WEST SUNBURY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Catherine Kelly hit a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer for the Moniteau girls basketball team to break a 9-9 deadlock against scrappy Keystone.
It also pulled the Warriors out of the doldrums.
(Pictured above, Moniteau guard Sophia Fleeger talks with coach Dee Arblaster during a timeout.)
Two days after an emotional win over rival Karns City in a rollercoaster of a game, Moniteau came out on Friday night at home against the Panthers a bit sluggish.
But a 21-0 run started by the Kelly 3-pointer got the Warriors back on track on the way to a 59-28 win.
“I spoke to them before the game about how we needed to stay even. We had to forget Wednesday and move on,” said Moniteau coach Dee Arblaster. “We came out sluggish and (Keystone) was aggressive and getting after us. They weren’t just going to let us walk over them. They weren’t going to roll over.”
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Keystone didn’t, getting seven points from the slashing, diminutive guard Ashlee Albright.
Addison Say’s short turnaround jumper tied the game with nine seconds remaining in the first quarter.
But Kelly and Moniteau were able to quickly answer with a 3-pointer heading into the second quarter.
That’s when the wheels came off for Keystone.
Kelly hit two more 3-pointers in the frame. Sophia Fleeger also drained one and six players scored for the Warriors, giving Moniteau a 24-4 edge in the second and a 36-13 lead at the half.
“That’s been our season so far,” said Keystone coach Andy Traister. “We play really well and then we fall apart. That’s kind of where we are.”
Keystone (3-4) has been bitten hard by the injury bug.
Forward Jerzey Bell is likely done for the season with a shoulder injury. Guard Jill Winters tore her ACL during soccer season and will also miss the entire campaign and guard Gwen Manno is also out.
That has left the Panthers thin and has thrust younger players into more prominent roles.
“We’re young and then we have a lot of injuries,” Traister said. “That’s put us even further behind than what we were. A lot of these young girls have had to come up and play big minutes who I wasn’t expecting to at the beginning of the season.
“The injuries have caught up to us,” Traister added. “But hopefully starting from now we can go on a little run.”
Moniteau (7-1) is certainly on a run now.
Kelly scored all 15 of her points in the first half. Kendall Sankey notched another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds and Cheyenne Curl came off the bench to score eight and eight players put their names in the scorebook for the Warriors.
Curl has had a big week. She played well in relief of an ill Abbey Jewart on Monday, played some key minutes on Wednesday and again filled in admirably when Allie Pry found herself in foul trouble.
“She’s playing really well,” Arblaster said. “She’s not making mistakes. She’s running the point — she’s not a point guard — but she was running it at the end of the game and she’s making good decisions.”
Fleeger added seven points and Allie Pry and Lucy Hartle each pitched in six.
Sankey was her usual immovable force inside for Moniteau.
Keystone had little answer for the forward, even with its height.
Every rebound seemingly was hers.
“That’s her mentality,” Arblaster said. “She has a knack. She’s really coming through. This is really only her third year because from January of her freshman year she didn’t play (because of a torn ACL). She really didn’t get that high-pressure stuff that Catherine got. She’s really taken an active role and is scoring more. We needed her to score.”
REDBANK VALLEY 54, JERSEY SHORE 48
Mylee Harmon scored 31 points as Redbank Valley won an intriguing non-conference matchup in a battle of the Bulldogs.
Jersey Shore, which is just outside of Williamsport and also carries the nickname of Bulldogs, came into the game with the Redbank Valley Bulldogs with a 5-1 record and one of the top scorers in the state in Peyton Dincher, who was averaging well over 20 points per game.
Redbank held her to 14 and remained unbeaten at 7-0.
Meanwhile Harmon’s hot streak continued.
The junior guard scored 18 in the first half to give Redbank a 31-23 lead at the break.
Harmon hit three 3-pointers.
Kira Bonanno added nine points and Addy Bond and Izzy Bond each chipped in with seven.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Damon Curry scored 22 points and Damarco Payne added 21 as Franklin downed Moniteau, 80-54.
Brendin Sankey scored 18 points to lead the way for the Warriors.
Chason Delarosa-Rugg and Andrew Zepeda each added 10 for Moniteau. Zepeda also had six assists.
Landon Kelly also contributed nine points in the loss.
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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