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Riding high: Katie Ryder’s clutch play helps Loyalsock edge Hughesville

By Chris Masse 7 min read

HUGHESVILLE–Katie Ryder’s intensity constantly runs high, but her blood pressure remains low. Her fire and ice combination ignited Loyalsock and cooled hard-charging Hughesville Tuesday, while helping the Lancers win a thrilling game.

After missing the previous game with an injury, Ryder was the ultimate difference maker in a game as fiercely fought as it was entertaining. She made a series of clutch plays late, scored 14 points and added six rebounds, helping Loyalsock edge Hughesville, 47-42. The Spartans (8-5) erased an 11-point late second quarter deficit and tied the game at 35 with 4 minutes, 30 seconds remaining. Ryder took over from there, making two critical steals, going coast to coast for a driving basket and sinking two clutch free throws which put Loyalsock (9-2) up four with 26 seconds left.

The state qualifying sprinter never stops hustling. She also never lets the situation rattle her and those qualities played a monster role in Loyalsock winning for the seventh time in eight games.

“I just try to stay calm for everyone else. I just try and make sure everyone is maintaining their composure,” Ryder said. “It’s about not getting rattled by the defense or whatever the other team is doing.”

“Her head never goes down,” Loyalsock coach Curtis Jacobson said. “She’s just go, go, go, but she’s calm all the time.”

In a game against a fellow District 4 Class AAA title contender in a tough environment, those assets were especially vital. The junior guard repeatedly made key plays at crucial times throughout the game and continued ascending after missing most of last season with a broken hand. Ryder has scored 31 points in her last two games, but even when she is not scoring, she makes a big difference and that was evident against Hughesville.

Alaina Dadzie (11 points, 9 rebounds) broke the fourth quarter tie with a free throw before Ryder rebounded Hughesville’s ensuing shot. Sprinting past two defenders, Ryder raced the length of the court for the layup, making it a three-point game. The biggest plays, however, came via her defense and hustle. First, with Loyalsock leading, 40-36, Ryder forced a jump ball and extended a Lancer possession.

Most importantly, Ryder perfectly read the offense as Hughesville tried tying the game late. Chloe Kennedy deflected a pass into the lane and Ryder intercepted it before being fouled. The crowd roaring, Ryder acted like she was in her own backyard and calmly swished both foul shots, giving Loyalsock a 45-41 lead. A Kylie Temple free throw cut the deficit to three, but Dadzie clinched the win in the closing seconds, converting a layup off her sister Izzy’s inbounds pass.

“It’s fun when you get to do it. You work hard for it. It boosts your confidence when you make plays, but at the same time you still have to get back on defense and move on to the next play,” Ryder said. “You can’t start getting ahead of yourself. You have to keep playing your game.”

“Katie is super fast and she’s strong and it’s those small things she does that make it a different game,” Jacobson said. “She’s a high-level athlete who is kind of learning to become a basketball player. She’s someone that is going to make plays for us.”

Having Ryder back is a huge boost for a young team with just one starter back from last year’s district champion. Ryder displayed her clutch gene in the season opener last winter, making a buzzer-beating layup against perennial power Linden Hall but was soon lost for the season. The injury still causes some problems, but Ryder made up for lost time after missing Loyalsock’s last game.

The stats might change from game to game, but Ryder’s energy and hustle always will remain constants.

“It definitely makes me more energetic. Even just coming back the other day at practice, I felt so much better just because you realize what you’re missing when you’re out for that long,” Ryder said. “It makes you play so hard when you come back because you don’t realize what you have until you don’t have it anymore.”

Hughesville collectively shared that relentless desire Tuesday and made a spirited rally after Loyalsock threatened to break the game open in the second quarter. The Spartans created havoc with their pressure defense, cut the deficit to six by halftime and never buckled after Loyalsock closed the third on a 6-0 run to build a seven-point lead.

The Spartans forced 12 second-half turnovers and a steal and layup, along with a free throw, by Alli Anstadt tied the game 35-35. When Loyalsock went up five in the final two minutes, freshman Kylie Temple made a steal and layup. Loyalsock answered but Temple then found Breanna Bobak who drained a 3-pointer despite a defender being draped on her, making it 43-41. Temple grabbed a rebound seconds later, setting the stage for Ryder’s steal and free throws.

It was not the result Hughesville wanted, but the Spartans again gave another one of the district’s titans over the last few years a battle after dropping a four-point heartbreaker at 2022 Class AA state finalist Southern Columbia last Friday. They are right there with the district’s premier teams and are gaining experience, making the Spartans mighty dangerous.

“We’re growing and learning every game. Every game is a steppingstone,” Hughesville coach Dustin King said. “Being able to compete with the top teams, especially as young as we are, has them starting to realize we can play with these teams and that makes a big difference. I think the confidence is getting pretty high, especially going into the second half of the season. We’re starting to jell and starting to come together.”

Hughesville also is developing some quality weapons. Anstadt, Bobak and Ava Snyder all started last season but freshmen like Temple and Vivian Draper, among others, are starting to make big impacts. Draper (7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) made a run at a double-double and Temple shined late. Anstadt (10 points, 14 rebounds) produced her latest double-double, while Bobak added 13 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

Snyder is playing point guard for the first time and the sophomore is flourishing in that new role. She ran the offense well against a stingy defense Tuesday, dealing a game-high seven assists. Most impressive of all for the Hughesville coaches, however, was the determination their team showed the entire game.

“I just told them they gave everything they had. They left everything they had out on the floor and that’s all we can ask,” King said. “We can tweak the small stuff, but we don’t have to worry about the effort.”

Jacobson was not necessarily pleased with his team’s performance but also understands the Lancers found a way to grind out a win against a quality opponent on the road. In a district where so many teams are evenly matched, that was the most important development.

Both teams started slow Tuesday and missed 15 straight shots before Loyalsock’s Julie Ellis scored on a putback nearly midway through the first quarter. From there, the action took off as both teams started attacking. Izzy Dadzie stuffed the stat sheet again for Loyalsock and had 10 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists. Bella Mileto provided a lift off the bench and drained a long jumper before adding an assist, igniting the six-point flurry which put Loyalsock ahead 34-27 entering the final quarter.

“You find ways to get better from this game and learn from it and it’s frustrating, but it’s a win. You can always turn back to that,” Jacobson said. “Our goal coming in was getting win No. 9 and we’re leaving with win No. 9, so that’s what matters.”

LOYALSOCK (47)

Alaina Dadzie 5 1-4 11, Izzy Dadzie 2 6-8 10, Julie Ellis 2 1-2 5, Chloe Kennedy 1 0-0 2, Katie Ryder 4 5-6 14, Natayah Abdul-Hakim 1 0-0 3, Bella Mileto 1 0-0 2, Anna Luxenberger 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 13-20 47.

HUGHESVILLE (42)

Alli Anstadt 4 2-6 10, Breanna Bobak 4 3-3 13, Ava Snyder 2 0-0 4, Vivian Draper 3 1-2 7, Lucy Myers 1 0-0 2, Sara Stroup 0 0-0 0, Alissa Hoffman 1 0-0 3, Kylie Temple 1 1-2 3. Totals 16 7-13 42.

Loyalsock 10 15 9 13-47

Hughesville 9 10 8 15-42

3-pointers: Loyalsock 2 (Ryder, Abdul-Hakim); Hughesville 3 (Bobak 2, Hoffman).

Records: Loyalsock 9-2. Hughesville 8-5.

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