By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
ALLEGANY, NY – Kicking off the annual Joe DeCerbo Holiday Showcase, the Salamanca girls’ basketball team suffered their second loss of the season, falling to Port Allegany 57-47.
Coming into this cross-state matchup, both squads were in the midst of win streaks. While the Lady Gators had strung together six straight wins, Salamanca had tallied three in a row, beating Pioneer, Springville and Franklinville by a combined 34 points.
“It’s really been just finding who we are,” said Salamanca head coach Joe Hinman. “In our first game we struggled a little bit but then we were able to make some adjustments in our next few.”
Out of the gates, neither team seemed to get their rhythm flowing. Facing a Salamanca full-court-press, the Lady Gators showcased their outlet passing as they quickly moved the ball down court. However, once close to the basket, they struggled to connect at point blank range. Operating in the halfcourt, the Lady Warriors found scattered production from Makenzie Crouse in the low post but were hamstrung by turnovers – Salamanca gave up four turnovers in the initial eight minutes. Going into the second, Port clung to a three-point lead.
After the brief intermission, the Lady Warriors came back with a renewed energy. Playing aggressive defense on one end and attacking with head-down drives on the other, Salamanca opened the quarter with a 8-2 run which included six unanswered points and a three-point lead.
“I think we had some looks but I think we weren’t really cutting hard at times,” said Hinman. “It was just a blow-for-blow game. We’d make a shot, they’d make a shot. (Port) has some good ball players and they’re well coached.”
Meanwhile, the Lady Gators’ focus on shooting from outside failed to draw iron, as they went scoreless for nearly four minutes. From there, however, they responded with two made shots at the free throw line and a 3-pointer from Brynn Evans to put themselves in front once again.
In the closing minutes, both teams scored back-and-forth as the lead swapped hands. With another triple from Evans, Port held another three-point lead going into the break.
Just as in the second quarter, Salamanca came out of the second half gates with their engines hot. Leading with defense, the Lady Warriors came away with three consecutive steals yet couldn’t convert them into points. After a few scoreless trips up the floor, the wind seemed to leave their sails, giving Port a chance to attack. Starting with a 3-pointer from Ella Moses, the Lady Gators embarked on a 8-0 run to build a firm advantage on the scoreboard.
Salamanca would counter, going on a 8-3 run of their own as the contest became a game of runs. Each team would spark a scoring stretch as the deficit ebbed and flowed through the final five minutes. Despite having their best offensive quarter of the game, the Lady Warriors’ defense crumbled late, as Port ended the third quarter on a 14-3 run to build a 14-point lead.
Jenna Renner eyes the paint for the Lady Gators during their win over Salamanca in the first game of the annual Joe DeCerbo Holiday Showcase. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
“We talked at halftime and think we’re a good team in the lead. We’re pretty good foul shooters and we control the ball pretty well,” said Jamie Evans. “Once we got the lead, I felt pretty comfortable but it was just a matter of the girls waking up and doing what they needed to.”
In a last-ditch effort to take back momentum, the Lady Warriors crashed the glass. After allowing four Lady Gator points to open the final quarter of play, Salamanca cleaned the boards for offensive rebounds, scoring their first eight points all on second chance opportunities. However, with Port still chipping in points from the outside, the Lady Warriors were unable to trim the gap to single digits. To make matters worse, their two best offensive weapons, Crouse and Leilene McComber, both fouled out mid-way through the period.
Tallying tick-for-tack scores for the remainder of the game, Salamanca ultimately lost their second game of the season while Port recorded their seventh win.
Hitting four 3-pointers on her way to a 16-point performance, Brynn Evans earned the Player of the Game award for the Lady Gators. Moses, who ended with 17 points, was awarded the Sportsmanship award for Port.
“(Brynn’s) been struggling with her shot for the past two or three weeks so it’s nice to see a few of them drop. She’s in the gym more than anybody and sometimes shooters get a little mental block,” said Jamie Evans. “(Salamanca) was kind of daring us to shoot outside in the first half, so we needed somebody to make some outside shots and luckily that broke the dam and things started rolling from there.”
For Salamanca, Charli Ross earned the Sportsmanship award, scoring four points, while McComber’s team-high 14 points earned her the Lady Warriors’ Player of the game award.
“I think our effort was there but our shots weren’t falling,” said Hinman. “We’ll go back to the drawing board and we’ll work on some things and get ready for the new year.”
AT ALLEGANY
Port Allegany (57)
Moses 6 5-10 17, Evans 5 2-4 16, M. Errick 3 4-7 10, Renner 1 5-6 7, Gordon 2 2-2 7, E. Errick 1 0-2 2. Totals: 18 18-31 57
Salamanca (47)
McComber 6 2-4 16, Crouse 6 0-1 12, Wass 4 0-0 8, Stahlman 1 4-4 6, Ross 2 0-0 4, Dowdy 1 1-2 3. Totals: 20 7-11 47
Port Allegany 9 21 45 57
Salamanca 6 18 31 47
Three-point goals: PA (5) Evans 4, Gordon, SL (0); Total fouls: PA 10, SL 22; fouled out: McComber, Crouse (SL)
