Bradford head coach Bob Hannon said his Lady Owls knew they’d have to turn in a better defensive performance in their rematch with Elk County Catholic if they were to have a shot at winning.

They certainly showcased that mindset Tuesday night.

In a rock fight where turnovers and missed shots were aplenty and baskets were at a premium, Bradford used a staunch defensive effort and a late run to top the visiting Lady Crusaders, 43-34.

The win gives Bradford its fourth in a row and five victories in its past six games. The Lady Owls (10-10, 3-5) also overtook ECC (13-9, 3-7) in the District 9 League standings to move into fourth place with the victory.

“We knew we had to play better defense, because we didn’t do a great job down there (a 61-48 ECC win),” Hannon said. “I thought tonight was one of our better defensive performances this season. We helped when we needed to, and I thought everybody contributed.”

That effort began with the improvements Bradford made in defending against Taylor Newton and Brooke Bauer.

In the teams’ first matchup on Jan. 22, Bauer scored 20 points, including all four of ECC’s 3-pointers, while Newton poured in a game-high 27 points. This time around, Bauer was held to just three points and Newton was limited to 10 points.

Bauer’s struggles from the field were part of a larger issue for ECC, which shot just 13-for-50 from the field and 1-of-10 from deep range. The Lady Crusaders, which have now lost three consecutive games, also turned the ball over 18 times.

Newton, meanwhile, was kept off the glass much more this time around, which limited her second-chance opportunities. Bradford also made sure to double-team the forward any time she caught the ball in the post.

“(Newton) is probably the best player in the league. She’s a great athlete and can handle and shoot the ball,” Hannon said. “We just wanted to make sure we knew where she was, and we made a conscientious effort to double down on her.

“Down there she had 12 or 14 points on offensive rebounds, but tonight I thought our kids played hard against her and did a good job of being in a position to help stop her.”

Bradford wasn’t without its share of offensive struggles, either.

The Lady Owls went just 15-for-52 from the field, but managed to sink eight of 36 shots from deep range on the night, including a game-high six treys from Hannah Lary.

Lary, who led all scorers with 20 points after being capped to just nine at ECC, provided nearly all of Bradford’s offense early on. The guard scored Bradford’s first 14 points of the game, including three consecutive 3-pointers to open the second quarter after the Lady Owls shot 2-for-14 from the field in the first.

“You’re thinking, ‘We can’t shoot this bad the whole game.’ Finally, Hannah hit three in a row to get us on a little bit of a roll,” Hannon said. “I knew she would have a bounce-back game against these guys.”

Then, in the fourth quarter, it was fellow guard Erica Marshall who caught fire.

Marshall scored all 11 of her points in the game’s final period, including a transition layup and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions that capped a 10-0 Bradford run midway through the quarter, which proved to be the difference down the stretch.

“They were big shots for us,” Hannon said. “We have stressed running the floor all year, and if we can rebound and get out and run, Erica is one of the fastest, if not the fastest kid in the District… When we can get her in transition like that, that’s where we want her to be.”

The Lady Owls will now turn their attention to two final regular-season games against Punxsutawney and Brookville before beginning their postseason quest. Hannon confirmed after the game that the Lady Owls will enter into the District 9 Class AAAA playoffs.

Bradford will face a field of Punxsy and St. Marys and are locked in as third seed in the field. The Lady Owls fell to Punxsy 46-41 in Bradford and split the season series with the Lady Dutch.

“We know we can play with both of them. I’m not saying we’ll beat them, but we know we can play with both of them,” Hannon said. “We can get beat on any given night, but when we put it all together and get three girls shooting the ball well like they’re capable of shooting, we’ll give anybody a battle.”

AT BRADFORD

Elk Catholic (34)

Tami Geci 4 3-5 11, Taylor Newton 4 2-6 10, Fledderman 2 0-0 4, Aikens 2 1-2 5, Bauer 1 0-0 3, Hasselman 0 0-1 0, Weisner 0 1-2 1. Totals: 13 7-16 34

Bradford (43)

Hannah Lary 7 0-0 20, Erica Marshall 3 4-4 11, Benson 3 1-2 8, Kakolewski 0 0-2 0, Warner 2 0-2 4. Totals: 15 5-10 43

Elk Catholic 8 15 24 34

Bradford 5 18 25 43

Three-point goals: ECC 1 (Bauer), Bradford 8 (Lary 6, Benson 1, Marshall 1); Total fouls: ECC 10, Bradford 16; fouled out: Kakolewski (B)

JV: Bradford won, 22-15.