Sports
N-Y Use Strong Defense to Dismantle Alexander
< < Back to n-y-use-strong-defense-dismantle-alexanderThe Alexander Lady Spartans faced a 19-point first-quarter deficit in Thursday’s matchup in Nelsonville and despite multiple pushes, the Lady Spartans fell to the Lady Buckeyes 58-44.
N-Y (4-2, 3-1) gave up the first points of the game after Allyson Malone hit a 3-pointer. But after a couple slips, the team composed itself and was solid on defense the rest of way. Their 1-2-2 full-court trap—which fell back into a 3-2 zone trap—troubled the Alexander ball handlers all night.
“We needed to kind of push the defensive pressure,” Nelsonville-York coach Amanda Dalton said. “Defense would lead to our offense and our transition game is hard to beat.”
Alexander's (3-3, 2-1) starters couldn’t find a way to break the press and coach Cory McKnight decided to switch up his lineup midway through the opening quarter. The only starter that remained in the game was Malone, and the remaining starters didn’t get back in until two minutes into the third quarter.
Senior forward Madison Davis and freshman point guard Jessie Addis led the Lady Buckeye on both sides of the ball all night. The two combined for 41 points and 11 steals.
The point guard position is one of the toughest to step into and Addis has adapted better than one would expect from a freshman being thrust into a difficult position.
“She’s got a bright future ahead of her,” Dalton said. “She understands how to handle pressure and how to attack it. I think she did a really good job.”
The Lady Spartans outrebounded Nelsonville-York but Alexander couldn’t convert on the second-chance opportunities. Alexander finished the game shooting just 28 percent from the field and while they got good looks at the hoop, they couldn’t get anything to fall.
Alexander’s poor shooting night can mainly be attributed to the defense that they were up against. Even when the Lady Spartans got good looks, they were flustered and rushed by Nelsonville-York's pressure all game.
Malone was the only Lady Spartan to finish in double-digits with 10 points. She also led the team with eight rebounds and three assists. Despite a few early turnovers, she performed well throughout the game.
The Lady Spartans made some pushes throughout the second half, and were a basket or two away from being back in it on multiple occasions, but Nelsonville-York's defensive pressure proved too much to overcome. Ultimately, the Lady Spartans couldn’t put together enough stops to really make a game out of it.
Alexander have the weekend off before they take on Claymont on Monday in Albany.
Nelsonville-York is off until Dec. 27, when the Lady Buckeyes take part in the Fairfield Christian Tournament.