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H.S. Girls Basketball: Immaculata back on track with win over St. Mary’s
Thursday February 16, 2012 | By:Michael J. Petro
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- RayAnn Call, seen here earlier this season, helped Immaculata top St. Mary’s in a big win on Feb. 11. (Photo courtesy of Ron Larson)
RayAnn Call, seen here earlier this season, helped Immaculata top St. Mary’s in a big win on Feb. 11. (Photo courtesy of Ron Larson)
Lake Shore splits with Iroquois; Hamburg can win its division; Eden back in ECIC IV top spot
Even in the midst of losing six of seven games, Andrea Drabik had been telling her Immaculata team how close it was to pulling it all together.
The Bears proved their head coach right in a 72-58 victory over defending Catholic small school state champion St. Mary’s on Feb. 11. In winning a second straight game, Immaculata scored a season-high, which included a 27-point second quarter, and maintained that cushion by playing high pressure defense. Also during that second quarter, the Bears recorded eight steals in helping them open a 47-27 lead at halftime.
“Against St. Mary’s, we were finally able to put it all together,” said Drabik, whose team improved to 12-8 with three games left in the regular season before finding out if the program will qualify for the independent school state tournament. “They did what they had to get us over the top. If we can put three more together like this, we’ll be in good shape for states.”
Immaculata was off to a 9-2 start to the season, but began to show some of its youth — the team has only three seniors after losing five to graduation, as a difficult portion of the schedule hit midway through the year. Drabik has pushed her team along by pointing out the slim margin of most of its losses which she said could easily be reversed.
“I wasn’t sure how long it would take, but we are coming together at a good time,” said Drabik, who noted that her team will find out whether it earned a state berth on Monday, Feb. 27. “I feel like the girls are definitely jelling.”
Even with Taylor Heinold’s ability to score, Drabik said Immaculata has not changed its offense or the way it plays. She said the junior guard creates many of her own opportunities within the offense and when she’s doubled, has found on the wing the likes of sophomore RayAnn Call and senior Gen Coughlin. Drabik will even put Heinold at the point from time to time and let her bring the ball up court to confuse defenses.
Heinold’s presence has also helped open the door for a big season from senior forward Bridget Philbin, who has developed as a threat in the post. She recorded a double-double against St. Mary’s with 18 points and 12 rebounds, to go along with Heinold’s 26 points, four steals and seven blocks. Drabik also noted that senior Alexandra Rosenlund has continued to be a defensive presence with her speed and footwork.
In the game prior, Immaculata defeated Tapestry 56-41 on Feb. 9 behind the double-double of Heinold, who finished with 21 points and 20 rebounds. Philbin finished with 13 points and junior forward Bailey Gawley added nine.
Lake Shore goes 1-1 with second-place Iroquois
Lake Shore split a pair of three-point games with Iroquois in a three-day span. The 1-1 stretch ironically leaves the Eagles in third place in ECIC Division II after moving a game away from a second-place tie with Iroquois after their 40-37 win on Feb. 10. But Lake Shore fell to 7-4 in losing 45-42 to 9-2 Iroquois on Feb. 13.
In the first game between the two, Lake Shore freshman Melanie Linsmair had a break out game offensively with 17 points, while defensively holding Iroquois standout freshman Colleen Wirth to only three. Linsmair also hit a pair of clutch free throws to put the Eagles up by four points with 19 seconds left.
“Melanie was unstoppable and on a mission to prove herself in our division as a top player,” Lake Shore head coach Andrea Conrad said. “She was all over the floor defensively and gave it everything she had.”
Also in the final seconds of the game, senior forward Jessica Ludwig made two big free throws, which actually accounted for the winning points, to finish with six. Morgan Feldmann added eight points for the Eagles, while Michaela Stepniak notched six and Miranda Aikin contributed three, along with six steals. Lake Shore scored the first eight points of the game, but trailed 9-8 after the first quarter, 14-13 at halftime and by one after the third. The fourth quarter featured several lead changes and Iroquois had a chance to tie it but a three-pointer fell short.
The second game featured much of the same. After a quick start to the game for Lake Shore, Iroquois captured the lead 22-19 at halftime and 33-31 after three quarters. The Eagles took back the lead, 38-37 with 2:30 left in the game, on a three-pointer from Aikin. Lake Shore then built that lead to three on a lay up from Feldmann. However, Iroquois went on a 8-0 run to take a 45-40 lead with 16 seconds remaining. Another Feldmann lay up brought the Eagles back to within three, but Iroquois rebounded its own miss off a free throw to end their hopes.
Ludwig led her team on Senior Night with 12 points. Feldmann, a fellow upperclassman, and junior MaryBeth Benzing each added seven points, and Aikin, five.
Lake Shore’s win over Iroquois gave 10-1 Hamburg an opportunity to gain sole possession of the division crown if the Bulldogs were able to take care of business against Williamsville East on Feb. 14.
Eden avenges loss, back into ECIC IV first-place tie
Elsewhere locally, Eden moved back into a first-place tie in the constantly-changing ECIC Division IV leader board as the Raiders avenged a loss to Tonawanda just a week after the team’s first met.
A 37-22 victory puts Eden back into a tie with Tonawanda, along with Holland, the team the Raiders finish the regular season against at home on Thursday, Feb. 16. Led by a suffocating defense, Eden improved to 10-7 overall and 9-2 in division play.
This time around, the Raiders played into Tonawanda’s slow down tactic by packing four players in the key on defense to stop their opponent’s strength in the post. When Tonawanda got the ball inside, Eden guards Emily Carias and Caitlin Sickau were there most of the time to cause a turnover — the two combined for seven steals, or create havoc for the player with the ball. Eden forced Tonawanda into shooting on the perimeter and Jenna Phillips, Alexis Nasca and Lynn-lee Stressing all boxed out well, according to Eden head coach Marisa Fallacaro.
The Raiders defense was so stifling at points that they held Tonawanda scoreless in the second and to only four points in the fourth. Eden led 24-10 at halftime.
“Having the luxury of just playing Tonawanda we knew what they would do,” Fallacaro said. “Our defense was outstanding. Caitlin and Emily were a feisty combo. Tonawanda had to settle for outside shots which is not their strong suit. It was a low scoring game but when you have two teams using up the shot clock each possession that will happen.”
After trying to run in the first quarter without much success, Eden’s offense also did its part to slow down the game. If the Raiders missed a shot and got the rebound, they passed it back up top to run the clock. Stresing led Eden with 12 points, 11 boards, two assists and two steals, while Carias notched 11 points four assists and Nasca, six points and seven rebounds. After recording her 1,000th career point with a 16-point effort in a 42-28 win at Lackawanna three days earlier, Phillips added eight points and nine rebounds against Tonawanda.
The seeding meeting for the Section VI Tournament will be held Saturday (Feb. 18) with postseason action getting underway with opening round games on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Even in the midst of losing six of seven games, Andrea Drabik had been telling her Immaculata team how close it was to pulling it all together.
The Bears proved their head coach right in a 72-58 victory over defending Catholic small school state champion St. Mary’s on Feb. 11. In winning a second straight game, Immaculata scored a season-high, which included a 27-point second quarter, and maintained that cushion by playing high pressure defense. Also during that second quarter, the Bears recorded eight steals in helping them open a 47-27 lead at halftime.
“Against St. Mary’s, we were finally able to put it all together,” said Drabik, whose team improved to 12-8 with three games left in the regular season before finding out if the program will qualify for the independent school state tournament. “They did what they had to get us over the top. If we can put three more together like this, we’ll be in good shape for states.”
Immaculata was off to a 9-2 start to the season, but began to show some of its youth — the team has only three seniors after losing five to graduation, as a difficult portion of the schedule hit midway through the year. Drabik has pushed her team along by pointing out the slim margin of most of its losses which she said could easily be reversed.
“I wasn’t sure how long it would take, but we are coming together at a good time,” said Drabik, who noted that her team will find out whether it earned a state berth on Monday, Feb. 27. “I feel like the girls are definitely jelling.”
Even with Taylor Heinold’s ability to score, Drabik said Immaculata has not changed its offense or the way it plays. She said the junior guard creates many of her own opportunities within the offense and when she’s doubled, has found on the wing the likes of sophomore RayAnn Call and senior Gen Coughlin. Drabik will even put Heinold at the point from time to time and let her bring the ball up court to confuse defenses.
Heinold’s presence has also helped open the door for a big season from senior forward Bridget Philbin, who has developed as a threat in the post. She recorded a double-double against St. Mary’s with 18 points and 12 rebounds, to go along with Heinold’s 26 points, four steals and seven blocks. Drabik also noted that senior Alexandra Rosenlund has continued to be a defensive presence with her speed and footwork.
In the game prior, Immaculata defeated Tapestry 56-41 on Feb. 9 behind the double-double of Heinold, who finished with 21 points and 20 rebounds. Philbin finished with 13 points and junior forward Bailey Gawley added nine.
Lake Shore goes 1-1 with second-place Iroquois
Lake Shore split a pair of three-point games with Iroquois in a three-day span. The 1-1 stretch ironically leaves the Eagles in third place in ECIC Division II after moving a game away from a second-place tie with Iroquois after their 40-37 win on Feb. 10. But Lake Shore fell to 7-4 in losing 45-42 to 9-2 Iroquois on Feb. 13.
In the first game between the two, Lake Shore freshman Melanie Linsmair had a break out game offensively with 17 points, while defensively holding Iroquois standout freshman Colleen Wirth to only three. Linsmair also hit a pair of clutch free throws to put the Eagles up by four points with 19 seconds left.
“Melanie was unstoppable and on a mission to prove herself in our division as a top player,” Lake Shore head coach Andrea Conrad said. “She was all over the floor defensively and gave it everything she had.”
Also in the final seconds of the game, senior forward Jessica Ludwig made two big free throws, which actually accounted for the winning points, to finish with six. Morgan Feldmann added eight points for the Eagles, while Michaela Stepniak notched six and Miranda Aikin contributed three, along with six steals. Lake Shore scored the first eight points of the game, but trailed 9-8 after the first quarter, 14-13 at halftime and by one after the third. The fourth quarter featured several lead changes and Iroquois had a chance to tie it but a three-pointer fell short.
The second game featured much of the same. After a quick start to the game for Lake Shore, Iroquois captured the lead 22-19 at halftime and 33-31 after three quarters. The Eagles took back the lead, 38-37 with 2:30 left in the game, on a three-pointer from Aikin. Lake Shore then built that lead to three on a lay up from Feldmann. However, Iroquois went on a 8-0 run to take a 45-40 lead with 16 seconds remaining. Another Feldmann lay up brought the Eagles back to within three, but Iroquois rebounded its own miss off a free throw to end their hopes.
Ludwig led her team on Senior Night with 12 points. Feldmann, a fellow upperclassman, and junior MaryBeth Benzing each added seven points, and Aikin, five.
Lake Shore’s win over Iroquois gave 10-1 Hamburg an opportunity to gain sole possession of the division crown if the Bulldogs were able to take care of business against Williamsville East on Feb. 14.
Eden avenges loss, back into ECIC IV first-place tie
Elsewhere locally, Eden moved back into a first-place tie in the constantly-changing ECIC Division IV leader board as the Raiders avenged a loss to Tonawanda just a week after the team’s first met.
A 37-22 victory puts Eden back into a tie with Tonawanda, along with Holland, the team the Raiders finish the regular season against at home on Thursday, Feb. 16. Led by a suffocating defense, Eden improved to 10-7 overall and 9-2 in division play.
This time around, the Raiders played into Tonawanda’s slow down tactic by packing four players in the key on defense to stop their opponent’s strength in the post. When Tonawanda got the ball inside, Eden guards Emily Carias and Caitlin Sickau were there most of the time to cause a turnover — the two combined for seven steals, or create havoc for the player with the ball. Eden forced Tonawanda into shooting on the perimeter and Jenna Phillips, Alexis Nasca and Lynn-lee Stressing all boxed out well, according to Eden head coach Marisa Fallacaro.
The Raiders defense was so stifling at points that they held Tonawanda scoreless in the second and to only four points in the fourth. Eden led 24-10 at halftime.
“Having the luxury of just playing Tonawanda we knew what they would do,” Fallacaro said. “Our defense was outstanding. Caitlin and Emily were a feisty combo. Tonawanda had to settle for outside shots which is not their strong suit. It was a low scoring game but when you have two teams using up the shot clock each possession that will happen.”
After trying to run in the first quarter without much success, Eden’s offense also did its part to slow down the game. If the Raiders missed a shot and got the rebound, they passed it back up top to run the clock. Stresing led Eden with 12 points, 11 boards, two assists and two steals, while Carias notched 11 points four assists and Nasca, six points and seven rebounds. After recording her 1,000th career point with a 16-point effort in a 42-28 win at Lackawanna three days earlier, Phillips added eight points and nine rebounds against Tonawanda.
The seeding meeting for the Section VI Tournament will be held Saturday (Feb. 18) with postseason action getting underway with opening round games on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
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