By SPENCER BATES
PORTVILLE — Out of the gates, there was no hesitation.
The Portville girls basketball team, limited in numbers as it is, brought the fight to its matchup against Cassadaga Valley.
Through the first half, the Panthers, who had just six players available, executed their game plan well against the Cougars. Offensively, they moved the ball and knocked down open looks. On defense, they were suffocating, poking free haphazard dribbles and returning them the other way for points.
Unfortunately, the second half turned into more of a slog. In the words of head coach Inga Welty, they simply gave up too many extra opportunities and the points their guests scored off those ended up being the difference in a 40-29 loss.
“I told the girls I was happy with our effort, I felt like we played hard, but we can’t have breakdowns,” Welty said. “They had 20 offensive rebounds and it’s hard to stay in a game if you’re giving the other team extra opportunities. I’ve got to do a better job with the six of them with physicality, we’re struggling with that. … I’ve got to do something different to make them feel a little more confident with the ball.”
Turnovers on possessions that failed to fully develop resulted in fast break points for the Cougars, but as Welty noted, it was more the plethora of offensive rebounds her team conceded that made the biggest difference.
Physicality is something the Panthers have struggled with this season and that played a factor in getting beat on the glass. But for Welty, a big portion of the points they allowed came down to the confusion she saw from her team in getting set up in the right positions defensively.
“I think they’re so worried about finding who they’re guarding that they just weren’t sprinting back on defense and finding the person after they get back in the paint,” Welty said. “The other part is their endurance. I feel like overall, we’re in pretty good shape, they do work hard, but they’re not getting back and not stepping in front of the ball. … Then, turnover-wise, we didn’t turn the ball over as much as we typically do. But it’s when you turn it over and then you give up that many offensive rebounds, you’re giving them too many extra opportunities. So it makes sense that they’re going to score more than we’re scoring.”
As a result, the Panthers were ultimately out-scored 21-12 through the second half. But there were still positives Welty took away. One being the further development of Ali Haynes as not just a big, physical target in the paint, but as a distributor of the ball.
“The last three or four games, that was key, because (opponents) were doubling down on her and she was seeing the open man, and we were hitting 3s,” Welty said. “That part of her game has progressed very well. And I tell the kids, ‘the more touches Ali gets, the more touches you’re gonna get, because it creates the space for everybody else.’ They know that, and they believe that, but at the same time, Ali’s got to get her own, too. The last couple games, she struggled to finish.”
Haynes finished with just four points on the night as Portville was led by Ava Scanlon, who finished with eight points. Quinn Scott was not far behind with seven points to her name and, on the back of a gutsy performance, drew a mountain of praise from her coach.
“If you were to ask me about (Quinn) in the summer, I would have told you that this is the way that she’s going to be,” Welty said. “She has a motor that just goes. There’s times when she needs to take a step back and actually let the game come to her. She’s more of a, ‘I’m going to take it,’ which a lot of girls don’t have, so you don’t want to discourage that either. But her confidence is rising. She had some great takes to the hole, … there’s things obviously she needs to work on, physicality-wise, but she’ll get there.”
Portville’s Quinn Scott (1) finds herself open for a layup against Cassadaga Valley. Scott scored seven points for the Panthers in their loss to the Cougars. (Spencer Bates)
But the biggest positive for Welty was not anything an individual did during the game, but what she saw from her team, collectively, afterward.
“I feel like their mindset was good when I left the locker room, they pick each other up very well,” Welty said. “They’re positive with each other, they say great things after games about each other and they want to be better. That’s a bonus. It’s not like they’re hanging their heads or have attitudes or anything of that nature. They understand that we just need to continue to work hard.”
Positive attitudes and the determination to continue getting better have been themes within the Panthers program all season. There is an understanding that they are short on numbers and that a significant portion of their roster is getting their first taste of varsity basketball. And while it may be easy for them to drop their heads when the going gets tough, Welty has seen the opposite.
“We’re not seeing it from the younger kids, we’re not seeing it from the older kids either,” Welty said. “Sometimes you get seniors and they get checked out, because this is the end for them, and they’re just going through the motions. Not one of them is just going through the motions. They want to be better. That’s a plus.”
Portville will look to turn those lessons into a positive result in its next game, set for Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. against Franklinville.
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AT PORTVILLE
Cassadaga Valley (40)
B. Hopkins 8 2-4 20, Debo 5 0-0 10, M. Hopkins 2 0-0 4, Meder 1 0-0 2, F. McVey 0 2-2 2, K. McVey 0 2-2 2. Totals: 16 6-8 40
Portville (29)
A. Scanlon 3 0-0 8, Scott 3 1-4 7, Rhinehart 2 2-4 6, Isaman 2 0-0 4, Haynes 1 2-2 4. Totals: 11 5-10 29
CV 9 19 31 40
Port. 9 17 23 29
Three-point goals: CV 2 (Hopkins 2), Port. 2 (A. Scanlon 2); Total fouls: CV 11, Port. 6; Fouled out: None.
