ULYSSES — It was just the kind of win Bradford coach Chuck Bell wanted to see from his team.
With the regular season winding down this upcoming week and the playoffs around the corner, Bell felt the Owls needed to piece everything together in one performance to start firing on all cylinders.
On Friday night he got his wish, as the Owls never trailed en route to a 58-22 decimation of Northern Potter.
“At this point in the season, things have to come together, and I think we showed that a little bit tonight,” the coach said. “In the second half we were more stagnant with things, but the first half we played very well and played together as a team.”
Bradford (7-8) raced out to a 9-0 lead early before NoPo (5-11) used its own run to get back to within 14-11.
From there, though, the Owls put down the clamps. Bradford allowed just two more field goals the rest of the first half to take a 43-15 lead into the intermission, and by the 7:06 mark of the third quarter, the 30-point mercy rule was in effect.
Of his team’s defensive performance, Bell said, “We wanted to put a little pressure on (Northern Potter) and make them put the ball on the floor. In the halfcourt, we played man-to-man, and we just played hard.”
The Owl offense was clicking, too. Bradford finished 25-for-55 from the field, but a blistering 20-for-31 from 2-point range.
Four different Owls finished in double figures. A.J. Gleason led the way with 14 points, while Cam Austin had 13 points and Dalton Dixon and Jake Franz each scored 10.
“To come out and move the ball well against their (3-2) zone was very important for us,” Bell said.
Gleason, Franz and Alex Liners were also critical in the rebounding department, where Bradford manhandled NoPo 37-12. Each of those three had six boards.
Gleason did most of his damage on the offensive glass, frequently cleaning up missed shots for quick buckets. The Owls pulled down 18 offensive rebounds as a team.
“Tonight, specifically, our point of emphasis was offensive rebounds,” Bell said. “When a team plays a zone, it’s difficult to account for a specific man when boxing us out, so we wanted to make sure we were flying to the boards.”
Of Gleason, he added, “A.J. is athletic and energetic. He goes up and gets (rebounds) and puts himself in good positions.”
The Owls were also able to work nine of their players into the scorebook, a key point for Bell as the season winds down.
“We’re trying to get everybody minutes and make sure everybody’s comfortable,” he said. “We have a lot of guys who can play, and we throw them all in. To get everyone playing good minutes tonight was important going into the final week of the regular season and then the playoffs.”
The Owls wrap up their regular season this coming week with a trio of home games. Up first is a Monday match with Johnsonburg. Then, the Owls host Austin Wednesday and Coudersport Friday.
“Like I said, we need to be playing our best basketball at this time, and tonight we played very well together,” Bell said. “Hopefully it’s a confidence boost, because we have a very tough week next week.”
AT ULYSSES
Bradford (58)
A.J. Gleason 7 0-0 14, Cam Austin 6 1-2 13, Dalton Dixon 4 0-0 10, Jake Franz 4 0-0 10, Wilmoth 1 0-0 2, Ward 0 2-2 2, Ruolo 1 0-0 2, Liners 1 0-0 2, Piscitelli 1 0-0 3. Totals: 25 3-4 58
Northern Potter (22)
Tre Slawson 3 1-2 8, Anderson 3 0-1 7, Benway 1 0-0 2, Smith 1 0-0 2, Brown 1 1-2 3. Totals: 8 4-7 22
Bradford 23 43 49 56
Northern Potter 13 15 20 22
Three-point goals: Bradford 5 (Dixon 2, Franz 2, Piscitelli), NP 2 (Slawson, Anderson); Total fouls: Bradford 8, NP 7; fouled out: None.
