Hoops Roundup: Reading get bounce back win at Pittsford; Comets win after double overtime
HILLSDALE COUNTY — Wednesday night saw several area prep hoops teams earn much needed bounce-back wins against non-conference and league opponents.
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Two teams in need of rebound victories were the Jonesville and Reading girls basketball teams, and both squads were able to get that win.
Reading gets ninth win of the season in gritty defensive victory over Pittsford
It was a big road test for a Ranger team in the midst of a four-game series away from its home court. The team was able to get a win against Union City to start its recent road trip, but a tough defeat at the hands of the Bronson Vikings put an emphasis on getting a much-needed rebound performance against a tough Pittsford Wildcat team.
The Wildcats, currently the lead squad in the SCAA East standings, also had a much-needed reason to win on Wednesday night in Week 10. Wildcat junior Ava Mallar, current GVSU basketball commit, was only several points shy of passing the 1,000-career points mark heading into the game. A win against the Rangers would be a big non-conference mark for the team heading into their final stretch of games, and it would also be revenge for their loss to the Rangers during the Pat Paterson tournament.
The Rangers, using a mix of excellent defensive rebounding and clutch shots, outpaced the Wildcats through the final three quarters of play to win 41-37.
Junior Ranger Jenna Londeau had a 3-pointer in the second, third and fourth quarters and totaled 13 points on the night. This included a big triple near the end of the game to keep the Rangers ahead of the surging Wildcat offense. Junior Aubree Ervans had 13 points, including five from the free-throw line in the second half.
Reading coach Kevin Bailey said that while Londeau has been streaky when it comes to offensive consistency, the effort against Pittsford showed what kind of playmaker she is capable of being for the Rangers.
"Tonight, that's the player she's capable of being, knocking down open shots," Bailey said. "That really opens up the middle for Aubree (Ervans) to do her thing."
Maggie Santure also had a dagger 3-pointer in the third quarter. Abby Affholter had six points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Bria Wiler had seven rebounds. Blakeleigh Cornstubble contributed four rebounds.
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For Pittsford, Ava Mallar had 20 points and did pass the 1,000-career points mark. Senior Halle Clark had nine points. Laura LeMar had five points. Senior Shelby Bryner had five points.
Bailey said he was proud of how the team responded to a tough night at Bronson the night before. He was proud that the team was able to contributions from many players against a really good Pittsford basketball team.
"We haven't played really well on the road, so to get one in someone else's house is a big deal especially against Pittsford," Bailey said. "Coach (Davis) does a really good job and Mallar is a really good player. Anytime you can come here and get a win is big... It was a nice team win... Each kid made a contribution tonight and when we play well that's kind of how it is."
Reading awaits a matchup with Quincy next on Feb. 15. Pittsford faces Camden-Frontier on the road this Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Jonesville breaks through three-game slump with double OT win over Manchester
The Jonesville varsity girls basketball team broke through its three-game slump with a 51-44 double overtime win against a gutsy Manchester squad. Manchester came in looking for a big upset win to hopefully spark a major turn at the end of the season, but the Comets were able to fight back and escape with their ninth win of the season.
More: Jonesville boys basketball survives OT against Columbia Central in 72-65 final
The Comets were led by junior Haley Mach who had 15 points and three assists. It was an all-around team game, with several Comets making major impacts. Alexis Trine had a double-double game of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Natalynn Beach had eight points, 12 rebounds and three steals.
Korra Estel had six points and four rebounds. Gracen Hager had two points and six rebounds. Morgan Baker had four points and two assists. Reese Stanton led the team with six steals and also earned two points and three assists.
Coach Tom Dunn and the Comets are 9-7 on the season. They will host the 9-5 overall Hanover-Horton Comets on Friday, Feb. 9 at home. The orange and black Comets beat their newly minted conference rivals on the road earlier in January. After that, they will host division leader Brooklyn Columbia Central at home before ending their division season on the road at Homer.
Litchfield takes down Will Carleton Academy on the road
Coach Al Alvarez and the Terrier varsity girls basketball team traveled to Will Carleton Academy for their second game this season against the Cougars. The Terriers beat the Cougars 41-7 to open the 2023-24 season, but it has been two months since that matchup and the Cougars headed into the game on a two-game winning streak.
The Terriers were able to continue the success they had last week against Camden-Frontier again this week, defeating the Cougars in a 57-22 final.
The Terrier defense was cooking on Wednesday night, successfully shutting down the Cougar offense to just eight points in the first half. The Cougars were able to get to the free throw line on multiple occasions and sank nine of their 10 opportunities, but they were unable to capitalize against a strong rebounding team.
Senior Terrier Jenna Miller had 16 points and 10 rebounds to earn a double-double. Miller also had two steals and three blocks. Tavia Shelton had six points, four steals, three blocks and 10 rebounds. Abby Bills had 12 points, three steals and one block. Addie McClouth had 10 points, four steals and one block. Kelsey Conley had five points and three steals. Shelton led the team with two assists. McLouth and Miller each had two assists.
For the Cougars, Kherington Ladd had eight points. Kristin Recob had seven points. Brilynn Padget had five points.
With the win, the Terriers are even at 6-6 on the season. They now have a tough matchup against the Waldron Spartans on Friday, Feb. 9. Waldron pulled away from Litchfield for a 33-25 victory back on Dec. 19. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.
Other Scores
Girls Basketball: Athens 44, Camden-Frontier 27
C-F: Regan Schaedler: 16 points
Girls Basketball: Waldron 35, Britton Deerfield 32
Waldron improves to 10-7 overall. Morgan Burk had 12 points. Kailee Kurtz had 13 points.
Boys Basketball: Britton Deerfield 55, Waldron 23
Waldron falls to 7-8 overall. Jacobi Gonzalez and Williams each had eight points. Alec Shamplo had four points. Troy Shamplo had three points.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Reading and Jonesville girls basketball teams win bounce back games
