By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
RIDGWAY, PA – Despite trailing for the entirety of the game, the Bradford girls’ basketball had a shot to open their season with a win. With under a minute, the Lady Owls had trailed by five, but with just two seconds on the clock, they were down by only a single point.
However, while their efforts in crunch time were valiant, they couldn’t finish the comeback. Ridgway would seal it at the free throw line, handing Bradford their first loss at 28-26.
Between the youthful roster and a fresh head coach in Jason Blatchley, Bradford knew the season would be a learning experience for everyone. After a handful of years as an assistant coach at the middle school level, Blatchley, a counselor at Bradford Area High School, decided to fill the void and step up to the varsity stage.
“I felt like there was a need and I love it,” said Blatchley.
Scoring didn’t come easy for either team in the early minutes. Implementing a three-quarters-court-press as well as a 3-2 zone, the Lady Owls defense forced several turnovers along with missed Lady Elkers jumpshots with clean rotations and hard nose coverage.
However, their offense struggled to find the same synergy as their defense. Bradford’s first points of the game came from Shavia Long, who drove coast-to-coast for a fastbreak layup at the two and a half minute mark. Up 4-2, Ridgway would close out the first quarter by tacking on three points to their lead.
Turnovers became a problem for both teams in the ensuing quarter, with each committing three in their first handful of possessions. Each facing the other’s staunch press, both squads would be held scoreless for the majority of the period. However, with just over four minutes remaining, Bradford’s Haley Keane sparked some momentum.
On back-to-back plays, Keane came away with steals which resulted in her scoring on the other end, narrowing the deficit to just one. Moments later, Keane would earn a trip to the line where a split trip tied the game. In the final seconds, however, the Lady Elkers would take back the lead with a made short-corner jumper, holding a 9-7 advantage going into the break.
“Keane is great. She does all the small things,” said Blatchley.
After the intermission, Ridgway looked to take full control of the game with aggressive, in-your-face defense. Pestering the Lady Owls’ ball handlers and collapsing the passing lanes gave way to multiple steals and points in transition. Holding Bradford scoreless for over four minutes, the Lady Elkers expanded their lead with a 3-pointer from Emma Vargas. While the Lady Owls responded with four unanswered points late, Ridgway held a five-point advantage going into the final quarter.
The opening minutes of the fourth quarter were a back-and-forth affair, with each team coming away with steals and scores. However, despite forcing numerous turnovers, Bradford’s scoring still lacked efficiency, even at close range and with just four minutes remaining, they found themselves down by seven.
The gap was narrowed by Keane’s work in the post and after a layup from Mackenzie Taylor, the Lady Owls had cut it to just three with less than a minute on the clock. Intentionally fouling the Lady Elkers paid off with a split trip at the charity stripe and once again Keane stepped up, delivering a timely 3-pointer to pull within one point.
Despite their best efforts, it was just too little, too late. Forced to intentionally foul with two seconds remaining, the Lady Elkers made their first and missed the second. As the loose ball bounced from hand to hand, the final seconds drained, sealing Bradford’s season-opening loss.
“It’s just our first game. We came out with first-quarter jitters and then came and really played, defensively, a really solid second, third and fourth quarters,” said Blatchley. “We battled back. We’re a very young team and I’m proud of them and their effort.”
Keane led the Lady Owls in scoring with 13, followed by Taylor with eight points. Bradford’s next matchup comes amidst the annual Randy Stebbins Memorial Tournament on Friday. There, in the opening game of the two-day competition held at Otto-Eldred High School, the Lady Owls will take on Allegany-Limestone at 4:15 p.m.
“We want to keep building off of this. We have a chance to really build the program up to where I think that it will be,” said Blatchley. “We just need to keep working hard. The girls have given nothing but 110 percent effort.”
AT RIDGWAY
Bradford (26)
Keane 5 2-4 13, Taylor 4 0-0 8, Johnson 1 0-0 2, Long 1 0-0 2, Kicior 0 1-4 1. Totals: 11 3-8 26
Ridgway (28)
Vargas 5 1-3 14, Tettis 2 2-2 6, Bon 1 0-0 2, Zameroski 0 2-6 2, Fullem 0 1-2 1. Totals: 8 6-13 28
Bradford 2 7 13 26
Ridgway 7 9 18 28
Three-point goals: BD (1) Keane, RG (3) Vargas 3; Total fouls: BD 17, RG 16; fouled out: Johnson (BD).
