Behind 22 points from Kiersten O'Malley, Montoursville took down Williamsport, 53-42, to win the Montoursville Christmas Classic at Montoursville Friday evening.
With O'Malley doing the heavy lifting on offense, the Lady Warriors used an up-tempo, press defense that kept Williamsport in check after each Montoursville score.
Montoursville held Williamsport to just four first-quarter points with an intense full-court press that forced 10 turnovers in the opening quarter while keeping the ball out of the hands of Williamsport's best player, Aisha Evans.
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Mackenzie Ruffing of Montoursville tries to escape Williamsport’s Aisha Evans Friday at Montoursville. View additional photos at cu.sungazette.com.
"That was the game plan coming in," said Montoursville head coach Kevin Kurtz. "We knew Evans was a good player and we wanted to keep her from getting started. Once she hits a few shots it's hard to slow her down and we did a good job of keeping her momentum down."
And with offense hard to come by for the Millionaires early, Amy Southard proved to be big in the first half with eight of her 15 total points off the bench, including two big 3-pointers to keep the game close.
"Amy got hot tonight and she is one of those streaky shooters," said Williamsport head coach Derek Slaughter. "She had that confidence tonight and that's what we've been hoping for from our shooters."
The Millionaires tried to apply that same full-court pressure, but the Lady Warriors did an impressive job of breaking the press and getting into their half-court sets. From there, Montoursville made a habit of finding cutters and open shots in the post for high percentage shots.
"I think our girls had some good looks at the basket and made some nice passes," Kurtz said. "We took what Williamsport was giving us and I think they took some good shots."
For the Lady Warriors, the game was all about playing well throughout and not getting out of a rhythm. With O'Malley running the offense, Kelsey Stine and Alexis Weisser each chipped in eight points, keeping Montoursville from hitting any low points.
"Overall I think we had four solid quarters and Williamsport is a very good team," Kurtz said. "Derek Slaughter, like I said the other night, had his team well prepared and we had four solid quarters. We didn't have those spots where you go scoreless for three minutes."
And despite the loss, the Millionaires are making strides toward putting it all together. Williamsport got big contributions outside of Evans, most notably from Southard and freshman point guard Chloe Jennings, who helped control and protect the ball while breaking Montoursville's press.
"We are really starting to come together and it's starting to look like a team," Slaughter said. "Aisha Evans is our only player with significant varsity minutes and other players are really starting to get some minutes under their belts and come along defensively and offensively."
Montoursville 53, Williamsport 42
Williamsport (42)
Deidra Dunkleberger 2 0-2 5, Jaid Harsch 0 0-0 0, Aisha Evans 6 1-3 13, Amy Southard 6 0-1 15, Lydia Whaley 1 0-0 2, Chloe Jennings 2 0-2 5, Na'shel Walker 0 0-0 0, Myeesha Peterson 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 1-8 42.
Montoursville (53)
Kiersten O'Malley 9 2-4 22, Marissa Hall 2 1-3 5, Mckenzie Ruffing 2 0-1 4, Carly Mill 1 6-6 8, Kelsey Stine 3 0-0 6, Alexis Weisser 3 0-0 8, Kayla Venema 0 0-0 0, Ally Locum 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 9-14 53.
Williamsport 4 14 14 10 - 42
Montoursville 12 15 11 15 53
3-Point goals: Williamsport 5 (Southard 3, Dunkelberger, Whaley). Montoursville 4 (O'Malley 2, Weisser 2)
Wellsboro 49, Troy 22
Troy (22)
Brooke Mattocks 1 0-0 2, Kristyn Kinner 0 0-0 0, Vanessa Baxter 2 2-2 6, Casey Baxter 0 0-0 0, Faith Ceely 0 0-0 0, Orinda Ackley 0 0-0 0, Taylor Johnson 3 0-0 6, Brooke Lasey-Root 0 0-0 0, Kelsey Bristol 3 2-2 8. Totals 9 2-2 22.
Wellsboro (49)
Kim Acorn 1 0-0 2, Alexa Singer 1 0-0 2, Sarah Ingerick 2 2-4 6, Mackenzie Marple 7 2-3 17, Kiana Acorn 0 0-0 9, Hannah Zuchowski 4 0-0 8, Maggie Smith 1 0-0 2, Jessie Catherman 2 0-0 4, Jordan Butters 0 0-0 0, Jada Jackson 4 0-2 8. Totals 22 4-9 49.
Troy 8 8 4 2 - 22
Wellsboro 8 15 12 14 - 49
3-Point goals: Wellsboro (Marple).
All-Tournament team: Kelsey Stine, Montoursville; Carly Mill, Montoursville; Aisha Evans, Williamsport; Amy Southard, Williamsport; Mackenzie Marple, Wellsboro. MVP: Kiersten O'Malley, Montoursville
