HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : UC’s Veterans Color Kearny Green

Maroon and white are the colors that proudly adorn the uniforms of the Kearny Komets, but the color most evident in this City Western League girls’ basketball game on Tuesday was green.

Kearny started four freshmen and one senior against University City’s three seniors, one junior and one freshman. Youth was served well and often, but after Kearny’s Sheli Krause sank a free throw with three seconds remaining to tie the game at 53 and send it into overtime, the veterans took over.

Senior Tamika Edwards (15 points) scored off her own rebound and hit a free throw, and junior transfer Charlotte Kornik sank both of her free throws to give University City the 58-54 victory.

“They made some inexperienced mistakes,” said Kearny Coach Joe Hernandez. “Toward the end there, they were worrying about who would take the next shot.”

While Hernandez finds it comforting that his team is still having an incredible year, the Komets are 14-6, 1-2 in league, the close losses have become tiresome.

“We’ve been in quite a few close ones,” he said, “and we’ve lost a lot more than we’ve won.”

University City improved to 10-3, 3-1, thanks largely to Kornik, a transfer from Boise, Idaho, who scored a game high 25 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Kornik replaced center starter Amy Cleveland when she hurt knee.

“She’s a very important rebounder for us,” UC Coach Steve Vukojevich said of Kornik. “It’s easy to see what she’s done for this program.”

Kearny out-rebounded UC, 20-10, in the first half, but the Komets couldn’t stop the Centurions powerful inside game and UC led, 25-18, at the half. In the second half Kearny went on a 10-0 run to take a 28-25 lead with 5:03 left in the third quarter. The lead changed twice in the third until Milissa Krause’s bank shot tied it at 38 with eight minutes remaining. In the fourth, UC and Kearny exchanged leads seven times and were tied four times before the extra period.

Kearny was playing without senior starter Marcey Mueller, who was averaging 10 points a game before she hurt her leg Friday.

Twin sisters Sheli (20 points, 12 rebounds) and Milissa Krause (10 points, 5 rebounds) were only two of Kearny’s four freshmen to contribute. Jennye Short had six points and four rebounds, and Michelle Haines scored 10 points with three rebounds and a steal.