In a game that went blow-for-blow for most of the first three quarters, a final run to begin the fourth gave Brookville the points needed to get by Bradford, 46-35.
Both teams made good plays and left points on the board in the first quarter.
Bradford had more than one clean attempt from three rim out while Brookville had trouble operating in the halfcourt. Kalie Dixon was great for the Lady Owls though, she had all eight of Bradford’s points in the first and was unstoppable underneath the rim.
“In the first half, I thought Dixon dominated that whole entire first half from an inside standpoint,” said Bradford coach Tony Richards. “In the second half they made us take the outside shots, with the type of defense they were playing. They just wouldn’t fall for us.”
Bradford looked better in the second quarter, going on a 6-1 run to take a 14-9 lead early on.
Dixon had four of those points and finished with a team-high 12, while senior Rylee Close had a bucket of her own. But Alayna Haight and Kerstyn Davie hit a 3-pointer each for the Lady Raiders, turning a Bradford lead into a one-point deficit going into the second half.
The pair’s shooting from deep and the line was paramount to Brookville’s success late.
Haight hit one trey in the third, but did an excellent job drawing fouls. She went 5-for-6 from the line in the third and scored eight of Brookville’s 12 points in the period. Haight led the Lady Raiders with 16 points while Davie was second with 11. The duo combined for six triples.
“(Haight’s) been our leader all year,” said Brookville coach Mark Powell. “(Davie) coming off an injury in the summer, just starting to get back into the groove of things, nice to see her heat up.”
However, the Lady Owls wouldn’t be deterred.
They outscored Brookville 13-12 in the third period to tie the game going into the fourth. Alanna Benson scored five of her 11 points while Carli Persichini and senior Ryley Cleveland had four apiece. Both Benson and Persichini hit a triple.
With the game tied 27-27, the Lady Raiders dropped into a far more aggressive press and packed the interior. The strategy worked as it prevented Bradford from getting the ball to Dixon, who had dominated in the paint earlier in the game. The Lady Raiders also started forcing turnovers and turning them into points, not to mention sinking free throws in high pressure situations.
“It’s a strength of ours, free throw shooting,” said Brookville coach Mark Powell. “We shoot a lot of them in practice, we shot it well again tonight. We feel like, cause it’s happened enough now, if we can get a lead late, if we can get to the free throw line. We have a lot of confidence we can win.”
To start the fourth quarter, Davie sank a 3-pointer, Brookville got a steal off Bradford’s inbound pass, turned that steal into a layup and forced another turnover as Bradford tried to take the ball up the court after that. That turnover turned into another trey for Davie.
It was an 8-0 run that put Bradford into a hole it couldn’t fight out of.
Especially when Brookville went 4-for-5 from the stripe in the fourth. Bradford did get some offense, but without enough time on the clock to mount a comeback. Benson hit a three from far out with a minute left to close the gap a little. And with just seconds left in the game, Abbi Schleicher scored on a floater from the post.
The Lady Owls had two seniors, Close and Cleveland, honored before the game by the team and school for senior night. Close will attend Penn State-Behrend while Cleveland is planning to go just across the New York border, at St. Bonaventure University.
“First off, (Cleveland) she was named captain, first day of practice,” said Richards. “She’s done a great job, I couldn’t ask for anything else from her. (Close) she was a full-time starter most of the season. She does a bunch of different things for us. There’s a variety of things we run just because we have that kind of athlete.
“I wish them both well and they’re welcome in this gym anytime… I appreciate their efforts.”
AT BRADFORD
Haight 4 5-6 16, Davie 3 2-3 11, Wonderling 3 2-2 8, Molnar 3 0-0 6, E. Wonderling 0 2-2 2, Bowser 1 0-0 2, Cook 0 1-2 1. Totals:
Bradford (35)Dixon 5 1-2 12, Benson 4 1-3 11, Persichini 1 1-2 4, Cleveland 2 0-0 4, Schleicher 1 0-0 2, Close 1 0-0 2. Totals:
Three-point goals: Brookville 6 (Haight 3, Davie 3), Bradford 4 (Benson 2, Dixon, Persichini); Total fouls: Brookville 14, Bradford 16; fouled out:
JV: Brookville 39, Bradford 15
