Answers to the question of why the Tyrone Lady Eagles continue to drop games like last night’s 52-43 loss to Marion Center are readily found in the team’s stat charts.
The Lady Eagles consistently shoot and make fewer shots than their opponents, their scoring average lags behind the District’s middle-of-the-pack teams, and lately they’ve struggled in keeping teams off of the offensive boards.
But numbers don’t always tell the entire story, so one other source of answers could be to ask David Copperfield, because only a magician could explain the kind of disappearing acts that often occur for prolonged stretches of Tyrone’s half-court offense.
Last night, against a team that received scoring contributions from nine of the 10 players who stepped on the floor, Tyrone endured three extended stretches when three or fewer players contributed points. In the opening period, when the Lady Stingers stumbled out of the gate making just two of their first nine shots, the Lady Eagles could muster only a three-pointer from Emily McKenna and a traditional three-point play from Marissa Hoover in falling behind 8-6.
A similar drought ensued in the second quarter, and again in the fourth with the game in the balance. Like most of the Lady Eagles’ 11 previous losses, when their defense had done about as much as it could do, their offensive options vanished.
“You can only defend for so long, and sooner or later you have to put the ball in the basket,” said Lady Eagle coach Jim Swaney. “We aren’t shooting the ball with confidence. That’s hurt us for two years.”
In fact, Tyrone’s poor offensive production has left the team spinning its tires after two seasons. Just as a year ago, the Lady Eagles finished the regular season one game under .500 at 11-12 and head into the playoffs as a 12-seed knowing they can challenge just about anyone in the District. The key will be not whether they defend or rebound or do anything that involves effort, but whether or not three or four players will get them some buckets.
That, above all, was what made the difference against the Lady Stingers, who managed to make 42 percent of their shots not because they had tremendous shooters or even precise offensive execution. The biggest reason was because they had five players on the floor at all times who genuinely presented threats to score – and most did.
Senior Alicia Glasser led the way with a team-high 14 points, including a 50-footer to beat the third quarter buzzer that lifted Marion Center – now 17-7 – to its first double-digit lead at 41-31.
Aside from her energizing heave through heavy traffic – which sent a buzz through Tyrone Area High School gymnasium – Glasser’s night was similar to that of her teammates: hoops here and there, with constant offensive intensity.
After Glasser, her sister Lauren Glasser was the Lady Stingers’ next-leading scorer with eight. Brittany Fairman scored seven, Heather Abbey netted six, and three players chipped in four.
For Tyrone, McKenna again led the team with 18, Liz Tepsic scored nine and Marissa Hoover added six. Three others got into the scoring column, but on a night when the Lady Eagles’ offensive contributions were deeper than usual, it still wasn’t enough to overcome the scoring depth of Marion Center, which will enter next week’s Class AA playoffs as a 9-seed.
“Somewhere, somehow, someway, we’ve got to find a way to put the ball in the basket,” Swaney said. “We have to shoot the ball the way we’re capable of shooting it.””
That looked like it might happen last night in the second quarter, when the Lady Eagles knocked down 5-of-10 shots, including a pair of threes by McKenna that kept the game tight. But the Lady Stingers used a pair of seemingly innocent 4-point runs to build a 25-21 lead at halftime.
In the third, when Tyrone made just 4-of-16, including a 2-for-9 start out of the gate, Marion Center took control behind Alicia Glasser once on a jumper and once on an offensive rebound before closing the period with her launch from the behind the volleyball stripe.
A 5-1 Tyrone run late in the fourth had the edge trimmed to 48-43 after Tepsic scored on a feed inside from Emily Ingle, but Marion Center outscored the Lady Eagles 4-0 in the last 1:18, with Stephanie Baun capping the scoring with a layup in transition off a Tyrone turnover.
GAME NOTES: Tyrone has the next week off before facing Southern Huntingdon Monday, Feb. 20, at Hollidaysburg Junior High School in the first round of the playoffs … the Lady Eagles are 2-0 this season against teams from the Juniata Valley League … Marion Center outrebounded Tyrone 27-19 … the Lady Eagles won the turnover battle, 21-18.
JUNIOR VARSITY
Tyrone’s jayvees led 33-30 heading into the fourth quarter, but were outscored there 10-5 in a 43-38 loss in the preliminary game.
Lindsay Christine topped the Lady Eagles with a game-high 13 points, while Sarah Halter added eight.
Marion Center 52 Tyrone 43
MARION CENTER – Fairman 3 1-3 7; L. Glasser 4 0-0 8; Abbey 2 0-0 6; Yeomans 2 0-0 4; Tonkin 1 0-0 3; Lockhart 2 0-0 4; Baun 2 0-0 4; A. Glasser 4 5-7 14; Hart 1 0-1 2. TOTALS: 21 6-11 52
TYRONE – McKenna 7 1-2 18; Lloyd 2 0-0 4; Bradford 1 0-0 2; Hoover 2 2-3 6; Tepsic 4 1-3 9; Corle 0 4-4 4; Turiano 0 0-0 0; Garbinsky 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16 8-12 43
Score by Quarters
Marion Center 8 17 16 11 – 52
Tyrone 6 15 10 12 – 43
Three-point goals: Tyrone 3 (McKenna 3), Marion Center 4 (Abbey 2, Tonkin, A. Glasser)
JUNIOR VARSITY
Marion Center 46 Tyrone 38
MARION CENTER – Fyock 1 1-2 3; L. Glasser 3 3-4 10; Kisiday 2 2-3 6; Miloser 1 0-0 2; Lockhart 1 0-0 2; Baun 4 1-4 10; Gaydosh 1 0-0 3; Frederick 2 0-0 4; Lydic 0 2-2 2. TOTALS: 17 9-15 46
TYRONE – Long 0 0-0 0; Christine 4 4-4 13; Turiano 2 0-2 5; Garbinsky 1 0-0 3; Corle 1 0-0 3; Faretta 3 0-0 6; Halter 3 1-3 8. TOTALS: 14 5-9 38
Score by Quarters
Marion Center 11 8 11 10 – 46
Tyrone 11 11 11 5 – 38
Three-point goals: Marion Center 3 (L. Glasser, Baun, Gaydosh)
Tyrone 4 (Christine, Turiano, Corle, Garbinsky)
