interesting to imagine how far the Tyrone Lady Eagles could go with offensive production like they received last night.
Already one of the top defensive teams in the Mountain Athletic Conference, the Lady Eagles had limped to a 4-6 start because most of their best efforts on defense were wasted by 25 percent shooting efforts and sub-40-point games.
But against Huntingdon last night in their first home game since December 14, the Lady Eagles had their best shooting performance in weeks, placed three players in double figures, and came away with their most lopsided victory of the season, 66-44.
It was the first MAC Section II win for Tyrone (1-3) since February 10, 2004, and it pulled the Lady Eagles within a game of .500 heading into Friday’s home game against Bishop Guilfoyle. Tyrone’s 66 points established a new single-game season-high, topping the 62 the Lady Eagles scored December 6 against Juniata Valley.
Tyrone shot 40 percent from the field (22-of-55) – a drastic improvement from its sub-30 percent efforts in the weeks leading up to the Christmas break – and hit 20 of 44 through the first three quarters. Leading scorers Hilary McNelis (15 points) and Emily McKenna (19 points) again contributed steady numbers, and junior Tiffany Bradford came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points.
“It was nice (production),” said Tyrone coach Jim Swaney. “One of the keys was we got offense from more people. That was a big game by Tiffany Bradford.”
The Lady Eagles finished strong in each of the first three quarters, ending the frames with runs of eight, 10 and 12 consecutive points, eventually building a lead that reached 30 (57-27) by the beginning of the third quarter.
But as well as Tyrone performed offensively, its defense never lost stride, despite a six-day layoff. The Lady Eagles forced 25 turnovers and hounded the Lady ‘Cats into 29 percent shooting from the field. Huntingdon leading scorer Jenna Sheffield managed only nine points, while Emily Ingle absolutely harassed point guard Katie Young from end-line to end-line to prevent the Lady ‘Cats from ever really establishing an offensive tempo to its liking.
“We did very well on offense, but two of the really big keys were the defensive performances of Emily Ingle and Emily Lloyd,” said Swaney. “Both of them defended Young very well and kept her pinned to the right side of the court, basically cutting the floor in half.”
Tyrone ended the first quarter with back-to-back three pointers by McKenna and Stefani Bryan to cap an 8-0 run and go up 17-7. The Lady Eagles ran off eight-in-a-row again midway through the second quarter to take a 27-11 lead, but it was their 12-0 run to close the half that slammed the door on the Lady ‘Cats. Bradford scored six in the period, while Huntingdon connected on just 4 of 18 shots and Tyrone led 37-15 at halftime.
Tyrone shot poorly to start the third quarter, missing its first six shots, but closed the period on a 16-4 run, scoring the final 12 of the frame. McNelis scored four in the third and Bradford added another five. Huntingdon, meanwhile, went scoreless over the last 2:04 as Tyrone built a 56-27 lead.
The Lady Eagles turned the ball over nine times in the fourth quarter and missed their first seven shots, but were still able to finish 26 points above their previous per game scoring average.
HOOP NOTES: Marissa Hoover led Tyrone on the glass with eight rebounds, while McNelis had seven … McKenna topped the Lady Eagles with five assists … Olivia Hallahan was Huntingdon’s top scorer with 10 points, six of which came in the fourth quarter … Tyrone’s 66 points was its most since netting 67 against McConnellsburg on December 29, 2003 … McNelis scored Tyrone’s first seven points … the Lady ‘Cats dipped to 3-9 overall and 1-4 in the MAC.
JUNIOR VARSITY
Tyrone’s jayvees battled through two overtimes, but eventually succumbed to the Lady ‘Cats 46-45.
Megan Turiano led Tyrone with 14 points, including a basket with under 30 seconds left in regulation that gave the Lady Eagles the lead 38-36. However, she fouled out early in the first overtime.
Kayla Corle scored 12 points, all in the fourth quarter and overtime periods. With Tyrone trailing 36-33 late in regulation, she converted on a three-point play to tie the game, but her shot as time expired in the second overtime was partially blocked.
Liz Tepsic topped the Lady Eagles on the glass with 12 rebounds, and Brooke Garbinsky chipped in eight points.
VARSITY
Tyrone 66 Huntingdon 44
HUNTINGDON Hallahan 2 6-6 10; Sheffield 4 1-4 9; Thompson 1 2-3 4; Young 3 0-2 6; Gibboney 2 4-4 8; Dixon 0 0-0 0; McNeal 2 2-2 6; Fye 0 1-2 1; Hurley 0 0-1 0. TOTALS: 15 14-24 44
TYRONE – McKenna 7 4-5 19; McNelis 6 2-2 15; Ingle 0 2-2 2; Lloyd 0 1-4 1; Roth 1 0-0 2; Hoover 1 2-4 4; Bradford 5 3-6 14; Bryan 2 0-0 5; Long 0 0-0 0; Tepsic 0 2-2 2; Turiano 0 2-2 2; Corle 0 0-0 0; Walker 0 0-0 0; Christine 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 21 18-29 66
Score by Quarters
HUNTINGDON 7 8 12 17 – 44
TYRONE 17 20 19 10 – 66
Three point goals: Tyrone 4 (McKenna 1, McNelis 1, Bryan 1, Bradford 1)
JUNIOR VARSITY
Huntingdon 46 Tyrone 45, 2OT
HUNTINGDON – Dixon 1 1-4 3; Hurley 2 1-5 5; Speck 5 5-10 15; Thompson 2 0-0 4; Quinn 3 3-6 9; McNeal 2 2-4 6; Fye 1 0-0 2; Frederick 1 0-0 2; Hersh 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17 12-29 46
TYRONE – Bryan 1 0-0 2; Tepsic 1 0-2 2; Turiano 7 0-0 14; Garbinsky 1 3-8 8; Christine 1 3-8 5; Russell 0 0-0 0; Walker 0 0-0 0; Corle 5 1-1 12; Glace 0 0-2 0; Bartlebaugh 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 18 6-15 45
Score by Quarters
HUNTINGDON 2 12 12 10 4 4 – 46
TYRONE 8 10 7 13 4 3 – 45
Three point goals: Tyrone 1 (Corle 1).
