Madonna 70, Concordia 51

 

(February 28, 2008 - Livonia, Mich.) -- The Concordia women's basketball team was looking for their 15th win of the season in the opening round of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference playoffs at Madonna on Thursday. A win would match the most in 22 seasons and send the Cards to the second round of the playoffs for the first time ever. Unfortunately, they will have to wait until next year to try again after falling to the Crusaders 70-51.

 

The game was very close in the early part of the first half until Madonna used a nine-point run to turn a two-point deficit into a 15-8 lead with 12:32 remaining.

 

Concordia wouldn't wilt, however, as Melanie Lahrman (Sr. - Nunica. Mich.) ignited a six-point surge. Down 16-10, Lahrman took a feed from Shannon Hull (Sr. - Clinton Twp., Mich.) and layed in the easy bucket before she herself had the assist on makes by Jennifer O'Neil (Sr. - Auburn Hills, Mich.) and Courtney Willis (Jr. - Port Sanilac, Mich.) to tie the game at 16-16.

 

O'Neil would finish as the leading scorer for Concordia with 13 points and nine rebounds while Willis had six points and a trio of boards.

 

The two teams would be within a bucket of each other until Madonna again pulled away using a five-point run to give the Crusaders a 27-20 lead with 3:10 left in the first half. Again, the Cardinals had an answer. Over a two-minute stretch, Concordia tied the game at 29-29 as four different players would score.

 

But like a major prize fight, Madonna went on the offensive as they finish the last minute of play with an eight-point run to head to the locker room up 37-29.

 

Concordia would never get closer than six points during the second half and as the clock clicked closer to the close of the season, Madonna took full advantage and continued to build upon their lead until the final buzzer sounded on the 2008 season with the Crusaders sending the Cards home with a 70-51 loss.

 

Meghan Marihugh (Sr. - Walled Lake, Mich.) scored eight points in her collegiate finale, with April Kosinski (Sr. - Garden City, Mich.) picking up a half-dozen in her final game.

 

Concordia (14-17) finishes the season with the fourth most wins in program history and the highest since the team became a member of the WHAC conference.