By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
BRADFORD, PA – Unable to contain the Lady Falcons both inside and out, the Otto-Eldred girls’ basketball team lost wire-to-wire against Coudersport, 46-27, in the North Tier League Championship.
Through two regular season meetings, the Lady Terrors had asserted dominance over Coudy, winning both matchups by a combined 31-point margin of victory. However, beating a team three times in a row is no easy task.
In the first quarter, both teams took time feeling the other out. Coudy patiently passed around the perimeter, burning clock while waiting for their opportunity to drive. The Lady Terrors attempted to lean on their long range shooting, but nothing fell early. Through the first handful of minutes, neither team was able to take the lid off the basket, however, that would change sooner rather than later.
Nearing the four-minute mark, Coudy tallied the first points of the night with a made 3-pointer, a score that would open the flood gates. Over the next few minutes, the Lady Falcons would post seven unanswered points with the help of several offensive rebounds and open looks from outside. The Lady Terrors, on the other hand, struggled to get a cohesive offense assembled, entering the second quarter down 10-0.
“Offensively, we didn’t play well at all and then defensively, we were giving up second shot after second shot after second shot, third shot, fourth shot,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Shawn Gray. “You just can’t win that way, especially against good teams and prepared teams like (Coudersport) was.”
The Lady Terrors would find their rhythm in the opening moments of the second quarter, starting with a made 3-pointer from Addie Bell on their first possession. They would then find six points inside from a backdoor cut from Bell and two second chance scores from Jahden Smith and Rayel Hakes. After just two minutes, O-E had cut the lead back down to six points.
However, the Lady Terrors’ momentum would run dry soon after. Plagued with a sudden spurt of sloppy passing, turnovers handicapped O-E. While Coudy wasn’t able to score in transition, the Lady Falcons were able to preserve a eight-point lead heading into the halftime break. To make matters worse for the Lady Terrors, one of their key starters, Baylee Franics, went to the ground hard off an uncalled screen, hitting her head on the ground on the way down. She would not return to the game.
“We didn’t really respond offensively at all which was a little disappointing,” said Gray. “Some of the things that I was trying to get them to do, the girls just didn’t want to do it for whatever reason.”
The Lady Falcons went in for the kill in the third quarter. Once again using a combination of inside and outside scoring, Coudy would open the period with a 10-2 run that put O-E in the rear view mirror. Their lead would only grow as the Lady Terrors struggled with the seemingly impenetrable Lady Falcons’ zone defense.
Otto-Eldred’s Ayla Van Scoter shoots from beyond the arc during O-E’s loss to the Lady Falcons in the league championship on Friday. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Carrie Drummond would carry the load for O-E early, scoring five points off a triple and offensive rebound, but once again the Lady Terrors would grow cold coming down the stretch and with one quarter left, faced a 32-19 deficit.
Things went from dire to dreary for the Lady Terrors in the fourth. Coudy continued to look unstoppable as they poured in points from all corners of the court. Bullying their way to the rim or beating O-E with crisp ball movement for looks on the perimeter, the Lady Falcons were in full control of the game. Facing a 16-point lead, O-E eventually conceded, substituting in their reserves to finish out the championship game.
“It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not just in high school basketball,” said Gray. “We might be a little tired, a little exhausted, I don’t know but we’ll take a couple days off and try to regroup.”
Drummond was the only Lady Terror to reach double-digit scoring, ending with 14 points.
While they missed out on a league banner, O-E now moves into the District 9 Class A postseason with eyes on a larger prize. As the No. 2 seed, the Lady Terrors will face another familiar face in No. 7 Northern Potter. That game will take place back at the Terror Dome on next Friday at 7 p.m.
“Our confidence level isn’t great right now. We gotta get it back,” said Gray. “We’ve got to be better.”
AT BRADFORD
Coudersport (46)
Ruter 5 0-0 14, Fink 7 0-0 14, Stimmaker 4 0-0 10, Popchak 1 0-0 2, Fox 1 0-0 2, Wahlers 1 0-0 2, Dun 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 0-0 46
Otto-Eldred (27)
Drummond 5 0-0 14, Bell 2 0-0 5, Smith 2 0-0 4, Hakes 1 0-0 2, Francis 0 2-4 2. Totals: 10 2-6 27
Coudersport 10 19 32 46
Otto-Eldred 0 11 19 27
Three-point goals: CD (6) Ruter 4, Stimmaker 2, O-E (5) Drummond 4, Bell; Total fouls: CD 9, O-E 3; fouled out: None.
