By HUNTER O. LYLE
BRADFORD, PA – Seeing Punxsutawney for the second and final time this season, the Bradford girl’s basketball team was unable to exact revenge, instead falling to the Lady Chucks 50-27 as their losing skid continued.
The Lady Owls opened the night on a high note. After her monster 20-point, 23-rebound game against Kane last Friday, Haley Keane reached a career milestone in tallying her 500th rebound. Ahead of the varsity game, Bradford took time to recognize their star forward, also awarding her a ceremonial plaque.
“Haley works so hard all year round and it has paid off. Her 500 rebounds is a compliment to her and her team effort as well,” said Bradford head coach Jason Blatchley. “I’m so proud of her. It’s just a great accomplishment.”
Bradford’s high spirits carried over into the game, where in the early minutes, they emerged as the stronger team. On their very first possession of the game, Cami Sheeley knocked down a mid-range jumper, putting the Lady Owls in the score books first before their defense, which included a full-court-press, forced three consecutive Punxsy turnovers. A coast-to-coast drive from Keane then put the Lady Owls up by four after the first two and half minutes of play.
However, Bradford then got a taste of their own medicine. Implementing their own full-court-press, the Lady Chucks immediately began jamming up Bradford’s offense. Forcing constant give-aways, coupled with an unmatched effort on the offensive boards, Punxsy quickly put themselves in front with a made triple and a pair of shots at the charity stripe.
As Punxsy began to heat up, Bradford went cold. Searching for answers to the defense that blanketed the full length of the court, the Lady Owls sent lofty passes down range or attempted to speed past the opposition only to be caught in double teams and traps, both of which resulted in turnovers in bunches.
“I think at times we did a decent job getting the ball over (the defense.) We got some open looks and then their pressure just got to us a little bit,” said Blatchley. “We’re trying to work through some things. We’re a young team and we’re just building off of it. I tip my hat to Punxsy. They’re 14-1 for a reason.”
Meanwhile, Punxsy took off, scoring 13 unanswered points with scoring coming from both inside and out. Keane ultimately broke the Lady Owls’ drought, scoring on a tough drive to the hoop, but only managed to cut the deficit to seven heading into the second quarter.
Unlike the first eight minutes, the next eight were slow going. Out of the gates, neither team could find a rhythm. Despite still coming away with offensive boards, Punxsy’s point-blank shots failed to sink. Bradford, on the other hand, managed to stop the bleeding from turnovers, but still struggled to get into their offensive sets, instead being rushed by constant on-ball pressure.
After four and a half minutes without a basket, the Lady Chucks finally broke the stalemate, scoring on a backdoor cut to the hoop. Bradford, in turn, scored soon after, with Maranda Davis connecting on a right side jumper. In the final minutes of the half, both teams exchanged scattered scores, yet Punxsy still held a 17-10 lead heading into the break.
Returning to the hardwood, the Lady Chucks continued to pick away at Bradford with hustle and effort. Their first five points of the quarter all came from second chance scores, while the return of their full-court press hamstrung the Lady Owls’ offense once again.
Alexis Kicior tries to shake off a Lady Chuck defender as Bradford battles through their full-court-press. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
After another dry spell, Bradford began to find a groove. Shavia Long set the tone, attacking the rim and earning her way to the free throw line, a feat that would be constantly repeated as the Lady Owls tried to chip away at the now-double-digit deficit. After Sheeley sunk another jumper, Long again drew contact for a trip to the line before coming away with a steal that turned into two points for Keane on the other end.
However, while their offense began finding production, the Lady Owls’ defense failed to create stops. Punxsy continued to find ways to score, keeping their lead intact and never closer than eight points. Late in the quarter, an 8-0 run from the Lady Chucks ballooned the lead to 15 with just one period remaining.
With the game already out of reach, the Lady Owls fought valiantly in the final eight minutes but were unable to trim the lead, let alone spark a comeback. Rather, Bradford suffered another loss to Punxsy as they tallied their seventh defeat of the season.
Keane ended with a team-high 10 points while Sheely recorded eight in the loss.
“I’m just proud of our team’s effort. Like I said, Punxsy’s a really good team for a reason,” said Blatchley. “We’re turning a corner. Our growth is going to be there and we’re going to continue to grow each game.”
AT BRADFORD
Punxsutawney (50)
Burkett 6 2-3 14, London 4 3-4 13, White 2 0-0 6, Lewis 2 2-2 6, Day 2 0-0 4, Young 1 0-0 3, Hawk 1 0-0 2, Homan 1 0-0 2. Totals: 19 7-9 50
Bradford (27)
Keane 4 2-4 10, Sheeley 4 0-2 8, Davis 1 1-2 3, Long 0 2-4 2, Funk 0 2-2 2, Chamberlin 1 0-2 2. Totals: 10 7-16 27
Punxsutawney 13 17 34 50
Bradford 6 10 19 27
Three-point goals: PX (5) White 2, London 2, Young, BD (0); Total fouls: PX 19, BD 10; Fouled out: None.
JV: Punxsutawney 35, Bradford 6
