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At different times, all seven South Williamsport players made big impacts Tuesday against visiting Millville. But it has never been just an individual or two helping South win so many games the last two years.
It always has been about all those athletes playing as one. That chemistry, that connection and that unselfishness came shining through again as South dominated the fourth quarter against a tough team and pulled away for a key win.
Every player South coach Justin Marnon used produced well, the defense formed a wall and South defeated Millville, 42-32 while opening a two-game lead in the Mid-Penn. South (9-1, 7-0) used a 14-2 fourth-quarter run to break open the game, held Millville (9-6, 5-2) 17 points below its average and led from late in the first half on against a team which had won seven of its previous eight games.
“We have trust in everyone to get their job done,” guard Aleigha Rieppel said after playing an excellent all-around game. “We put it all together and it ends up pretty good for us.”
It certainly has these past two seasons. South is 21-3 during that time and took a key step toward repeating as league champions Tuesday. Four starters are back from last year’s District 4 Class AA semifinalist and they have meshed well with freshmen Lacey Kriebel, Alizabeth Schuler and Abby Akers.
Combine that with a relentless defense and South has won five straight games with its lone loss a close one against defending state champion Mount Carmel. Who scores and/or who generates the headlines does not matter. This team only cares about winning and that mindset has it winning a lot.
“Most of us played soccer together so we just have a good connection overall and we brought it into basketball season and so far it’s working,” Rieppel said. “We just want to get the win. Whoever gets the baskets, it really doesn’t matter.”
“We don’t have a team that is focused on getting individual points and that really helps,” Marnon said. “We kind of preach that team first mentality and they’re buying into that. It’s definitely helped us overall.”
Kriebel scored a game-high 14 points, including nine in the second half. Claudia Green added 11 points, six rebounds and three steals. Rieppel and Sofia Casella helped South start controlling the boards and each produced a game-best nine rebounds. Piper Minier ran the offense well and both she and Rieppel dealt five assists.
Schuler and Akers both played well off the bench and were crucial to the teamás defensive success. Each made steals and Schuler scored seven points. As individuals, all those players are good. Together, they have formed the Mid-Penn’s best team halfway through the season.
“We share the ball really well and all play well together,” Kriebel said. “Even if someone doesn’t score, there’s a lot of ways to impact the game if you hustle and play good defense.”
Both are South staples and were evident all night against a tenacious Millville team which gave South a battle in last year’s district quarterfinals. The Mounties held Millville to just 12 field goals and forced 22 turnovers. Three Quakers entered averaging at least 13 points per game and South held each player four points or more below those averages.
South frequently wreaks havoc with its 2-3 zone defense but to combat Millville’s potent scorers, it matched up more. The Mounties sprinkled in some zone, but mostly played man-to-man defense. It was an adjustment but one South splendidly handled, holding Millville to single digits in each of the first three quarters. More than 28 minutes into the game, South had allowed just 23 points and built a 16-point lead by that time.
“We wanted to limit the attempts, not just the makes. We thought we could best do that in our man defense. It’s not something we do often, but it’s another testament to the girls buying in and staying focused and locked in when we switch gears like that,” Marnon said. “That might be the most we’ve played man defense over the past four years. They adjusted well and stayed mentally focused. That was the difference.”
Rieppel made a big difference as well. The junior guard scored a team-high 14 points against Northwest in last Saturday’s victory but did not score against Millville. Nevertheless, she was every bit as effective and set the defensive tone early by blocking two of her three shots. Rieppel also made three steals and set up several South baskets, not just with assists, but by making tips or deflections which ignited the transition offense.
“Defense has always been our thing as a team,” Rieppel said. “I’ve embraced it a lot more this year. My shot has been kind of off, so I’m just trying to help wherever I can.”
Minier helped South erase a three-point deficit in the first-half’s final 3 1/2 minutes. The junior point guard had a hand in seven straight points and her two free throws put South ahead to stay as it took an 18-14 halftime lead. Millville kept it a four-point game entering the fourth quarter before South responded and played one of its best quarters this season.
Kriebel shined in the face of adversity, playing an outstanding game a day after her grandfather passed away. No doubt he was smiling somewhere as Kriebel ignited the game-clinching run with a 3-pointer. A few seconds later Kriebel made one of her three steals and Casella scored off an offensive rebound. Rieppel then found Casella inside before she made another steal and located Schuler in transition. Just like that, it was a 13-point game.
South was not finished either. Kriebel helped spark the run and closed it out as well, hitting a streaking Schuler for a layup as South went up 39-23 with three minutes, 20 seconds remaining. Minier and Green hit three clutch free throws late and South sealed its fifth straight victory.
Millville made South work hard and neither team led by more than four points until late in the third quarter. Millville point guard Jessica Dodge was a blur in the open court, scoring 14 points, grabbing eight rebounds, dealing four assists and making seven steals. The Mounties, however, did a good job staying in front of the dynamic senior who is averaging 18.3 points per game and kept her from getting many clean looks.
South also forced eight third-quarter turnovers and was able to answer whenever it looked like Millville might make a push and regain the lead. A Kriebel 3-pointer put South up five early in the third and she made three consecutive free throws late that quarter as South went ahead, 25-18.
“It was kind of a grind it out type win, but in the fourth quarter we really stepped up the intensity and created a little bit of separation,” Marnon said. “I thought that was the difference.”
MILLVILLE (32)
Jessica Dodge 5 2-3 14, Larissa Evans 3 1-8 9, Ava Michael 1 0-2 3, Lydia Davidson 2 0-0 4, Abby Kataley 1 0-0 2, Kaylie Stiner 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 3-13 32.
SOUTH (42)
Claudia Green 5 1-2 11, Lacey Kriebel 4 3-4 14, Piper Minier 0 4-5 4, Aleigha Rieppel 0 0-0 0, Sofia Casella 2 2-4 6, Alizabeth Schuler 3 1-2 7, Abby Akers 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 11-17 42.
Millville 6 8 7 11-32
South 9 9 7 17-42
3-pointers: Millville 5 (Dodge 2, Evans 2, Michael); South 3 (Kriebel 3).
Records: South 9-1, 7-0 Mid-Penn. Millville 9-6, 5-2.