Snyder breaks Radnor’s resolve on milestone night for Southern Lehigh

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BETHLEHEM — You could forgive Missy Massimino for feeling good about her defensive effort at halftime Saturday afternoon.

Massimino’s Radnor team went into the break against Southern Lehigh down by nine points, and Massimino’s primary mark, Olivia Snyder, had eight points. But on just 4-for-13 shooting, Snyder could’ve done much more damage. Especially in light of the balloons and posters that would be brandished in the second half, it was a pretty gutsy effort from Massimino and company.

“I’ve done it all year against every team’s best player, so I have experience,” the guard said. “But she’s definitely one of the best I’ve played against.”

And for a player like Snyder, it’s less about stopping her than delaying the inevitable.

Snyder scored 25 points, including the 2,000th of her high school career, leading District 11 champion Southern Lehigh to a 58-27 win in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A tournament at Freedom High School’s Joseph J. McIntyre Gymnasium.

Snyder’s milestone came on a sequence with 4:50 left that was fitting for her day. Snyder pocketed a steal, one of 14 turnovers by Radnor and emblematic of the Georgetown commit’s contributions even when not shooting. She missed her first effort, part of an 11-for-24 day from the field. But the rebound was picked up by Ellie Cassel, who dished it to Snyder for a triple from the left wing.

“It feels awesome,” said Cassel of the team celebration. “She’s been our biggest supporter all the time. I hit my 1,000th earlier and she was my biggest supporter always, reminding me of how close I was. So it feels good to celebrate this with her now.”

Even when she wasn’t on offensively, Snyder found a way to be influential. She had four assists, four steals, six rebounds and two blocks for the Spartans (24-3), who advance to Wednesday’s second round to take on Lower Dauphin, the fifth seed from District 3 that routed Mastery Charter North, 51-28.

“It’s great to have Olivia to be able to rely on when we know we need a big bucket,” Cassel said. “But we also know that she’ll find us if we’re open and to know that we always have to be ready for the ball because they’re going to double- and triple-team her sometimes.”

Cassel was the protagonist in the most pertinent battle of the day, between forwards named Ellie who wear No. 31. Cassel provided 10 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, tallying a double-double by halftime. She also helped mute Radnor’s combatant, Ellie Mueller, who had nine points and 10 boards but wasn’t her usually impactful presence, certainly not to the degree needed to upset the Spartans.

Cassel and Snyder provided length in a 2-3 zone defense that prevented Radnor from establishing a scoring rhythm. Without Mueller and Holly Holtsberg to trigger offense in the post, Radnor was lost.

Holtsberg, who sat most of the second quarter with two fouls, scored the first two baskets of the third for the Raiders (20-7). Their next field goal came with 5:21 left in the game after a 14-1 run by Southern Lehigh that stretched to a 25-3 edge by the time the Spartans starters retreated.

“I think they were very aggressive in picking off passes,” Massimino said. “I think we were a little scared and timid in the first half at playing our game, so we didn’t get a lot of shots off. … We usually pass it through Holly and Ellie down low. That’s basically our game, layups. But they’re very tall and a shot-blocking team. I think we got timid with that and they backed us out and we had to force shots, and it throws off our game when Ellie’s not able to do what she does.”

Brienne Williams hit a first-quarter 3-pointer but was limited to just six points. Holtsberg only had the four points, and 3-for-13 performance from the line certainly didn’t help matters. Radnor shot 11-for-40 from the field (27.5 percent), matching the number of makes as Snyder by herself.

For a team mostly comprised of underclassmen, Saturday’s setback has the chance to provide a lesson to young players like Massimino.

“We’re definitely going to be an experienced team next year,” she said. “We’re going to take this experience and definitely work harder and be able to not be thrown off our game, and we know that we’re going to play teams like this next year.”

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Matthew De George

Matthew De George
Matthew De George is the Asst. Sports Editor and the lead Union writer for The Daily Times.

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