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Even as Memorial's girls basketball team held MacArthur without a field goal for more than six minutes entering the fourth quarter Tuesday night, Mustangs coaches pleaded with their players not to leave Generals guard Denise Duplechin open.
"The shooter," they called her.
And for good reason.
Duplechin scored 11 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, nine on 3-point shots, powering host MacArthur past Memorial 44-39 in the regular-season finale for both teams.
The senior's outburst erased a 29-28 deficit, created when the Generals didn't score for 6 minutes, 23 seconds spanning the third and fourth quarters. Duplechin hit three 3-pointers in exactly three minutes, sandwiched around a Darrylneisha Thomas layup, for a 39-32 lead with 2:58 left.
"We just started shooting lights out," Duplechin said. "But the key point was our defense. The offense came easy, but the defense got us back in the game. ...
"In the first quarter I wasn't shooting too well so maybe they forgot about me. But in the fourth quarter I got hot."
The win clinched the Generals (19-12, 9-5) third place in District 19-5A.
Memorial (14-19, 8-6) finished fourth.
The Mustangs often found themselves overwhelmed by MacArthur's smothering full-court press, keyed by Duplechin and Shadara Hampton. Memorial, which has played mostly mistake-free the entire district season, was goaded into several unforced turnovers.
"That's been a key all year long, just basic man-to-man, run and jump and good pressure," MacArthur coach Nancy Faulk said. "I credit most of our offense to the defense. They love to play defense, and when they get a couple turnovers it fires them up that much more."
The tone was set in the first half, when the officials let the teams play.
MacArthur started the second quarter with a 5-0 run to lead 16-11 and led 21-17 at halftime.
Memorial pulled back in front late in the third quarter, 27-26 on an Ashley Sunderhaft basket. Her runner moments into the fourth quarter gave Memorial a 29-26 advantage, but the Generals didn't score again for nearly four minutes and never led again.
Sunderhaft led Memorial with 13 points.
"We just had to keep focusing on what we were doing, stay out of foul trouble and play good defense," said Hampton, who scored 11 points. "That's what did it, watching our hands and watching the ball. The refs can't see everything, so we have to play and see what we can get. If we don't get the call, don't worry about it and try the next time."
Postseason matchups determined
After the game, both teams met with their bi-district opponents from 20-5A to determine game sites and times.
MacArthur will play Madison at 6 p.m. Monday at the Aldine Campbell Center, with Memorial-Bellaire following at 7:30.
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