Trending
HUGHESVILLE–A crowd followed Peyton Dincher everywhere she went Tuesday night. And that was just fine with Jersey Shore.
The Bulldogs know they have several other players who can do damage. Time after time, they showed it during a strong performance against Wyalusing.
Dincher still did her thing and scored a game-high 22 points, but all 11 players coach Darrin Bischof used made positive impacts and Jersey Shore cruised to a 62-30 semifinal win at the Mike Fought Holiday Classic. Jocelyn McCracken (12 points, 9 rebounds) nearly produced a double-double, Cailyn Schall had nine points, Celia Shemory made four steals and eight players scored as the Bulldogs (2-2) earned a spot against host Hughesville in Wednesday night’s championship.
“We definitely are all ready to shoot the ball and ready to score,” McCracken said. “We’re ready to back her up when she gets double teamed.”
Dincher has and will keep seeing just about every defense opponents can throw at her. A year ago, Dincher was one of the area’s leading scorers and earned first team HAC-I honors. She again displayed her versatility against Wyalusing, tallying those 22 points in less than three quarters, while adding five rebounds, four steals and three assists. But what makes Jersey Shore especially dangerous a year after making a 10-win improvement is that it features several other threats this season.
McCracken is tough in the paint and also can step outside. Schall is an excellent shooter who sees the court well and freshman Sophie Stover started changing the game’s complexion in the second quarter when she scored five quick points. Shemory and Rachel Lorson each started last year, and the reserves also played well with Jaymison Stellfox and Paige Wheary combining for 10 points and six rebounds. All but three players scored Tuesday and all 11 players produced rebounds and/or assists.
“We all worked really well together,” McCracken said. “We’re getting to know each other and everything everyone does. We’re getting better the more we play.”
“I go back to last year against Milton (in a district playoff loss). We didn’t shoot the ball when we had the looks. We passed it up, relying on just two people to score,” Bischof said. “We’re not that team anymore. We have a lot of players who I think will help make us dangerous in the long run.”
They sure did over the last three quarters against Wyalusing.
Playing its first game in 13 days, Jersey Shore was a bit rusty early, and the contest was tied 8-8 after a quarter. Once the Bulldogs settled in, though, Wyalusing could do little to slow it. Jersey Shore outscored Wyalusing 54-22 over the last three quarters, efficiently and unselfishly moving the basketball in half-court sets, while turning up the defense and running the court well.
Jersey Shore did damage in the paint and on the perimeter, keeping Wyalusing off balance while building a 28-15 halftime lead. Different players heated up at different times and the Bulldogs blew the game open in the third quarter before imposing the mercy rule with three minutes remaining.
“We had a couple misses on the backside, but our ball movement was pretty darn good,” Bischof said. “We preach one more and they did a nice job making that extra pass and setting each other up. I was really happy with the way they played.”
Jersey Shore basically had a second preseason after weather forced its game at Loyalsock last Thursday to be postponed. The Bulldogs had not played since heading to Mount Carmel Dec. 14, so going against someone other than themselves was a welcome challenge. And as the game progressed, Jersey Shore turned ample practice time into playing well in all facets.
The defense turned up the intensity in the second quarter and Jersey Shore started rebounding much better. The Bulldogs forced 18 turnovers over the final three quarters and made at least 50 percent of their shots in each of those quarters. Even more encouraging, Jersey Shore had six players score in the fourth quarter after four did so in the third.
“There’s only so much you can do a practice. We needed something like this,” Bischof said. “Wyalusing played really hard and gave us all they could, and I was pleased with the way our team responded.”
McCracken’s steal and layup early in the second quarter put Jersey Shore ahead to stay before Dincher heated up and scored 11 points in fast fashion. Stover stretched the floor with a 3-pointer and Schall surged in the third quarter, scoring seven points and making three straight shots. Schall also had four assists and scored four quick points off Dincher assists as Jersey Shore quickly dashed any hopes Wyalusing had of making a second half comeback.
Wheary was a force in the fourth quarter, scoring six points and combined with Rayne Herritt to go 4 of 5 from the field during those final eight minutes. Isabelle Fleegle also scored, and Hannah Heaton dealt two assists.
“It felt good to play a game again. We were just excited to get back into things and get playing again,” McCracken said. “We started seeing the floor, we started looking at each other and started hitting some shots. It felt like everything started falling into place.”
JERSEY SHORE (62)
Peyton Dincher 8 4-4 22, Jocelyn McCracken 6 0-2 12, Cailyn Schall 4 0-0 9, Celia Shemory 0 0-0 0, Rachel Lorson 0 0-0 0, Sophia Stover 2 0-0 5, Rayne Herritt 1 0-0 2, Jaymison Stellfox 2 0-0 4, Hannah Heaton 0 0-0 0, Isabelle Fleegle 1 0-0 2, Paige Wheary 3 0-2 6. Totals 27 4-8 62.
WYALUSING (30)
Layla Botts 3 6-11 12, Chloe Bennett 0 0-0 0, Olivia Leichliter 2 3-4 7, Elana Jennings 0 0-0 0, Rachel Wilson 1 7-9 9, Yulanda Torres 1 0-0 2. Totals 7 16-24 30.
Jersey Shore 8 20 18 16-62
Wyalusing 8 7 11 4-30
3-pointers: Jersey Shore 4 (Dincher 2, Schall, Stover).
Records: Jersey Shore 2-2. Wyalusing 3-4.