A high school basketball game consists of four eight minute quarters. If last night's ACGC game versus Ogden had ended after the third eight minute segment, the Charger girls would have come away with a win. But, alas, the local girls faltered in the final eight minutes of play to lose to WCAC opponent Ogden, 41-40, on the Charger hardcourt.

It was an especially bitter pill to swallow, as the Chargers led for all but eighty five seconds of the game. After the Ogden girls scored the first two points of the game, Kylie Young's three pointer with nearly seven minutes remaining in the first quarter put the Chargers ahead until the Bulldogs tied it, 36-36, with 1:17 remaining in the contest. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. The Chargers were solidly in control of the game throughout until a furious fourth quarter rally by Ogden.

After taking a tenuous 6-3 lead in the first quarter, ACGC put fifteen points on the board in the second stanza to take a 21-9 halftime lead. Jaden Carrick came off the bench to score seven second quarter points, including a long ball at the buzzer. The Chargers continued to maintain control through the third quarter, holding a 32-21 lead heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter saw Ogden put on a furious rally, scoring twenty points while ACGC could muster only eight. For the Bulldogs it was the Abby Langel show, as she scored all of her eleven points, including three treys, in the final eight minutes. Sierra O'Brien and Kyle Young each scored four points, accounting for all of the Charger fourth quarter points.

The finish was sports drama at its best (or worst if one is a Charger fan). After Langel hit one of her three balls to give Ogden a 39-38 lead, Young made two free throws with :28 showing on the clock. Chargers up 40-39. Langle then knocked down a two pointer with eight seconds remaining to give the visitors the lead at 41-40. By the time the officials awarded Charger coach Dan Baker a timeout, there was just over five ticks left on the clock. Not much time to go eighty five feet. But the Chargers got the shot they wanted--ACGC moved the ball quickly up the court to Kennedy Young whose short shot attempt just didn't get high enough on the backboard, and the ball fell helplessly to the floor as the final horn sounded. Jubilation among Ogden fans. A groan and then silence from Charger fans.

But this observer has been around basketball long enough to know that the game was not lost on that final shot. The game was lost on every one of the twenty two shots missed by the Chargers. It was lost on the any two of the turnover points surrendered by the Chargers. It was lost because Abby Langel got the hot hand in the last quarter. There is a myriad of reasons that the Chargers lost last night.

It was disappointing for the Charger faithful to say the least. To lead for thirty and a half minutes in a thirty two minute game, only to fall in the last few seconds, is tough to take. Ogden fans may see this as poetic justice, as ACGC defeated the Bulldogs in overtime after its own fourth quarter rally in Ogden back in December. Charger fans, on the other hand, no doubt see it as one of those "coulda" games that got away.

Carrick and Kylie Young led the scoring for the Chargers, with both scoring in double figures--Carrick with 12 and Young with 10. Chloe Largent led in rebounds with 9, while Kennedy Young had 4 of the 11 Charger assists. Largent and the elder Young were each credited with two blocked shots. As a team ACGC shot 37% from the floor on 13 makes out of 35 attempts, including 4 of 9 from beyond the arc. the Chargers had one of their better games at the free throw line, hitting on 10 of 13 attempts for 77%.

The Chargers fall to 8-7 on the season and are now 6-5 in WCAC play. Panorama is next for ACGC in a game that has been moved from this Friday to Thursday as a snowstorm is anticipated on Friday. The girls' game is scheduled for 6 PM wth the boys to follow.

Score by quarter:

Ogden 3 6 12 20--41

ACGC 6 15 11 8--40

Box Score: REB

FG 3PT FT O-D AST STL TP

Fuller 0-1 0-0 2-2 1-2 0 2 2

Campbell 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Largent 1-3 0-0 0-0 3-6 1 0 2

Embleton 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

JHoover 0-1 0-0 1-2 0-1 1 1 1

O'Brien 2-4 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 1 4

KyYoung 3-7 1-2 3-4 0-1 1 0 10

Carrick 5-9 2-5 0-1 0-1 3 0 12

Larsen 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0

GHoover 1-2 1-2 0-0 1-1 0 1 3

KeYoung 1-8 0-0 4-4 2-4 4 2 6