In one week, Tyrone senior Marie DelBaggio has unloaded her repertoire of basketball skills on the central Pennsylvania basketball world and the results have been good for the Lady Eagles.
Starting with a 24-point performance a week ago in a loss to Lewistown, the 6-0 guard-post has produced points for the Lady Eagles in gobs, and she’s done it in a variety of ways. Against the Lady Panthers, she worked her mid- and long-range games, connecting on a pair of three pointers. In a win over Bald Eagle Area last Friday, she pounded away inside, working her way to the foul line for 12 of her game-high 23.
Last night, in a 59-34 win over Penn Cambria at Tyrone Area High School, DelBaggio slashed and penetrated her way to a game-high 24 points to go along with four rebounds and five assists. She played like the best athlete on the court, running the floor for easy buckets in transition and driving to the hole in Tyrone’s half-court sets.
It was DelBaggio’s fourth 20-plus point performance of the season and it continues a streak of 16 consecutive games in which she has accumulated double-figures in scoring.
“Since the Souderton Tournament Marie has been pretty consistent,” said Tyrone coach Jim Swaney, whose team improved to 11-9 overall with the non-conference victory. “This is her fourth time since December with 20 or more points and she’s up to almost 15 points a game now. Through last week, I didn’t think there was anyone in the area playing better than her. Marie and Jo (Turner) both have to produce if we’re going to win.”
Against Penn Cambria (5-14), Tyrone’s dynamic duo produced like Swaney hoped. Along with DelBaggio, Turner netted 17 points with eight rebounds.
Both she and DelBaggio went aggressively to the hoop and finished as well as they had all season.
“We need them to finish all the time,” said Swaney. “We’ve really revamped our offense to surround our posts. Those two had to accept that challenge and they have.”
But while both players have embraced their role in the paint, it was the area away from the basket that DelBaggio used so effectively last night. In Tyrone’s half-court offense, she was determined to take the ball to the hole every time she touched it on the perimeter and she ran the floor well enough to collect six points in transition.
Her absolute dominance over any player the Lady Panthers chose to place opposite her was never more apparent than in the second quarter. Starting at the 5:59 mark until 1:49 remained in the half, DelBaggio scored 13 of 15 Lady Eagle points. She did it with penetration moves for layups and baskets off steals from Tyrone’s pressure defense.
She ended the quarter with 15 points – 18 in the half – and the Lady Eagles were ahead comfortably 33-12.
It was Turner’s turn in the second half and the 5-10 senior scored nine points despite frequently subbing in and out of the game in the fourth quarter. A DelBaggio turn-around shot gave Tyrone a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter (49-19) before the Lady Eagles began to clear their bench.
The win was Tyrone’s second straight and it went a long way in rekindling some of the goals the Lady Eagles established at the start of the season. Tyrone has three games remaining before the post-season – all against teams that present favorable match-ups for the Lady Eagles.
“We said after we lost to Lewistown that we were 9-9 and were facing five games to close the season that we should win,” Swaney said. “Now we’re looking at some games that we’ve got to finish and we’ve got to win.”
HOOP NOTES: Gina Reig led Penn Cambria with 14 points and Nichole Passanita had 10 … no jayvee game was played as both teams have been hit unusually hard with injuries. The Lady Panthers dressed just six players … Emily McKenna scored eight for Tyrone … Tyrone plays Williamsburg Thursday in Williamsburg.
Tyrone 59 Penn Cambria 34
PENN CAMBRIA – Reig 5 2-2 14, Passanita 3 4-6 10, Roberts 0 1-2 1, Myers 3 3-4 9, Simanski 0 0-0 0, Eberhart 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 11 10-14 34.
TYRONE – M. DelBaggio 9 6-8 24, Turner 6 5-6 17, A. DelBaggio 1 0-0 3, Haag 2 0-0 5, McKenna 4 0-0 8, Bryan 0 0-0 0, Wallace 1 0-0 2, Hoover 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 23 11-14 59.
Score By Quarters
Penn Cambria 9 3 7 15 – 34
Tyrone 14 19 14 12 – 59
Three-point goals: Penn Cambria 2 (Reig 2); Tyrone 2 (A. DelBaggio 1, Haag 1)
