Lady Panthers stave off late charge
(Lewistown Sentinel 12/15/09)
Early in the second half, a Logan Snyder bucket gave Lewistown a 14-point lead, the biggest it enjoyed after taking a 12-point edge against Tyrone in the first.
A few minutes later, Olivia Stever sunk back-to-back goals to cut the Panthers' lead to just five. When Marah Hawes - who ended Lewistown's 10-point consecutive scoring run with a trey early in the third quarter - dropped her second shot of the night from downtown, that lead was a scant four points, and her final successful floor shot - in the fourth - made it three.
But despite strong second-half play, Tyrone could not overcome the Panthers' 23-point second quarter, which proved to be the difference in a 59-52 Mountain League win.
"They got a little bit more patient in the second half for sure," Lewistown coach Kevin Kodish observed. "They need No. 30 to score."
That would be Hawes, who 20 of her game-high 24 points after the break. More than half - 13 points, including the two critical 3-point goals - came in the third quarter.
"That's why we were guarding her extra close. I was thrilled with the first half when she only had 4 points then she just went nuts," Kodish said.
Lewistown was stymied in that period - Clarissa Adams, who did a superb job driving the lane in the second and led the Panthers with 17, was held to a couple of free throws. Cheyenne Stonerook, who also made double figures, was scoreless in that frame.
"We have a young team. I'm happy we answered a challenge," Kodish said. "That's a good punch in the stomach to see if you're going to respond."
Early in the game, Tyrone did most of the damage to itself. The Golden Eagles struggled with turnovers in the early going, unable at times just to possess the ball long enough to make it the distance of the court. Tyrone's shot selection was poor, perhaps hurried.
The Panthers also were strong on the boards at the defensive end throughout the game, although that was a weak spot early. But after a banging effort in the putback department midway through the second, the home team found its groove and used second chances to stretch the lead to a dozen.
Lewistown also recovered somewhat from its struggles at the foul line. Adams hit a solid 11-of-13 before it was over, making up for a 4-for-15 combined performance by Stonerook and Lauren Coleman, as the team finished with 22 out of 37 trips to the charity stripe.
"That was definitely the disappointment of the night," Kodish said. "Typically for the year we're over 70 percent from the line as a team."
LADY PANTHERS TOP MILTON FOR TIP-OFF TITLE
LEWISTOWN - Britney Klinger dropped four from long range and freshman Logan Snyder scored 17 as the Panthers won their own tip-off tournament with a 55-39 finish against Milton Saturday.
Lewistown had a hot hand in the first quarter, scoring more in the opening stanza than the Black Panthers managed in the half. Milton, despite having two players in double digits, only broke 10 in the third quarter.
"It's great to open the season with a tip-off tournament championship. Milton is always a formidable opponent, and I am very pleased that the girls worked so hard to get this win," Lewistown coach Kevin Kodish said. "I can't think of a better way to start the new season. The girls should be proud of themselves. We have to keep focusing on improving and getting the next win."
Lewistown jumped out to a quick 12-0 lead, including two Klinger 3-pointers and one from Clarissa Adams. Snyder tallied eight in the first quarter.
"Logan started strong and finished strong in the scoring column," Kodish said.
Four Lewistown players were honored with tournament recognition: Snyder was the Most Valuable Player and Klinger on the All-Tournament Team, while Cheyenne Stonerook was named Outstanding Defensive Player and Lauren Coleman the Outstanding Offensive Player.
"In addition to the award winners, we received a solid floor game from Adams, great rebounding and hustle from Chelsea Siddons and Olivia Halfpenny, and some good minutes from Marly Saxton and Rebecca Knudsen," Kodish said.
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Panthers head to final
Lewistown drops BEA in opener
LEWISTOWN - Lewistown had a 10-point lead over Bald Eagle Area after the first quarter in Friday's first round match up of the Panther Club Tip-off Tournament, and continued to dominate the game, crushing the Eagles 72-31.
The Panthers used a number of different players throughout the game, with 10 different shooters sinking baskets.
"A lot of new combinations out there this year," Lewistown coach Kevin Kodish said. "I was very pleased with how we took control of the game after the first few minutes there."
Lewistown's transition defense came up with multiple steals behind the play leading to some easy baskets for Cheyenne Stonerook and Lauren Coleman. Stonerook finished with 11 points, while Coleman led the team with 13.
"Cheyenne Stonerook did real well inside," Kodish said. "(Clarissa) Adams and Coleman were good too."
Chelsea Siddons also was dominant in the paint for Lewistown, grabing numerous rebounds and making it to the foul line four times.
"I thought Chelsea Siddons in her first varsity action did well," he said. "She had a career high 10 points tonight. That's a big thing for her."
Kodish said he wanted to keep his team fresh throughout the game to keep the defensive intensity up.
"We wanted to play with a lot of intensity and up-tempo both offensivly and defensivly and changing the defenses," he said. "To play effectivly that way, you have to change the personel, because you're obviously going to run out of gas really quick if you leave five on the floor, so I wanted to mix the substitutes in all the time. I thought they meshed pretty good with the different combinations and really took control."
Running the offense this year at point guard is freshman Logan Snyder. She finished the game with 11 points.
"I thought Logan Snyder for a freshman did a good job at the point," Kodish said. "Britney Klinger did a nice job helping out with the ball handling as well. I think everyone was solid. Nobody played poorly."
The Panthers took control of the second half right from the start and never gave Bald Eagle Area a chance to get back into the game. By the fourth quarter, Lewistown's lead reached the point where Kodish felt he could get a few of the younger players some time on the court. The inexperienced players led to a few turnovers and some sloppy play, but Kodish said this was to be expected early into the season.
"I expect that," he said. "In an opening game, you're going to have some sloppiness anyway. When the game got a little out of hand, I think we got sloppier.
"I'm pleased with what they showed, but obviously you need to take it from there and take it to the next level," Kodish said. "You're hoping for more consistensy so you don't have the deterioration of the game, but overall I'm pleased with how it went."
Lewistown (1-0) advances to play Milton in the championship round at 4 p.m. today.
"I was impressed with their size," Kodish said of Milton. "They'll be a good opponent. It'll be a good early season test for us."
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