COUDERSPORT — When the Coudersport girls get consistent scoring from multiple players, they’re a tough team to beat. Mix in a staunch defensive effort, and the Lady Falcons seem nearly unbeatable for league foes.
Such was the case Monday night, as Coudersport rolled to a 43-24 North Tier League win over Otto-Eldred.
Coudy (9-2, 8-0) held the Lady Terrors (8-4, 6-2) to a season low in scoring and gave up just eight points the entire second half en route to the win. Meanwhile, the Lady Falcons offense picked up scores from six different players, five of which scored at least six, as part of a steady night.
The win keeps Coudersport atop the NTL.
“I think we got better as the game went on,” said Coudy coach Bob Tingley. “We’ve had a couple weeks of illness, injuries and finals, and so we haven’t played very well. I think we had a half or so where we finally got into a rhythm, and we’re a pretty good defensive team.”
That was most clear in the third quarter. Leading 21-16 coming out of the break, Coudersport allowed just two O-E points in the period as part of a quarter-long 10-2 run to take a commanding 31-18 lead into the fourth before finishing the Lady Terrors off for the win.
That defensive effort started in the paint, where Coudy center Sarah Chambers racked up seven blocks as part of her dominant night. In addition to those blocks, the center finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.
“She’s very long, and she can change or block a lot of shots,” Tingley said. “She has great ability, she just has to bring it each night.”
On the perimeter, guard Lauren Stimaker added 10 points, six rebounds and six steals, while Mikayla Gunn and Elizabeth Frame each scored seven.
That depth is critical for the Lady Falcons, according to Tingley.
“A lot of times, we can have four kids go into double-digits. I like that, and we need that,” he said.
The game didn’t start out in dominant fashion for Coudy, though. Otto-Eldred, which entered the night on a two-game win streak, battled early on to go into the second quarter tied at nine, and then trailed by just five (21-16) at halftime.
But that was as close as O-E could keep it the rest of the night, due in large part to another poor performance from the field. The Lady Terrors shot just 10-for-47 (21%) on the night, continuing a recent trend of poor shooting that has head coach Shawn Gray feeling frustrated.
“I wish I knew (how to get the offense going). Our confidence level is so far down right now that I don’t know what to do to get them out of it,” he said. “We shoot at practice, and in practice it goes in. It’s just not coming with us into games.”
Katie Sheeler and Jadelyn Spinney led O-E with five points apiece. It was the first game since Dec. 14’s loss to Portville (N.Y.) that no player scored at least 10.
Of particular frustration for Gray was the Lady Terrors’ inability to score in the third quarter. O-E’s two points came by way of free throws with just 22 seconds remaining in the period. Up to that point, the Lady Terrors had gone 9 minutes, 15 seconds without a basket.
“What was frustrating was if we had run the stuff we had talked about running at halftime, we would’ve had some easy layup opportunities,” he said. “And then when the ball doesn’t go in, it affects us at the defensive end, and then it just snowballs. It definitely snowballed tonight. It was like an avalanche at one point.”
Both teams are back in action Wednesday night, as Coudy travels to Smethport and O-E hosts Oswayo Valley.
AT COUDERSPORT
Otto-Eldred (24)
Katie Sheeler 2 0-0 5, Jadelyn Spinney 2 0-0 5, Raught 2 0-0 4, K. Heller 1 2-2 4, B. Heller 2 0-0 4, Gordon 1 0-0 2. Totals: 10 2-2 24
Coudersport (43)
Sarah Chambers 4 3-6 11, Lauren Stimaker 5 0-0 10, Loveland 1 0-0 2, Gunn 3 0-0 7, Frame 3 1-4 7, Page 3 0-0 6. Totals: 19 4-10 43
Otto-Eldred 9 16 18 24
Coudersport 9 21 31 43
Three-point goals: O-E 2 (K. Sheeler 1, Spinney 1), Coudy 1 (Gunn); Total fouls: O-E 10, Coudy 10; fouled out: none.
JV: Coudy won, 26-23.
