By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
OLEAN, NY – Testing their luck on the road, the Allegany-Limestone girls’ basketball team stretched their win streak to four with a wire-to-wire 48-31 win over Olean.
Through roughly half a season, both the Lady Gators and Lady Huskies have found less than favorable results and sub-.500 records. However, while Olean entered Tuesday’s contest on a seven-game losing streak, A-L had recently found some life with three consecutive wins.
“Everybody’s more confident in shooting. If you watched us at the beginning of the season, nobody wanted to pull the trigger. We didn’t want to be the one to shoot the ball and we were looking to give it to someone else,” said Allegany-Limestone head coach Andrea Darrows on their recent success. “I think now we’ve just settled in and everybody is looking for their opportunity to score.”
Immediately after the tip, Olean’s season-long struggles emerged. Facing an aggressive full-court-press, the Lady Huskies turned the ball over five times in just as many minutes. After an initial 3-pointer from Alaina Hirliman, Olean would go scoreless for the next four and a half minutes.
In the meantime, the Lady Gators would continue to pick off passes and rip away possessions before converting steals into points in transition. Forcing 11 turnovers in the first eight minutes of play, A-L sparked a 15-0 run that would help them build a 21-6 lead going into the second quarter.
“In the last few games we’ve really put on that full-court-press and I think it’s looked really good so far,” said Darrows. “It’s helped us get those turnovers and then have more time on the offensive side of the floor.”
The following eight minutes of play offered more of the same. Although scoring with less efficiency, the Lady Gators continued to impede their opponents with a full-court embargo. Holding Olean scoreless for the full eight minutes, A-L would add 10 points to their side of the scoreboard before the half.
Coming out of the intermission, the Lady Huskies would finally find their footing. After forcing a stop on A-L’s first possession, Hirliman would knock down another triple before forcing a turnover and driving to the hoop for two more points. Although the Lady Gators would respond soon after, the Lady Huskies’ offense began to flow together as a cohesive unit.
Alaina Hirliman (left) backs down Addie Fisher during the Lady Huskies’ eighth straight loss. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
“It’s kind of the story for us. I’d really like to see us put two halves together but the last couple games we get killed in the first half,” said Olean head coach Chelsea Bowker. “My girls just get worked up and when they relax they’re fine. They make themselves go faster and that’s when we get all those turnovers.”
Having their best scoring performance of the game, Olean knocked down four shots from outside the arc – three of them coming from Hirliman – as they cut into the deficit with 14 points.
Despite their reinvigorated scoring, the gap on the scoreboard was just too much for the Lady Huskies. As both teams finished out the game with the help of their reserves, Olean suffered their eighth straight loss of the season.
Hirliman would lead the Lady Huskies with 16 points while Ja’breyah Brown ended with six. For A-L, two Lady Gators ended in double-digit scoring. Maddie Kahm led the way with 16 points while Abby Peck scored 11.
“We have to keep playing solid defense and again, keep shooting the ball when we have open looks,” said Darrows, who’s team just won their fourth game in a row. “I really think those are our keys that we’re going to keep working on.”
AT OLEAN
Allegany-Limestone (48)
Kahm 3 5-6 16, Peck 4 3-4 11, Fisher 3 0-2 7, Hayes 1 3-4 5, Ortega 2 1-2 5, Frederick 0 4-4 4. Totals: 14 16-22 48
Olean (31)
Hirliman 6 0-0 16, Brown 3 0-1 6, Finch 1 0-2 3, Bates 1 0-2 3, Battle 1 0-0 3. Totals: 12 0-5 31
Allegany-Limestone 21 31 39 48
Olean 6 6 20 31
Three-point goals: A-L (4) Kahm 3, Fisher, OL (7) Hirliman 4, Finch, Bates; Total fouls: A-L 6, OL 12; fouled out: None.
JV: Allegany-Limestone 34, Olean 16
