SACRAMENTO
By Gary Montgomery
BVN Staff
 Flying High - Chimique Holdsclaw attempts a jump hook during Saturdays 88-85 loss to the Monarchs. Holdsclaw finished with 16 points.
Propelled by Sidney Spencer and Marta Fernandez coming off the bench, the Sparks rallied back to open up an 11 point lead at one point and led by a score of 46-35 at half time. The scariest moment of the game came in the first half when the Monarchs DeMya Walker got tangled up with Taj McWilliams-Franklin on a breakaway and strained her right knee. Walker lay motionless for several minutes on the court while being attended by the medical staff. Walker had to be removed on a stretcher. She later returned from the locker room on crutches and wearing an inflatable splint. She will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam later in the week.
 He's Back - Michael Cooper is consoled by the referee during Sparks 88-85 loss to the Monarchs. Cooper is returning as Sparks head coach after 3 seasons.
The two teams developed somewhat of a rivalry at the time meeting in the Western conference finals twice with the Sparks eliminating the Monarch both times. Since Cooper's departure the two teams' fortunes have reversed with the Monarchs winning the WNBA title in 2005 and losing their crown to Detroit in the 2006 finals.
The Monarchs have ended the Sparks season in each of the last two years. "I think you would have to say that it is a rivalry. We play each other a lot and the games always mean something," said veteran guard Mwade Mabika.
The game started to slip away in the third quarter with the Monarchs outscoring LA 27-17 to erase the half-time deficit.
With 5:40 remaining in the game DeMya Walker made her way back to the bench to a thunderous round of applause. That seemed to be just what the Monarchs needed to finish off the pesky Sparks team.
LA kept it close to the end sparked by the efforts of Rookie forward Sidney Spencer who scored 22-points of the bench. With the Sparks trailing by 1 point and 36.4 seconds left in the game what appeared to be a shot-clock violation on the Monarchs that would have given the ball to the Sparks turned into a timekeeping error and eventually a Sparks foul. The foul sent Yolanda Griffith to the free throw line for two shots putting the game out of reach at 88-85. Mwade Mabika had 18 points, Chamique Holdsclaw had 16 points and Marta Fernandez had 15-points off the bench. "We just have to keep working hard and we'll be right there," said injured point guard Tameka Johnson. The Sparks (2-2) will open their home schedule on Friday night June 8th against the Minnesota Lynx and Simone Augustus at the Staples Center.
Gmontgomery can be reached at gmontgomery@
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
