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Sister Act 2: Dadzie sisters help power Loyalsock to district playoff win against Troy

By Chris Masse 6 min read

Izzy and Alaina Dadzie dealt seven combined assists Friday night against Troy. Almost every assist featured the sisters finding each other.

Oh, they did a lot more, too, but those assists drove home the special connection these two share. And with both playing outstanding games at C.I’s Court, Loyalsock showed how dangerous it can be going forward.

Izzy scored a career-high 22 points, Alaina added 17 and Loyalsock eventually pulled away from the determined Trojans, winning the District 4 Class AAA quarterfinal, 59-45. Izzy dealt four assists and Alaina three, while adding eight rebounds and making five steals. Just as important, this impressive sister act dominated the second half as Loyalsock turned a two-point deficit into a 16-point lead late while earning a spot against Bloomsburg in next week’s semifinals.

“It’s fun playing with her,” Alaina said. “We have a good connection on the court. We always find each other and it’s fun.”

“We’ve never really played together other than AAU. To play high school basketball together is something that’s just a lot of fun to do,” Izzy said. “Feeding her and her feeding me is something we enjoy.”

Unselfish players, the Dadzie’s are the first ones to say that Friday’s victory was the result of a strong collective effort. Julie Ellis scored 11 points, Katie Ryder and Natayah Abdul-Hakim were all over the court and the reserves provided some crucial minutes. Together, all the Lancers helped wear down Troy and open the fourth quarter on a 14-4 game-clinching run.

Still, the Dadzie sisters found a way to stand out. Izzy sparked the offense early, producing eight first quarter points and helping Loyalsock (17-6) go up eight early in the second. Alaina came alive in the second and helped settle Loyalsock after the Trojans had rally to take their first lead. Izzy, a junior, and Alaina, a freshman, then looked unstoppable at times in the second half, scoring all but seven of Loyalsock’s 31 points while also making big defensive impacts.

“The two of them together is our best recipe and they’re going to have to do it again,” Loyalsock coach Curtis Jacobson said. “Izzy has grown to where she’s led her sister. Early on it was like, ‘My sister is good at basketball and it’s exciting,’ instead of being like, ‘I’m pretty good too and let me pull her along.’ Now when they’re practicing, Izzy is not afraid to constructively criticize her and tell her what she needs to do, when she needs to do it and how she needs to do it.”

Izzy is talking the talk and also walking the walk.

The lone starter back from last year’s team which repeated as district champions, Izzy has blossomed into one of the area’s top all-around players. She was a defensive stopper on last year’s team but has made massive strides offensively while being able to play in the post, as a point guard, a point forward or an off guard. Izzy did a little bit of all that against Troy and scored 16 second-half points, helping Loyalsock start taking control.

A good ball-handler who has developed a soft shooting touch, Dadzie asserted herself offensively throughout the game, scoring in a variety of ways. She also attacked the basket, drew fouls and helped her 6-foot sister by drawing defenders away from her.

“I think I’ve gotten more confident since last season because I really wasn’t an offensive threat,” Izzy said. “With not a lot of people coming back I realized I needed to step up and put points up. That was a big point of emphasis and something I knew I had to do.”

Alaina has made similar progress throughout her debut season. Her height and strength draw a crowd, but Dadzie has learned how to combat that by refining her moves and adapting to the high school game. She took off down the season’s stretch and did not slow down against Troy, showing her maturity by not letting a slow start discourage her.

Alaina missed some makeable shots during a scoreless first quarter but did a good job moving onto the next possession. Eventually, she heated up became a force inside, making 8 of her last 12 shots. Alaina’s putback early in the third quarter put Loyalsock ahead to stay before Izzy scored inside and found her younger inside. In a flash, they helped change the game’s complexion and, while hard-working Troy, hung in, Loyalsock eventually started creating more separation.

“I was a little nervous coming in, but by tip-off I felt pretty good,” Alaina said. “I got into the flow and was able to play my game.”

“Alaina has been a spark over last 3-4 weeks. She’s really trying to buy in to what we’re preaching and is playing a lot more physical on the offensive end,” Jacobson said. “Once she gets going, she’s certainly a difference-maker.”

Once the Loyalsock defense settled in, it changed the game as well. The Lancers furiously competed all night, but at times throughout the first three quarters they gambled and went for steals that were hard to make instead of concentrating on their assignments. Troy (16-8) took advantage, setting up high-percentage shots and making 10 of 14 shots bridging the second and third quarters when it went up, 32-30.

Following Troy’s go-ahead basket, Jacobson called a timeout and Loyalsock switched to a 3/4-court press. The Lancers stayed disciplined in that, executed and started speeding Troy up. The Lancers forced 12 second-half turnovers and defense jump started the offense. Izzy made a steal and went coast-to-coast for a layup which made it 50-40 and Alaina beating her defender off the dribble gave Loyalsock its biggest lead, 58-42.

Nothing came easy against Troy but that’s not a bad thing. Loyalsock was pushed hard by Hughesville and Troy the past two years in the quarterfinals, parlaying those results into championship runs. Time will tell what happens this year, but having to dig in against a quality opponent in a win or go home game certainly provides some confidence.

“It’s a great first round game for us. We handled adversity and played a competitive game for four quarters. You don’t get better winning by 30. It doesn’t help you; it doesn’t prepare you,” Jacobson said. “Handling some adversity early on after two weeks off gets you back mentally and physically, so we’re excited about what tonight did for us and moving forward.”

TROY (45)

Alyssa Parks 3 3-3 10, Kailyn Sterling 6 3-3 15, Katie Lackey 4 0-0 8, Rachel Kingsley 4 0-2 8, Mikenna Matthews 1 0-0 2, Gloria Andrews 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 6-8 45.

LOYALSOCK (59)

Alaina Dadzie 8 1-3 17, Izzy Dadzie 8 6-9 22, Julie Ellis 4 1-2 11, Katie Ryder 1 1-2 3, Natayah Abdul-Hakim 1 1-2 3, Chloe Kennedy 1 0-0 2, Bella Mileto 0 0-0 0, Anna Luxenberger 0 0-1 0, Ainsley Kennedy 0 1-2 1. Totals 23 11-21 59.

Troy 8 16 14 7-45

Loyalsock 16 12 16 15-59

3-pointers: Troy 1 (Parks); Loyalsock 2 (Ellis).

Records: Loyalsock 17-6. Troy 16-8.

Starting at /week.