Pyne’s Last-Second Shot Wins Game, 
Bull Run District Championship

By Lasso Staff (November 5, 2001)

Senior Beth Pyne sank last second
shot to win district championship
With three seconds left in the game, George Mason senior guard Beth Pyne, overcoming an ankle injury, drove the lane and hit a game-winning shot with her left hand to beat Madison County 23-20 in a sudden death playoff game Saturday at Brentsville High School.

The victory earned the Mustangs the regular season Bull Run District Championship and a bye in the first round of the District Tournament. The Mustangs, already assured of a first seed in the regional tournament, will play again Thursday night at Madison county in the district semifinals.

The game was a defensive battle all the way with the Mustangs holding the Mountaineers to only eight points in the first half and the Mountaineers returning the favor in the second half, holding Mason to eight. "Beth Pyne went down with and ankle injury and missed much of the second half and that accounts for much of our lack of scoring," said Mason head coach Chris Madison.

But Pyne came back in the fourth quarter. With the scored tied 20-20, Pyne dribbled for 45 seconds to run out the clock, before making her drive with 15 seconds to go. She drove the right lane and the Mountaineers shut her off. Reversing her dribble, she cut back across the lane to her left, shifted the ball to her left hand and sank the winner while being fouled. She made the free throw to finish the scoring. "Beth has worked hard all year for a moment like that and it couldn’t have happened to a better player," said Madison.

For the game, Pyne had 10 points, center Adrienne Thompson and guard Jessica Szymanski each had 5.