Just when the Tyrone Lady Eagles thought their luck was about to change, it didn’t.
Just when they needed a call the most, it went the other way.
Just when it seemed like their offense was ready to turn a corner, it was disjointed.
And just when it seemed they might snap their eight-game losing streak last night in Cresson against Penn Cambria, their hopes melted into the unseasonably warm January air. Kelsey Crehan made two foul shots with six seconds left to lift the Lady Panthers to a 49-48 victory.
“The girls took it pretty hard,” Lady Eagle coach Luke Rhoades said of his team’s nail-biter loss. “They played their hearts out and this was a very winnable game. We just need to do a better job of putting the ball in the basket.”
Rhoades was alluding to Tyrone’s struggles in the second quarter when, leading 12-8, the Lady Eagles managed just a single basket in being outscored 17-3. That put them down 25-15 at halftime, but even without points from leading scorer Kayla Corle, who was held without a point for the first time this season, Tyrone was able to battle back.
Trailing 47-45 with 15 seconds left, Lady Eagle senior Lindsey Christine hit a clutch three-point basket that gave them a brief 48-47 lead. Marah Hawes came up with a steal on the Lady Panthers’ ensuing possession, and passed off to point guard Rachel Emigh, who was fouled immediately.
But with six seconds left, Emigh missed both foul shots. On her second miss, Hawes fouled Crehan fighting for the rebound, sending her to the line at the opposite end. Crehan made both of her attempts to make it 49-48. Following her second shot, Emigh drove the length of the court and on her lay up attempt was called for a charge on an either-or play Rhoades felt could have been a blocking foul.
But Rhoades didn’t blame the call for the loss, pointing instead to the Lady Eagles’ offensive woes in the second quarter. It was a period when Penn Cambria’s defense, playing a man-to-man that switched screens on the perimeter to make it function like a 3-2 zone, seemed to lull the Lady Eagles into a passive mind frame offensively.
“We had open looks but we didn’t finish,” Rhoades said. “We settled for passing the ball around and taking deep threes. There was no penetration. In the second half, it was much better. We were much more aggressive and shot 14 of our foul shots in the second half.”
It also didn’t help that Corle played sparingly in the second due to foul trouble.
Even without Corle’s scoring, Tyrone hung close thanks to the production of Emigh, Kassie Faretta and Brooke Garbinsky. Garbinsky led Tyrone with 12, including two three-pointers, while Emigh and Faretta each netted 10. Christine and Hawes chipped in eight, giving the Lady Eagles an offensive balance they had lacked since early December.
Crehan finished with eight for the Lady Panthers, who were led by Jess Berlik’s 17 points.
The loss dropped the Lady Eagles to 2-9 with a game at home against Philipsburg-Osceola Wednesday. Penn Cambria improved to 4-8.
Penn Cambria 49 Tyrone 48
Penn Cambria – Reig 1 8-12 11, Krug 4 0-0 11, Crehan 3 2-2 8, Urbanek 0 2-4 2, Belik 7 2-4 17, Forr 0 0-0 0, Ress 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 14-22 49.
Tyrone – Christine 3 0-0 3, Corle 0 0-0 0, Faretta 4 0-0 10, Garbinsky 4 2-4 12, Emigh 3 4-10 10, Harden 0 0-0 0, Hawes 3 2-2 8, Ray 0 0-0 0, Zimmerman 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 8-16 48.
Score by quarters
Penn Cambria 8 17 6 18 – 49
Tyrone 12 3 17 16 – 48
Three-point goals: Penn Cambria – 5 (Reig 1, Krug 3, Belik 1)
Tyrone – 6 (Christine 2, Faretta 2, Garbinsky 2)
