It has become painfully evident to Coach Fred Ross that his team lacks a certain finishing power.The Wright City girls basketball team put that frustration on display again Monday, squandering a two-possession lead in the final moments of an eventual 43-40 loss to Silex.It was the seventh game the Wildcats have lost this season by six or fewer points.“We really struggle when it comes to finding ways to win games,” said Ross. “We don’t know what to do, and we panic when we get in close game situations.”To worsen matters, the Wildcats were forced to finish the game without their best scorers.Orlanda Hill provided several crucial buckets before fouling out with 4:22 left in the game. Senior Brittany McPike carried the offensive load the remainder of the way, but she retreated to the bench after picking up her fifth foul with 7.4 seconds to go. It left limited options on the floor for Wright City’s final attempt at a desperation three-pointer.“When crunch time comes this team panics and doesn’t do the fundamentally sound things we’ve worked on,” said Ross.Ross says escaping with the win would have been instrumental for a team that has managed just one victory — a 50-11 defeat over North County Christian — this season. But instead of gaining confidence from spurts of success, the Wildcats appear to feel overwhelming pressure, according to Ross.On Monday, Wright City showed the ability to battle back from a deficit and handle the press that Silex employed. The Owls surged ahead 10-5 in the early going and led 15-11 after one quarter.“We knew what to expect, because we had scouted them,” said Ross. “But we still didn’t execute on defense.”But the Wildcats showed a unique resilience, charging back on the heels of a balanced scoring effort while Silex relied on just one player in the second quarter.Ross says when Wright City employed its offense, it was effective. Often times, however, they never executed it.“We put in a new motion offense that we recently implemented and got a lot of good looks,” said Ross. “But then we had four illegal screens that cost us the possession.”The Owls led 19-18 at halftime, before Wright City embarked on a run led by Abbie Ogborn and McPike. Ogborn netted six of her 10 points during that stretch, while McPike used a two-and-one play to push the Wildcats ahead 35-32 heading into the final period.“Brittany and Orlanda started us off strong, but Abbie really stepped up for us,” said Ross. “But we don’t have all the girls working hard at the same time, and that’s got to be a constant battle.”The teams were tied throughout much of the quarter, before Silex gained control on a free throw with 33.1 seconds remaining. The Owls went ahead by three, and McPike cut the deficit to one again late, but Wright City couldn’t close the deal.“We panic when we get in close situations,” said Ross. “It’s something we’ve worked on throughout the season, but we just don’t seem to get it.”McPike finished with 14 points, while Hill netted 10 through three quarters.The Wildcats were just 8 of 19 from the free-throw line, which Ross says continues to be a source of concern.“Turnovers killed us,” said Ross. “We had so many unforced turnovers. We talk about not dribbling to the corner, but we continue to make those mistakes.”

The Wright City girls basketball team lost in the final minutes of Monday's meeting against Silex.

Derrick Forsythe photo.