Abbonizio, Springfield edge Radnor in thriller
RADNOR — Springfield junior Alexa Abbonizio hit a pair of 3-point field goals in crunch time Tuesday night.
One might expect her to make a lot of huge shots for the Cougars this season.
After two losses to start the season against Abington and Bethlehem Catholic, both strong programs, the Cougars were still searching for their identity. It’s not easy starting over after seeing your two 1,000-point scorers (Jordan D’Ambrosio and Belle Mastropietro) graduated in the spring.
There will be some bumps along the way, but anyone who thinks this could be a down year for Springfield is not thinking straight.
The Cougars have Abbonizio, who poured in a game-high 17 points in a thrilling 38-37 win at Radnor. Alyssa Long, senior guard, is the floor general. Junior guard Rachel Conran, senior guard Jordan Postiglione and Abbonizio are going to hit their shots from long range. Senior forward Carli Johnston is the gritty kid who fights for rebounds, gets steals and chips in on the offensive end when her number is called.
The season is young and the Cougars are figuring things out.. Radnor’s slogan for the season just so happens to be “We’ll figure it out,” which is donned on the back of the team’s “RGB” (Radnor Girls Basketball) warm-up shirts.
“We’re definitely trying to figure out how to push the ball better up the floor,” said Abbonizio, who drained a game-high four baskets from beyond the arc. “We’re figuring out how to score and how to work our halfcourt offense. I wouldn’t say it’s been a struggle, but it’s something we will definitely have to improve on.”
In the final seconds, Julia Rigolizzo drove to the hoop but missed a layup. Radnor corralled the loose ball and Caitlin Higgins had one last look at the basket, but her shot fell off the mark as time expired.
“We’re learning how to play with this team and we’re learning what we have to do in order for this team to win basketball games,” McNichol said. “Our biggest challenge right now is to take control on the defensive end of the floor, which is something I thought we did a really good job with tonight, holding them to only 37 points.”
Radnor’s 1,000-point scorer, senior forward Ellie Mueller, was limited to only seven points on 2-for-9 shooting from the floor. The Cougars did a good job collapsing on Mueller and forcing her to miss high-percentage shots.
“It was frustrating,” said Mueller, who grabbed 14 rebounds. “It was all on me. I wasn’t squaring my shoulders to the basket, coach (Mark) Jordan told me that and he was right. … If a few of our shots fall in, we could have won. They made big shots, though. I think our defense was really good and we were able to fight back.”
Radnor (1-1) trailed 24-14 early in the third quarter, but used a stifling full-court press to spur a 10-1 run. Mueller made a free throw late in the period to tie the game at 25, but Conran nailed a 3-pointer as time expired in the quarter.
Abbonizio dialed from long distance in the opening seconds of the fourth to give the Cougars a 34-30 advantage. Springfield led by that margin with less than a minute to go. Williams hit a pair of freebies to trim the Radnor deficit to two points. After Long made two fouls shots, Rigolizzo (11 points) sank her third 3-pointer of the night to pull Radnor back within a point at 38-37. Long was fouled, but missed a 1-and-1. Radnor had the ball with 12 seconds to go, but just couldn’t hit the winning basket.
“We had opportunities, three decent looks at the basket, but we couldn’t cash in,” Jordan said. “They made one more shot than us, that was the difference.”
In other Central League action:
Marple Newtown 38, Penncrest 26 >> Haley Levy and Mackenzie Hilden each recorded double-doubles for the Tigers (1-0). Levy paired 13 points with 10 rebounds, while Hilden finished with 10 points and 12 boards.
The Tigers outscored the Lions 22-7 in the second half.
Morgan Ferry and Bridget Dawson tallied nine points apiece for Penncrest (2-1).
Ridley 70, Upper Darby 43 >> Lindsay Boyd paced the Green Raiders with 21 points, and she was one of four players to reach double figures.
Kylie McNicholas tossed in 14 points, Shannen Hinchey chipped in with 12, and Dakota McCaughan added 11 in the win.
Jasmine Forrester poured in a game-high 22 points for the Royals (0-3).
Harriton 44, Strath Haven 29 >> Cayden Frazier netted a team-high 12 points for the Panthers.
Garnet Valley 36, Conestoga 21 >> Abbey Anderson scored 11 points and Jess Brewer contributed eight to lead the Jaguars (2-0) past the Pioneers.
