Blade
12-25-2009, 04:42 PM
High School Girls Basketball: Bench play sparks Shamokin girls' win
By Marion Valanoski
For The Daily Item
COAL TOWNSHIP -- Joe Eckley's scouting report probably had No. 23 no more than an after-thought as Pottsville prepared for its nonleague matchup Wednesday against Shamokin.
It was a mistake.
Senior Tanika Gonzalez sparked a 9-0 second-quarter run off the bench with seven points as the Indians broke open a close contest thanks to the performance of its second unit in routing the Tide, 56-23, in a matchup that was barely competitive for more than one period.
Pottsville (1-4) trailed 12-10 heading into the second quarter before Gonzalez scored twice from the foul line and added a baseline drive and a 3-pointer to expand the home team's advantage to 21-10.
"Tanika really stepped it up and proved her value tonight," Indians coach Bill Callahan said. "She came off the bench and provided that offensive spark that allowed the team to expand its lead and Pottsville, which is a bit down, never recovered.
"Our second unit was outstanding and also proved they could be valuable contributors at any time, adding key depth to our lineup."
The Tide used three-point shooting by Jenna Williams and Eliza Lurwick to match the Indians in the opening stanza. However, three points from Tara Sabotchick and a layup by Summer Reigle gave the home team a lead (12-10) it would never relinquish.
Turning up the defensive pressure with its full-court pressure, Shamokin (3-1) held Pottsville scoreless in the second period until Audrey Burke's free throw with 2:18 left in the half, and by that time with Gonzalez, Cassie Grow, Chelsea Purcell, Steph Pancher and Kelsey Yacko providing the starters with a solid break, the Tide trailed on the scoreboard, 26-14.
"Our defense was solid throughout the game and we did a good job of battling on the backboards at both ends of the floor," Callahan said. "This was a good effort and we got contributions from whoever was playing at the time."
Any chance of a comeback was quickly erased in the third quarter with Sabotchick tallying seven points in a 14-4 advantage for Shamokin to put the contest out of reach.
The Indians had three players in double figures, with Sabotchick leading the way with 16 points and sharing rebounding honors with Pancher at 5 while Reigle pitched in with 15 points and Gonzalez added 10.
Shamokin forced Pottsville into turning the ball over 21 times while committing only nine, and limiting the Tide to single digits in the final three periods.
By Marion Valanoski
For The Daily Item
COAL TOWNSHIP -- Joe Eckley's scouting report probably had No. 23 no more than an after-thought as Pottsville prepared for its nonleague matchup Wednesday against Shamokin.
It was a mistake.
Senior Tanika Gonzalez sparked a 9-0 second-quarter run off the bench with seven points as the Indians broke open a close contest thanks to the performance of its second unit in routing the Tide, 56-23, in a matchup that was barely competitive for more than one period.
Pottsville (1-4) trailed 12-10 heading into the second quarter before Gonzalez scored twice from the foul line and added a baseline drive and a 3-pointer to expand the home team's advantage to 21-10.
"Tanika really stepped it up and proved her value tonight," Indians coach Bill Callahan said. "She came off the bench and provided that offensive spark that allowed the team to expand its lead and Pottsville, which is a bit down, never recovered.
"Our second unit was outstanding and also proved they could be valuable contributors at any time, adding key depth to our lineup."
The Tide used three-point shooting by Jenna Williams and Eliza Lurwick to match the Indians in the opening stanza. However, three points from Tara Sabotchick and a layup by Summer Reigle gave the home team a lead (12-10) it would never relinquish.
Turning up the defensive pressure with its full-court pressure, Shamokin (3-1) held Pottsville scoreless in the second period until Audrey Burke's free throw with 2:18 left in the half, and by that time with Gonzalez, Cassie Grow, Chelsea Purcell, Steph Pancher and Kelsey Yacko providing the starters with a solid break, the Tide trailed on the scoreboard, 26-14.
"Our defense was solid throughout the game and we did a good job of battling on the backboards at both ends of the floor," Callahan said. "This was a good effort and we got contributions from whoever was playing at the time."
Any chance of a comeback was quickly erased in the third quarter with Sabotchick tallying seven points in a 14-4 advantage for Shamokin to put the contest out of reach.
The Indians had three players in double figures, with Sabotchick leading the way with 16 points and sharing rebounding honors with Pancher at 5 while Reigle pitched in with 15 points and Gonzalez added 10.
Shamokin forced Pottsville into turning the ball over 21 times while committing only nine, and limiting the Tide to single digits in the final three periods.