Portagers
fend off Bobcats for D League win
Onekama’s Martina Karlsdotter (22) drives to the
basket against Brethren’s Annie MacNeil during the second half of
Friday’s West Michigan D League game. (Dylan Savela/News Advocate)
Posted Dec. 7, by Dylan Savela, Manistee News Advocate
ONEKAMA — Onekama’s lead Friday night was built by sharp
shooting from the field. It was secured, however, from the free throw
line.
The Portagers held on to a 53-49 West Michigan D League
win over Brethren, sinking 9-of-12 free throws in the fourth quarter as
the rallying Bobcats began to erase the deficit.
“Last game, it came down to free throws at the end too,”
Onekama coach Nathan Bradford said of a season-opening win against
Frankfort on Tuesday, “and it’s something that we stress and work on a
lot in practice: concentrate and knock those down.”
Onekama moved to 2-0 on the season in the league opener
and was led by sophomore Kayla Kosiboski’s 16 points and four rebounds.
Caitlin Zielinski added 11 points with four assists while Hailey Kott
scored seven points with a team-high 10 boards. Martina Karlsdotter
and Tawny Kott each had 6, Alexis Tribfelner 5, and Kaylan Fitch 2.
Knocking down its open jumpers propelled Onekama to a
14-4 lead at the end of the first, and a 27-18 advantage by the break.
Brethren, however, came out in the second half on a mission.
“We crept out to a lead at first, but I figured Brethren
would battle back,” Bradford said. “And that’s what happened. It seemed
like every time we’d get a cushion, they’d get it close again.”
Three Bobcats finished the contest with a double-double.
Point guard Sarah Costello scored 16 points, including eight in the
second, to go with 10 rebounds while Lexi Lakso scored 14 with 10
boards, and Annie MacNeil finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Also
scoring were Jordin Wilks with 4, Josie Judnic and Cailon Medjeski with
2 each, and Maribel Acosta with one. |
The Bobcats shot 35 percent from the field Friday night,
with the majority of their misses occurring in the first half. “That rim
hated us. You would of thought they had one of those rebound doctors on
there,” Brethren coach Julie Riggs said. “The guards really had to wait
for those open shots and make sure their legs were underneath them.
“They played a heavy game on defense, and it showed with
a lot of shots coming up short.”
The teams played each other even in the third, with
Brethren still staring down a nine-point deficit heading into the final
frame.
An 11-3 run to start the quarter, however, brought the
game within a point at 43-42, the closest margin since the opening tip.
“We just had to settle down,” Riggs said of the run, “We
needed to work the ball inside and use Annie as much as we could.”
With the cushion significantly slimmer, and the momentum
with Brethren, Onekama was forced to convert from the charity stripe.
From 2:56 to 1:28 remaining, the Portagers’ points came
from a 6-for-6 stretch from the line. Brethren came within a bucket at
51-49 with 37 seconds remaining, but Onekama split its final two trips
to the line to secure the victory.
“Luckily we were able to squeak one in here and there at
the end,” Bradford said. “I know I don’t like the games to be this
close, but if anything, I think we’re learning a lot more from ones like
these.
“They’re young and learning, and hopefully these close
ones can help us later on.”
For Brethren, the league loss puts them at 2-1 on the
year.
“I told them that a loss humbles any team, but now that
we have one, that’s enough,” Riggs said. “We’ve got 17 games in front of
us. To know that we can come back and stick together through that
deficit is tremendous for us right now.”
The Onekama junior varsity team topped Brethren on Friday
night, 39-33. The Portagers were led by Emma Putney with 20 points while
Brooke Havier paced the Bobcats with 13.
Posted by Dylan Savela,
Manistee News Advocate on-line |
