Friends Select pulls away from Morrisville girls basketball in the second half
MORRISVILLE – For one full quarter, Morrisville went toe-to-toe with visiting Friends Select Thursday afternoon (Dec. 14) on the Lady Bulldogs’ home court.
After that, turnovers and fast-break baskets helped the Falcons start to fly and they went on to a 50-38 triumph to drop Morrisville to 0-3 on the season.
“What’s killing us are fast-breaks – not getting back on defense,” stated first-year head coach Tanya Argueta.
“Anticipating the next play that’s going to happen is something that my young team is struggling with right now.”
Friends Select also got the best of the Bulldogs on the backboards, especially when the visitors were on offense. Too many times, the Falcons got three, and sometimes four, chances to score a basket.
“We started off man (defense), added some pressure , then took it to a 3-2 zone because we didn’t have the size. Turns out they were out-rebounding us so I put a third girl down there in a 2-3 (zone defense).
“We just got stuck underneath the basket and they boxed us out.
“We weren’t getting back into transition.”
Morrisville is coming off a 13-11 season and a trip to the District 1/D12 Class A quarterfinals. But the Bulldogs are missing Gabrielle Fogg, a former power forward who recorded over 1,000 points at Morrisville. Four other seniors including forward Mondalaya Council and guard Natrece Harper also graduated.
That leaves the Dawgs with two players with any significant varsity experience.
The good news is that senior Tiara McClease is back at point guard. A four-year starter, McClease is the only senior on the squad. While Tiara scored eight and 16 points respectively in the team’s first two battles with Bristol and Academy at Palumbo in Bristol’s Tipoff Tournament Dec. 8 and 9, she recorded only five points in this game and they all came in the third quarter.
“It’s just a matter of her driving to the basket, if she’s got the floater – if it’s really sticking.
“She has a strong head; she knows if we have to catch up, she’ll at least try.
“She doesn’t back down.
“Today, she wasn’t as successful as the last game so I need her to be more consistent in order for us to move forward.”
Forward Enijah King is also back in the lineup. A junior, she played nearly every second in the battle with Friends Select. She scored eight of 10 points for Morrisville in the second quarter and 7-of-13 points for the Bulldogs in the final frame.
“She’s definitely strong around the basket and outside. She’s great at anticipating where the ball is going, she’s a great rebounder and great at putting up a second shot.
“She’s like the head of this team. She’s strong; she’s the one who’s motivating everyone else.
“I can’t ask any more of her; she tried her best today. Unfortunately, we need more than one person doing that.
“All five have to do that if we are going to come out with the win.”
Sophomores Dreyonna Graham and Leada Romanek are also returning to the varsity lineup but they were freshmen last year and did not see much time on the court. Junior Kamiah Caraway – who drained a pair of 3-pointers to keep the Bulldogs even at 10-all going into the second period against Friends Select – has also returned to the lineup.
Caraway injured her right knee in the second half of the loss to the Falcons, however. There’s no word on when she’ll return to the lineup.
According to Argueta, the ‘Dawgs’ strength this season is under the basket.
“We know what our strengths are – down low.
“We know we’re strong down there; we know if we can get the ball down low, we can make something come out of it.
Turnovers hurt Morrisville’s cause in this one. According to the coach, the Bulldogs committed 16 in the first half, as opposed to nine for the visitors.
Those fine points in the game also cost Morrisville in its first two losses of the season. In the tipoff, the Bulldogs fell seven points short of Bristol and four points shy of Palumbo in the ensuing matchup.
“It’s three games and we’re putting points on the board.
“We’re not getting killed; they’re all close games.
“A lot of it is the dynamics of team chemistry, having trust in one another.
“We’re getting there; I’m not putting my head down and I hope these girls aren’t either.
Contact Steve Sherman at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter
Friends Select 50, Morrisville 38
(Dec. 14 at Morrisville)
Morrisville 10 10 5 13 – 38
Friends Select 10 15 12 13 – 50
FRIENDS SELECT (3-1) — Sofia Rodriguez-Burno 4, Camryn Harvie 10, Izzy Ebede 6, Amaia Collins 14, Hannah Caskey 7, Hannah Sieg 9; TOTALS: —
MORRISVILLE (0-3) — Leada Romanek 1, Tiara McClease 5, Enijah King 18, Amari Green 3, Dreyonna Graham 2, Kamiah Caraway 6, Daysia Starr-White 3; TOTALS: —
3-POINT GOALS: FS — Collins; M — Caraway 2.
