The play Tyrone senior Marie DelBaggio made under her own basket in the first quarter Saturday against Bishop Guilfoyle was remarkable for two reasons.
First, it was a tremendous hustle play, the kind Tyrone coach Jim Swaney expects from a four-year starter. DelBaggio tipped a loose rebound twice until she could corral it and then quickly dished to Joanna Turner for a lay up that cut BG’s lead to 9-8.
But more notably, it was the last time Tyrone would drop a ball through the net until just 1:28 remained in the first half. And even then, all the Lady Eagles could manage was a pair of free throws by Amber DelBaggio.
The Lady Marauders, using aggressive man-to-man defense in the front court and a full-court press after made baskets, held Tyrone without a field goal from the 3:00 mark of the first quarter until the 4:54 mark of the third quarter.
During that time, BG outscored the Lady Eagles 27-6 on their way to a 57-41 victory at Pleasant Valley gymnasium in Altoona.
The Lady Marauders improved to 11-5 and 2-0 in the Mountain League Class AAA division second cycle.
Tyrone fell to 8-7 overall, and 0-2 in the league. The Lady Eagles also brought to life every fear coach Swaney had for his team before the season began.
“I said before the season began that the key to our success would be the play of our guards,” Swaney said. “They’re not showing up to perform.”
Part of the problem deals with personnel. With sophomore post Hilary McNelis sidelined with a stress fracture in her foot, Swaney has been forced to play DelBaggio strictly in the post, which negates the advantages the Lady Eagles had when the 6-foot senior could roam the perimeter.
But the adjustment of one or two positions had little to do with what happened to Tyrone Saturday. During their forgettable second quarter, the Lady Eagles turned the ball over eight times and rarely attacked Guilfoyle’s pressure. Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles regular three-guard rotation combined for just eight points and one field goal.
What’s worse, they had little success distributing the ball to DelBaggio and Turner, who each entered the game averaging double-figure points.
“We’re sitting here with two of the 10 best posts in central Pennsylvania, and we can’t get them the ball,” Swaney lamented.
When they did, the game plan worked as well as Swaney could have expected. Both Turner and DelBaggio got the looks they wanted when they were fed the ball inside, even when Guilfoyle doubled the ball in the post. DelBaggio ended with a game-high 16 points and 16 rebounds and Turner, severely limited in her touches, scored nine points with nine rebounds.
“Jo and Marie played well. They wanted to win this game. Guilfoyle couldn’t stop them but we couldn’t get the ball to them,” said Swaney.
The game was close for a while in the first quarter. Turner and DelBaggio powered their way inside to score all of the Lady Eagles’ nine points in the period, but Erin McGowan shook loose twice to bury open three-pointers and the Lady Marauders led by six going into the second.
That was when BG, led by heady junior point guard Angela Greaser, took control. Though scoring just one basket in the quarter, Greaser dictated the pace of the game on both ends of the floor. She hounded Tyrone point guard Amber DelBaggio and calmly directed BG’s offensive attack. By halftime, the Lady Marauders led 33-11.
Greaser scored six in the third quarter, allowing BG to build a 48-23 lead and earning herself an early shower. She left the game after the third quarter with 11 points.
BG led by as many as 29 in the second half (45-16) before substituting freely in the fourth quarter.
HOOP NOTES: Tyrone plays Huntingdon at home tomorrow â€| Tyrone has not beaten Guilfoyle since it joined the Mountain League last season â€| McGowan finished with 11 for the Lady Marauders.
JUNIOR VARSITY
Tyrone junior varsity team fell to Guilfoyle 44-29 in the preliminary game. Kylie Wallace scored nine points and grabbed four steals while Marissa Hoover added eight points and seven rebounds.
Bishop Guilfoyle 57 Tyrone 41
TYRONE – A. DelBaggio 0 2-2 2, Haag 0 2-2 2, McKenna 1 2-2 4, M. DelBaggio 5 5-11 16, Turner 4 1-3 9, Wallace 0 0-0 0, Bryan 2 0-0 5, Hoover 0 0-0 0, Roth 1 1-3 3. TOTALS 13 13-21 41
BISHOP GUILFOYLE – Greaser 3 4-4 11, Conner 2 1-2 5, McGowan 3 2-2 11, Sissler 2 5-6 9, Nagle 2 0-0 4, Gartman 1 1-2 3, Kirsch 1 2-2 4, Gelshouser 0 0-0 0, McDougal 1 0-0 2, Sral 1 0-0 2, Lestochi 0 1-2 1, Filler 1 0-0 3, Baumgartner 0 0-0 0, Rose 0 2-2 2. TOTALS 17 18-22 57.
Score By Quarters
Tyrone 9 2 12 18 – 41
Bishop Guilfoyle 15 18 15 9 – 57
Three-point goals: Tyrone 2 (M. DelBaggio 1, Bryan 1); Bishop Guilfoyle 5 (McGowan 3, Greaser 1, Filler 1)
