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Prior to the game's climactic conclusion, sophomore Jaelynn Helmrich had done it all.
She was third on the team in scoring, with nine points heading into the contest's final moments. And she made her mark as a facilitator, on defense and on the offensive glass, with four assists, three offensive rebounds and two steals to her name on the night.
With just under four complete games under her belt as a starter for Williamsport's girls basketball team, she'd get a chance to help it avoid overtime and abolish the Millionaires' losing streak to open the season. Following a game-tying shot from Crestwood's Charlie Hiller, Williamsport would get the ball in and break the Comets' press, with senior guard Ella Wilson finding Helmrich open down the court.
Helmrich secured the pass, squared up for a shot just inside the arc and let it fly. The ball hung in the air for a moment that felt much longer than reality before dropping in with a resounding swish, followed by ovations from her teammates and Williamsport's home crowd. Though her typical role is focused more on the intangibles, tonight she had done that and more.
"Her passing, defense and ability to rebound, that's why she's on the floor," said Williamsport head coach Justin Marnon. "But there at the end, she was open and knocked that down with a lot of confidence. For her to hit that shot at that point in the game, that just speaks a lot about her."
Her game-winning shot had come on the back of a previous miss from similar range, one that had been converted into a lead-changing putback from Payton Baney - who also finished in double figures with 10 points. Having the confidence to convert that shot in the game's defining moment is a testament to her growing confidence and work ethic.
"I think that happened last week, because she asked if she could stay for 15-20 minutes after practice to just work on her shot," said Marnon. "She's building that confidence and that should help her a lot."
It was a fitting end to a matchup in which the Millionaires did a lot right.
In terms of scoring, Nadirah Tutler had been electric all night. At the forefront of a decent shooting night for Williamsport, she finished with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and knocked down three three-pointers. She was critical in the Millionaires gaining a cushion heading into the fourth, scoring nine of her team's 15 points in the third.
"Nadirah (Tutler) impacts the game in so many ways," said Marnon. "She can score inside, she can score outside, she can drive, she can play defense and she can rebound. When she's clicking on all those cylinders like that, she can have a big impact on the game."
They finished with an assist-to-turnover ratio above one, with 16 assists to 14 turnovers. And on the defensive end, they had eight blocks - five of which came from Baney - and six steals - half of which were attributed by Cici Rainier to go along with two blocks of her own.
Fourteen turnovers are a tad high - with a lot of those coming thanks to the Comet press - but Williamsport consistently found ways to regain composure whenever it came up. No instance reflected that better than the fourth quarter.
After going into the final stanza up by seven, four turnovers forced by the press caused that lead to evaporate. Crestwood was able to tie the game before securing its first lead of the second half with a three from Jackie Gallagher with just over four minutes to go.
The Millionaires responded with a great possession that led to a bucket from Rainier and limited the turnovers going forward, a response which paved the way for their victory. After two second-half collapses in the team's first two losses, Marnon was proud of his team for bouncing back and putting itself in a position to win.
"I'm just really proud of the team because we were in two games similar to that," said Marnon. "They're a really experienced team. So, we've got good leadership. We've got players who have seen all types of games. For us to have that leadership from the girls who have been around, I think was crucial tonight."
Off the heels of a 33-point loss to Hazleton just two nights ago, it was assuring to bounce back in such a big way. Now that it's secured that first win, it can focus on continuing to build on the momentum it gained on Thursday night.
"It just means that we've got a group of players who are focused and resilient," said Marnon when discussing their bounce back win. "Getting beat by 33 points two nights ago and then coming home and playing another tough team here, it tells a lot about them and their character. It's a long season and we want to be playing our best as it progresses."
Williamsport 49, Crestwood 47
WILLIAMSPORT (49)
Cici Rainier 1 0-0 2, Ella Wilson 2 0-0 4, Mia Nieto 2 0-0 5, Jaelynn Helmrich 4 3-4 11, Payton Baney 4 2-4 10, Nadirah Tutler, 7 0-1 17. Totals 20 5-9 49.
CRESTWOOD (47)
Charlie Hiller 6 6-8 19, Kendall Petrosky 3 1-2 7, Jackie Gallagher 3 1-1 7, Kate Gallagher 0 1-2 1, Keira Doughterty 5 3-5 13. Totals 17 12-18 47.
Williamsport 10 14 15 10
Crestwood 9 15 8 15
3-pointers: Williamsport 4 (Rainier 3, Nieto 1); Crestwood 1 (Hiller 1).
Records: Williamsport 1-3; Crestwood 1-2.