Ginger Colvin wasn't born when B.J. Thomas made the then-hit song
"Hooked on a Feelin'" popular in 1968. But she's a big fan of his now.
Saturday night in McKenzie, Tenn. the Lady Tiger women's basketball coach said she had a feeling, a
different feeling, when she looked into
Melly Heaton's eyes during a
timeout . Heaton's eyes were zeroed in, too, as the junior guard from
Princeton, Ky. buried a 27-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Lady
Tiger escaped 69-67 at Bethel.
"I promise you I had a feeling" Colvin said after the game. "I saw it in her eyes."
Heaton finished the game with 11 points and was joined in double figures by
Courtney Danis with 15 and
Wendi Messer with 11.
The Lady Tigers, now 5-0, were challenged by the best team they've faced all year, according to their coach. Bethel (6-3) trailed by 12 in the first half and by nine at the break. But in the second half, the Lady Wildcats whittled away at the lead and finally edged ahead of Campbellsville 62-61 when Jana Roney hit a 3 with a little more than three minutes left in the game.
"I tell you, they have one of the best post players in the nation, their point guard is good and they have shooters," said Colvin to radio play-by-play man
Jay Turner. "But I told my kids if we'll play good defense and rebound then good things will happen."
Trailing 64-63, CU forced two Bethel timeouts as the Lady Wildcats attempted to inbound a pass. A
Wendi Messer 3 put Campbellsville ahead 66-64, but that favor was returned when Tristan Johnson hit a 3 on her end.
Bethel's Nina Djokovic, who led Bethel with 25 points, missed the front end of a bonus and then Teena Carter, a nearly 90 percent free throw shooter, did the same immediately before Heaton's heroics.
The Lady Tigers are undefeated and that's without their All-American
Whitney Ballinger playing significant minutes. Ballinger has been plagued by fouls the last three games.
"It couldn't be happening without a total team effort," Colvin said.
The Lady Tigers travel to Oakland (Ind.) City University on Tuesday for the sixth of a six-game road swing before returning for their home-opener against McKendree the day after Thanksgiving. McKendree has beaten Bethel twice already this year.
Scoring
Campbellsville (69) - Ballinger 8, Isaacs 5, Danis 15, Heaton 11, Ensminger 8, Lee 5, Messer 11, Dunn 3 and Thomas 3.
Bethel (67) - Berry 4, Roney 6, Hamilton 3, Carter 7, Trull 8, Djokovic 25 and Johnson 14.
