By SPENCER BATES
ALLEGANY — When it needed to most, the Allegany-Limestone girls basketball team found a way.
Even head coach Andrea Darrow admitted that her team’s 44-35 victory was far from its cleanest. But all that matters is that at the end of the day another tally goes into the win column for her Gators.
“One thing that this core (of players) from the last few years always does is they find that way to win,” Darrow said. “At the end we were saying the clock is our friend and we need to utilize that. Serena Frederick was on the court guiding that. It takes that leadership to guide us when we need it.”
It was a slog for the grand majority of the contest for the Gators, especially on the offensive end. Any set plays they wanted to run were abruptly shut down by the quick and effective defensive rotations of the Blue Devils.
This led to confusion on the offensive end, numerous tie-ups and a surplus of chances at the free throw line.
“(East Aurora) switches their defense often,” Darrow said. “We have to be able to react and see what they’re running so that we can adjust on our offensive side. I give them credit there, they’re really good. They don’t stay in any set defense for more than a couple of possessions, which, again, we have to take that time to notice. (Right now) it’s more so us coaches telling them from the bench what they’re running.”
Luckily, one of the major positives of the affair for A-L was the defense it got out of twin towers Mya Hayes and Lyla Giardini. Whether it was by getting back in transition or protecting the paint from East Aurora set plays, Hayes and Giardini successfully altered shots and disrupted the opposition’s offense on countless occasions.
“They were getting back, seeing (East Aurora) getting out running and were able to get their hands on the ball, even if we didn’t contain it and steal it,” Darrow said. “They tipped it out on the other end, which allowed us to be ready to play defense. They did a great job getting back on a couple of those backside passes. (East Aurora) looked to pass across the court, and luckily we were there in front of it and we could steal those a few times too.”
Allegany-Limestone’s Serena Frederick (4) brings the ball up the floor against East Aurora. Frederick scored four points for the Gators in their win. (Hunter O. Lyle)
But for as effective as the duo was, Darrow pointed out that they cannot do it alone. East Aurora benefitted from a number of second-chance opportunities over the course of the contest which was a major concern.
Those extra chances at the net and the free throws that often followed suit allowed the Blue Devils to claw back into the contest.
“We always talk about how we have to have everybody boxing out to rebound, if it’s just a couple of them doing that, other ones get by and get those rebounds,” Darrow said. “So we told them it has to be all of us collectively working to do that. We all got to do our job on that.”
East Aurora managed to pull back within a point in the third quarter, but fortunately for Darrow, her side managed to shake itself out of its slump with some aggressive takes to the basket which led to more attempts at the stripe. This ultimately led to A-L reestablishing a double-digit lead and putting the game out of reach.
With the win in its lone game of the 50th Annual Joe DeCerbo Holiday Showcase, Allegany-Limestone moves to 5-1 on the season.
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AT ALLEGANY
East Aurora (35)
Miller 4 0-2 9, Legg 2 2-7 6, Soroka 1 2-5 4, Stiles 0 4-6 4, Scharlock 1 1-2 3, Beiter 1 1-2 3, Seifert 1 0-0 2, Buccieri 1 0-0 2, Carlson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 10-24 35
Allegany-Limestone (44)
Ortego 6 0-0 13, Wojewodo-Ko 3 3-3 10, Kahm 1 6-12 8, Hayes 0 6-8 6, Frederick 1 2-2 4, Giardini 1 0-0 2, Potter 0 1-2 1. Totals: 12 17-28 44
EA 4 12 26 35
A-L 11 21 31 44
Three-point goals: EA 1 (Miller), A-L 2 (Ortego, Wojewodo-Ko);Total fouls: EA 24, A-L 21; Fouled out: Miller (EA).
