By HUNTER O. LYLE
BRADFORD, PA – In a night where the lid just wouldn’t come off the rim, the Bradford girl’s basketball team failed to close the gap between them and St. Marys, ultimately losing 38-22 to the Lady Dutch.
Early in the first quarter, the Lady Owls battled against an aggressive St. Marys defense as much as they battled against themselves. Facing pressure both on the ball and in the passing lane, especially towards the low post, Bradford suffered several turnovers and although they avoided giving up points in transition, the mistakes plagued the Lady Owls’ confidence. Playing through a downward cycle, errors and turnovers gave way to forced passes which gave way to more errors and more turnovers.
“We had nerves from the beginning. St. Marys is a very, very good team. I always give them credit,” said Bradford head coach Jason Blatchley, “But once we got over our nerves in the first quarter, we really got into our game.”
However, while the initial offense lagged behind, the Lady Owls’ defense kept them in the game. Implementing both a full-court-press and 3-2 zone, Bradford found steals of their own that lead to fastbreak scores. Maranda Davis tipped a pass that eventually produced points for Alexis Kicior under the rim to put the Lady Owls on the scoreboard. Then, Cami Sheeley stripped the Lady Dutch to create a one-on-rim fastbreak before Shavia Long then cut the deficit to just three at the end of the quarter with an offensive rebound and split trip at the line.
After shaking off the initial nerves, Bradford returned to the hardwood in the second with a steadfast plan: give the ball to Haley Keane. Having a considerable size advantage in the paint, Keane shouldered the Lady Owls’ offense with a flurry of turnaround hook shots and step through floaters.
But while Bradford’s offense began to flow, their defense loosened their grip. Using patient passing against the Lady Owls’ zone defense, St. Marys stalled and killed the clock as they looked for any opening that could keep them on top. Forced out of the paint, the Lady Dutch began leaning on their jumpers which managed to fall reliably. Burning minutes off at a time, St. Marys preserved their 17-13 lead going into the half.
Entering the third, Bradford’s defense reamerged, creating a Keane steal on the Lady Dutch’s first touch of the half. Swapping into a 1-3-1 zone, the Lady Owls continued to probe into passing lanes and swarm ballhandlers into traps, forcing several turnovers and a stumbling St. Marys offense.
“We came out and really put on some defensive pressure. I thought we had some hands up, tipped some balls and made some nice plays,” said Blatchley. “Our energy was there.”
However, once again, Bradford’s efficiency on one end of the court came at the cost of efficiency on the other end.
Continuing to look to Keane to lead the way, Bradford effectively got the ball in her hands, but despite earning several clean looks at the hoop, nothing would fall. Lacking their usual touch around the rim, shots refused to sink and the Lady Owls went scoreless for minutes at a time.
“You have those nights where balls just don’t go in the hoop and (the rim) looks like it’s very small,” said Blatchley, “but I’m very proud of our effort. If some of those shots fall it’s a whole different game.”
After crashing the glass several times and coming away with second chance points from Sheeley and Kicior, Bradford finally narrowed the lead down to just a single possession. However, just as they were picking up traction, the Lady Dutch erupted. Starting with a big momentum 3-pointer from Braelyn Beck, St. Marys quickly pulled away, outscoring Bradford 8-2 in the final three minutes to build a 27-18 advantage.
Despite cutting off the bleeding and holding the Lady Dutch scoreless for the first two and a half minutes, Bradford’s offensive struggles continued. Although they continuously found open looks, both in transition and in half-court sets, they failed to connect. Ultimately, their woes would outlast their defense as St. Marys finally broke the seal late and closed out the night with a 8-4 run.
Keane ended with a team-high 10 points throughout the loss, while Sheeley finished with six and Long and Kicior each scored three points, respectively.
“We just have to keep improving. Every game we’ve improved and the girls just work so, so hard,” said Blatchley. “It’s coming, especially with our youth, and we’re going to get there.”
AT BRADFORD
St. Marys (38)
Beck 6 3-5 18, Hanslovan 7 0-0 15, Gornati 1 1-2 3, Caskey 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 4-7 38
Bradford (22)
Keane 5 0-1 10, Sheeley 3 0-0 6, Long 1 1-2 3, Kicior 1 1-2 3. Totals: 10 2-5 22
St. Marys 8 17 27 38
Bradford 5 13 18 22
Three-point goals: SM (4) Beck 3, Hanslovan, BD (0); Total fouls: SM 6, BD 10; Fouled out: None.
