KARNS CITY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — After four minutes of play, the Karns City girls basketball team was up on visiting Redbank Valley, 9-2.
The Gremlin fans were in full throat. The gym was rocking.
And the Bulldogs were reeling.
But Alivia Huffman scored four quick points on a free throw, followed by a 3-pointer.
The Huffman powered to the rim again. Shorty after, Mylee Harmon drove the lane for a bucket and a foul.
It was a snowball rolling down a hill.
It quickly turned into an avalanche.
By the time Brooklynn Taylor hit a 3-pointer 16 game minutes later, Redbank Valley had outscored Karns City 33-0 on the way to a 52-12 victory on Monday night.
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“We were preparing a lot for this game, and we thought it was gonna be one of the hardest games of the season,” Harmon said. “We knew it was a big game and when they got that lead in the beginning, I could tell we were all a little worried.”
That concern lessened with each point on that epic run.
Redbank did what Redbank has done in the past few years on the way to being one of the most explosive offenses in District 9. It got bushels of points in transition.
The Bulldog defense was stifling after that first four minutes, giving up just that one 3-pointer the rest of the way. Karns City made just four field goals and didn’t go to the line once in the game, which was a rematch of a D9 Class 3A semifinal last season.
“I was so hyped,” Harmon said. “I wasn’t really looking at the scoreboard. I was just trying to focus on the play. But I ended up looking up one time during that run and I was like, ‘Dang. We’re up by 20.’ It shocked me.”
It also shocked Karns City, which tried to get the ball inside against Redbank, but found little success in the paint.
Turnovers also haunted the Gremlins after their initial charge.
Those miscues against Redbank Valley’s 2-3 zone helped the Bulldogs get out and run with Harmon bolting open in transition to receive baseball passes from Huffman.
“We kept our cool, which is what we needed to do and we just we didn’t get like frazzled. We just kept working,” Harmon said. “That baseball pass has always been part of our game. It works a lot.”
Harmon finished with 18 points and Huffman added 17 for Redbank Valley, which led 32-9 at the half.
Caylen Rearick also pitched in eight for the Bulldogs, who were coming off a dramatic two-point win over Moniteau on Friday.
“We talked to the girls about how hard a gym Karns City is to play in,” said Redbank Valley coach Chris Edmonds. “Their student section does an awesome job. They should be proud of their student section. We told them the first couple minutes of the game, it’s going to be loud, they’re gonna throw some punches at us. I thought we got down a little bit, but I thought we handled those punches.
“I thought our inside with Alyssa Bowser and Kira (Bonanno) controlled the paint, which enabled us to do what we do on defense and rotate and get our hands in the passing lanes and get some steals and easy baskets.”
For Karns City, the message was a simple one: it’s just one game, learn from it.
Gremlin coach Chris Andreassi said his team will not dwell too long on this loss.
“It was a situation where when it rains, it pours,” Andreassi said. “One game does not determine who we are. No long faces. No one feeling sorry for yourself. Watch the film and see what you did and make it make you better.”
The film session is going to be tough viewing.
Taylor and Chloe Fritch each hit two 3-pointers for six points apiece. Not much else went well for Karns City, which will take on rival Moniteau on Wednesday.
“I guarantee we won’t stay flat like that,” Andreassi said. “(Redbank Valley is a) great team. You have to give credit to that team. They have the ability to get you down and then keep you down.
“They have a history of winning with that group of theirs, led by (Huffman),” Andreassi added. “And I give them all the credit in the world because they they’ve experienced this. We haven’t quite got there yet. We are building something like they have gotten to. They know what to do, and they are more experienced. They got the better of us tonight, but this will definitely make us a better team.”
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
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