taylor Steckman, Sarah Lincoln, Tasha Lincoln, Francee VanGennip, Cortney Glastetter. FG 13, FT 10-16, F 17 (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)

ST. VINCENT (68) -- Lacey Siegmund 19, Kelsey Cissell 4, Courtney Besand 6, Brooke Brown 4, Miranda Holmes 4, Elizabeth Rozier 1, Lindsay Prost 6, Jessica Welker 24. FG 26, FT 15-19, F 16 (3-pointers: Welker 1. Fouled out: none)

(Fifth place)

Chaffee 45, Meadow Heights 15

Meadow Heights 0 6 3 6 -- 15

Chaffee 9 15 13 8 -- 45

MEADOW HEIGHTS (15) -- Sara Hendrickson 2, Mindy Ellis 3, Ashley Doublin 3, Amanda Hendrickson 3, Riki Lacey 2, Tora Jordan 2. FG 6, FT 2-11, F 12 (3-pointers: Doublin 1. Fouled out: none)

CHAFFEE (45) -- Kim Hester 1, Shelby Ancell 3, Sara Petitt 2, Amber Kirk 14, Nicole Johnson 6, Madelin Kiefer 2, Sarah Benton 3, Whitney Schlosser 10, Torie Keys 2, Tracey Martin 2. FG 18, FT 5-13, F 16 (3-pointers: Ancell 1, Kirk 3. Fouled out: none)