In preparation for last night’s non-conference game against Juniata Valley, Tyrone coach Jim Swaney said he and his team watched about a minute-and-a-half of tape from last year’s game in Alexandria.
The short film session wasn’t because the 17-year coach had the Lady Hornets completely figured out, but because there was little use picking at old wounds. Last December, a quicker, more athletic Valley squad that eventually finished 19-3 literally ran Tyrone out of the gymnasium. They jumped in the passing lanes, got steals and converted in transition time and again in a 17-point win.
“It was a waste of time,” Swaney said of the Lady Eagles’ abbreviated film session. “We told the kids that we’re much better than that team that’s on the film, and in the game last year we didn’t do anything but make them shoot lay-ups.”
A more experienced Tyrone team playing at home took care of the basketball last night and never allowed Valley to get its running game into gear. Seven Lady Eagles cracked the scoring column and Tyrone earned a 62-51 victory over a team tabbed by many as the preseason favorite to win the District 6-A championship.
With junior Emily McKenna manning the point in the face of end-to-end pressure, Tyrone turned the ball over only 12 times and never withered under Valley’s intense man-to-man defense. Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles’ own defensive scheme – fronting Valley’s 6-foot posts and rotating down for weak side help – limited heralded Lady Hornet forwards Kristin Walter and Des Rudy to 16 total points, while keeping star guard Claudia McDowell under control with a quiet 10.
“We’re 5-foot-eight, so we have to front (in the post),” said Swaney. “Early on, they hit us (for lobs over the top) because we weren’t reading the weak side. After we stopped that, we did a good job of getting out on their shooters.”
McKenna led Tyrone in scoring with a game-high 18 points, including three three-pointers, while senior Hilary McNelis came off the bench to once again play a deciding role in the fourth quarter. The 5-10 post netted 10 in the final frame and finished with 16 to go along with seven rebounds, despite being hampered with fouls as early as the second quarter.
In all, Tyrone won the front-court battle against the physically superior Lady Hornet forwards 33-25.
The win improved Tyrone to 2-0 heading into tonight’s Mountain Athletic Conference opener at Bellefonte. Juniata Valley fell to 1-1.
Tyrone took command of the game during a 2:45 second stretch that lasted from the end of the first half into the initial moments of the second. It began with McKenna driving full-court to score and get fouled with 1:17 left in the second quarter. Her foul shot gave the Lady Eagles a 23-21 lead and started an 11-3 run to end the first half.
Marissa Hoover scored twice in the run, as did Emily Lloyd, who hit the last basket of the half in transition after Emily Ingle picked McDowell at half-court with 10 seconds left.
That gave the Lady Eagles a 31-24 edge at the break, but they weren’t done yet. Tyrone started the second half on an 8-0 run, keyed by McKenna two treys on consecutive possessions to take a 39-24 lead with 6:21 left in the third.
Valley made two serious pushes over the last 14 minutes, getting as close as 46-41 at one point early in the third, but the Lady Hornets’ effort would never be enough to undo Tyrone’s mid-game spurt.
“It was a huge run,” Swaney said. “Lloyd hitting those two buckets in the last 20 seconds of the half was big, and in the third quarter, McKenna shot they way she’s capable of shooting.”
The Lady Hornets made things interesting with a 9-0 run from the end of the third quarter into the start of the fourth, pulling within five before McNelis took control. She sank a pair of foul shots to end Valley’s run, and scored on tough baskets inside along with her patented mid-range jump shot.
“We got to a certain point with five or six minutes to go where we were playing not to lose, rather than playing to win,” Swaney said. “When Hilary made her two fouls shots and we called a timeout, it was to stress that we had five minutes to go and a seven point lead. Let’s keep attacking a play to win this game. If you want to win, go out and get it.”
HOOP NOTES: McNelis is averaging 10.5 points in the fourth quarter … Swaney credited Lloyd for limiting McDowell, who was limited to just a pair of foul shots in the first half … Maddy Gildea scored 13 to lead Valley … Ingle led the Lady Eagles with six assists … the Lady Hornets managed just 12-of-25 shooting from the foul line … the Lady Eagles forced Valley into 22 turnovers.
JUNIOR VARSITY
Megan Turiano made a lay up with less than 30 second remaining to lift Tyrone’s jayvees to a 31-30 win over Valley in the opener.
Tyrone trailed the Lady Hornets the entire game before rallying from four points down in the fourth quarter.
Kayla Corle led Tyrone with seven points, while Stefani Bryan and Liz Tepsic each added six. Tepsic and Corle also had eight rebounds.
Tyrone 62 Juniata Valley 51
VARSITY
JUNIATA VALLEY – McDowell 4 2-2 10; Mower 3 0-0 7; Walter 1 5-10 7; Lane 3 3-5 9; Rudy 2 1-2 5; Gildea 6 1-3 13; Borst 0 0-0 0; Snyder 0 0-0 0; Boyd 0 0-0 0; Boone 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 19 12-25 51.
TYRONE – McKenna 7 1-1 18; Ingle 0 0-0 0; Lloyd 4 0-0 8; Roth 3 1-3 7; McNelis 5 6-8 16; Hoover, 3 2-4 8; Bradford 1 0-0 2; Long 0 0-0 0; Bryan 1 1-2 3; Tepsic 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 24 11-18 62.
Score by Quarters
JUNIATA VALLEY 9 15 13 14 – 51
TYRONE 9 22 15 16 – 62
Three Point Goals: Tyrone 3 (McKenna 3), Juniata Valley 1 (Mower 1).
JUNIOR VARSITY
JUNIATA VALLEY – Boyd 4 2-2 10; Snyder 2 1-2 6; Feagley 1 0-0 2; Howe 0 2-4 2; Boone 1 0-0 2; Keller 0 2-2 2; Hagens 1 0-0 2; McAllister 2 0-0 4. TOTALS: 11 7-10 30.
TYRONE – Bryan 3 0-0 6; Tepsic 3 0-0 6; Walker 0 0-0 0; Russell 0 0-0 0; Turiano 2 0-0 4; Corle 2 3-5 7; Garbinsky 0 1-2 1; Glace 0 1-2 1; Christine 2 0-0 4; Bartlebaugh 1 0-2 2. TOTALS: 13 5-11 31.
Three-Point Goals: Juniata Valley 1 (Snyder 1)
