Obach hits 2,500 points as Gorman cruises in area round
Published 9:39 pm Saturday, February 23, 2013
- Bishop Gorman's Michelle Obach (5) scored her 2,500th point in her career at Saturday's game against Grapevine Faith Christian School at Haddad Gym. The Lady Crusaders won 64-37 to advance to the TAPPS 4A regionals. (Shannon Wilson | Tyler Morning Telegraph)
From the moment she stepped on the court for Bishop Gorman, Michelle Obach was a scorer.
For four years the diminutive dynamo has lit up Texas high school gyms and her final home game at Haddad Gymnasium was no different.
Obach recorded her 2,500th point and finished with a game-high 24 as the Lady Crusaders cruised past Grapevine Faith Christian for a 64-37 victory in the TAPPS 4A area playoffs on Saturday.
Obach notched the milestone on a layup with 1:04 left in the first quarter, her eighth point of the game. She said she didn’t know how close she was to 2,500.
“It means a lot,” said Obach, who scored her 1,000th point as a sophomore. “I never made scoring a really big deal.
“I know it’s something I’ve been good at, but it’s just something I had to do for the team.”
Gorman (30-3), ranked No. 1 in TAPPS 4A, will play No. 2 Lubbock Trinity Christian at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the regional round at Eastlands High School. Faith Christian ended its season 17-17.
Obach added seven steals, four assists and three rebounds to her point total, sparking the Lady Crusaders on both ends of the court. Junior Brooke Lee added 21 points and senior Danielle Smith provided seven rebounds, five steals and three assists.
Madelyn Cole led the Lady Lions with 18 points. Summer Bennison hit 4 of 5 from long range to finish with 12 points and Baylee Barnes supplied 10 rebounds, seven points and three steals.
For the second straight game, Gorman started slowly. Faith Christian led 4-0 after 38 seconds and 9-6 with 2:47 to play in the first.
From there, however, it was all Gorman.
Obach hit four straight free throws to give the Lady Crusaders the lead and after a basket by Susannah Williams, Obach’s 2,500th point put Gorman up 14-9. Lee then swished a 3-pointer and was fouled at the buzzer, completing a four-point play to end the first quarter with an 18-9 advantage.
“First half they scared us again,” Obach said. “We need to work on coming out as hard as we can in the first four minutes. (Dallas Christian) did the same thing to us (last Saturday) and we can’t let that happen in the regional game.
“I’m glad I got to spark the team a little bit, just doing what I can to get us the upperhand.”
The Lady Crusaders pushed their lead to as many as 20 in the second quarter, with Obach putting in eight more points in the period. With four in both the third and fourth quarters, Obach finished the day on 2,516 career points.
“It’s huge for her to be able to do that in a high school level with the limited games we have,” Gorman coach Katie Robertson said. “She’s been a huge part of this program from the very beginning and I’m glad she was able to get those points in her last home game here so we could really honor her for that.”
Lee, the team’s second leading scorer with 12.0 per game, put up 10 in the third quarter.
“It felt pretty good,” said Lee, who hit three 3-pointers. “I’ve been working on my shot with Michelle and it’s helped me a lot with her staying after and rebounding for me and she worked with me in the summer.”
The Lady Crusaders forced 26 turnovers while committing 11 themselves.
“They did a great job, especially Michelle, … getting in that passing lane,” Robertson said. “We get so many deflections, usually we’re aware of that and able to come up with it and go full court.
“I think that’s what helps us create offense and that’s what kind of gets them going. When we can’t create it in the half court we can create it through our fast break and defense.”
Due to a quirky schedule for the TAPPS postseason, Gorman opened the playoffs exactly one week before the state championship game, the goal all year for the Lady Crusaders.
If Gorman gets past Lubbock Trinity, 71-41 winners over Carrollton Prince of Peace on Saturday, the Lady Crusaders will play in the state semifinal on Friday in Mansfield, with the final set for noon the following day.
“I think our determination to get to the final game is what’s really pushing us,” Lee said. “We know what we need to do, we know we’re capable of it, we just need to put it all into one game, get it to flow, and we got it, after the first quarter.”
Notes: Prior to the game the Lady Crusaders presented longtime Gorman PA announcer Scott Terry with a Texas A&M basketball signed by the players and coaches. … Obach was presented with a commemorative ball after the game for her 2,500th point.
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TAPPS 4A Area Playoff
At Haddad Gym
Bishop Gorman 64, Grapevine Faith Christian 37
Faith Christian 9 14 9 5 — 37
Gorman 18 22 14 10 — 64
FAITH CHRISTIAN — Madelyn Cole, 18; Summer Bennison, 12; Baylee Barnes, 7. FG: 13-33. FT: 7-9.
GORMAN — Brooke Lee, 21; Allie Buzbee, 3; Michelle Obach, 24; Mandie VanderVorste, 2; Susannah Williams, 7; Hannah Sattler, 2; Danielle Smith, 3; Courtney Fergerson, 2. FG: 24-53. FT: 11-14.
Three-Point Goals-Faith Christian 4-6 (Bennison 4), Gorman 5-18 (Lee 3, Buzbee, Obach). Rebounds-Faith Christian 26 (Barnes 10), Gorman 26 (Smith 7). Steals-Faith Christian 5 (Barnes 3), Gorman 17 (Obach 7). Turnovers-Faith Christian 26, Gorman 11. Total fouls-Faith Christian 11, Gorman 11.
RECORDS — Faith Christian 17-18; Gorman 30-3.
NEXT UP — Bishop Gorman vs. Lubbock Trinity Christian, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Eastlands High School, TAPPS 4A regional playoff.