DuBois Central Catholic held the Bradford girls to just six points in the fourth quarter to cap off an intense comeback attempt en route to defeating the Lady Owls 41-40 on Monday night.

Bradford played one of its best halves of the season over the game’s first 16 minutes, and took a 26-19 lead into halftime. The Owls got points from all five starters in the first half, and played well on the defensive end, holding the Cardinals to just five points in the first quarter.

However, as the game wore on, Bradford just made too many mistakes that were ultimately impossible to overcome. DCC’s full-court press began to force turnovers, and buckets began to fall on the other end, as well. Nobody on the Cardinals had more than seven points; instead they featured a balanced attack that saw eight girls register points on the scoresheet.

“Honestly we probably wore them down at points,” DuBois CC head coach Jordan Hoover said. “In the first three periods we had a little bit more rotation so I think our starters were a little bit fresher in the end. Some of the looks we got in the fourth quarter were really good looks. It just seemed like it was harder for them to get into their offense than it was for us.”

Bradford and DuBois CC traded buckets in the third quarter, but the Owls went cold in the fourth. They were held without a point for the first five minutes of that frame, and the Cardinals began to hit shots on the other end with some quality ball movement.

The Cardinals hit three three-pointers in the fourth, but none as big as Ashley Wruble’s with under three minutes to go. That shot gave DuBois CC a 37-36 lead, and they would not trail again from that point.

DuBois CC couldn’t completely put Bradford away, however, as the Cardinals missed seven free throws in the fourth. With the door still open, Hannah Lary hit a three-pointer with just over a minute to go to cut the deficit to 41-40. The Owls had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but a jump shot bounced off the rim and out.

DuBois CC is no stranger to tight games this season, and Hoover said that you can’t ignore how much of a factor that played into the game’s final plays.

“I was proud of our girls,” Hoover said. “We have lost three one possession games this year, and that was the first one we got. Might not have been the prettiest execution but at least we held it together compared to where we’ve been in previous situations.”

The Cardinals (5-8) are one of the hottest teams in District 9, winning four of their last five games after starting the season 1-7.

The Lady Owls (2-12), did play one of their best games of the season on Monday night, but as has been a common theme this season, turnovers and missed opportunities are what sunk the ship again on Monday night.

For Bradford, playing such a close game really was uncharted territory. And while head coach Bob Hannon tried to keep his young group composed down the stretch, it just wasn’t enough.

“For us, this was really the first tight game we’ve been in all year,” Hannon said. “I think we might have gotten a bit nervous with that. We had a couple of opportunities there at the end. We missed some easy shots. Kate (Huber) had a good look at the last shot and it didn’t go in. We were trying to tell her that you can’t get down on yourself because that’s all you can ask for in a close game is to get a shot. There were plenty of possessions prior to that where if we would’ve just taken care of the ball, we would’ve been fine. We missed probably four point blank layups that could’ve really helped out a lot.”

Hannon will now have the tough task of getting his group to refocus quickly, as the Lady Owls have two more games this week.

“It’s a very difficult loss,” Hannon said. “I know the girls are down about it but we told them that you have to keep your heads up and we have two tough games the rest of the week. They won’t be easy. Just have to come to work tomorrow and try to get better.”

AT BRADFORD

DuBois Central Catholic (41)

Bittner 3 1-3 7, A. Pettaniti 3 0-2 7, Wruble 2 1-6 7, Cogley 2 0-0 5, H. Pettaniti 2 1-4 5, Gulvas 1 2-3 5, Kosko 2 0-0 4, Sabatose 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 5-18 41

Bradford (40)

Hannah Lary 4 3-6 12, Tyger 3 2-2 8, B. Moffett 3 1-2 7, Marshall 2 0-0 5, Maley 1 2-2 4, Huber 0 2-2 2, K. Moffett 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 10-15 40

DCC        5 19 29 41

Bradford  9 26 34 40

Three-point goals: DCC 4 (Wruble 2, Cogley 1, A. Pettaniti 1), Bradford 2 (Lary, Marshall ); Total fouls: DCC 18, Bradford 16; fouled out: none

JV: Bradford won 48-26