DUKE CENTER –– After withstanding an 11-0 end-of-quarter run, Coudersport’s Haley Keck dribbled toward midcourt and launched an attempt at the hoop.
The shot fell, giving Keck three of her 20 points on the evening, and providing a momentum boost for the Lady Falcons as the team avoided its first North Tier League loss in a 73-57 win at Otto-Eldred.
“This is always tough for us to come down here,” Coudersport head coach Chris Fink said. “Road wins in the league, especially the second half of the league season once the teams have already seen you once, I think is a great win.”
Fink thinks between Keck, Skyler VanWagenen and Macy Gleason, his Lady Falcons (14-1, 10-0 NTL) have hit five buzzer-beaters this season. Keck’s long ball turned what would have been a five-point deficit to a smaller two-point hole.
“We seem to have had a knack for that this year,” Fink said. “It was big. It gave us a little bit of momentum.”
Momentum the Lady Falcons needed after seeing its 6-0 opening lead turn into an 11-6 deficit courtesy of some strong inside play by Otto-Eldred’s Camryn Thomas.
“We got hot there in the beginning and started hitting some shots,” O-E coach Barb Close said. “I think, honestly, they’re just deep from the bench. I’m proud of my girls and how they came out to play tonight.”
Keck came out strong in the second quarter, scoring her team’s first eight points of the frame to tie the game at 20-all. The Lady Falcons then used some steals and layups to take a 36-30 into halftime.
In the second half, Ally Easton turned up the pressure on both ends of the floor, scoring 14 of her 16 points while helping to shut down Thomas, who managed just one basket and three free throws in the second half. Coudersport outscored the Lady Terrors 18-11 to pull away in the third quarter and enter the fourth with a 54-41 lead.
In the fourth, the Lady Falcons found better success against Otto-Eldred’s full-court press for easy transition buckets.
“I think we just had to do a little bit better job of guarding in that first half,” Fink said. “Especially with the first crew that we were starting in this game and challenge ourselves a little bit.
“[We had to] do a little bit better job on (Thomas) because she had a whale of a game. I thought Ally Easton did that in the second half and did a better job of keeping it out of her hands and did some scoring herself.”
Thomas, who scored seven first-quarter points on her way to tying Keck for game-high honors with 20, also led Otto-Eldred (10-7, 7-5 NTL) with seven rebounds.
“She was all over the floor for us,” Close said. “She comes to play. She is ready to go and really taking part of keeping the team together and making things happen.”
Alyssa Shelander added eight assists for the Lady Terrors, while Tiffany Bair added six points and six rebounds.
Coudersport placed nine players in the scoring column, including Kiara Perkins who went 6-for-6 from the foul line and a layup to finish with 10 points.
Both teams are back in action on Wednesday, with Coudersport hosting Oswayo Valley and the Lady Terrors traveling to Port Allegany.
AT DUKE CENTER
Coudersport (73)
VanWagenen 1 0-0 2, Kiara Perkins 2 6-6 10 Ally Easton 8 0-0 16, Haley Keck 7 4-5 20, Wood 2 0-0 4, Gleason 2 2-2 6, Page 1 0-0 2, E. Easton 2 4-7 9, Black 1 2-3 4. Totals: 26 18-23 73.
Otto-Eldred (57)
Shelander 2 0-1 4, Bair 1 4-4 6, Camryn Thomas 7 6-10 20, Emily Smith 4 4-4 13, Frederick 2 1-1 5, A. Smith 0 2-4 2, Greeley 2 3-4 7.
Coudersport 14 36 54 73
Otto-Eldred 16 30 41 57
Three-point goals: Coudersport 3 (Keck 2, E. Easton); Otto-Eldred 1 (E. Smith)
Total fouls: 18-18. Fouled out: Thomas (Otto-Eldred)
JV: Coudersport, 41-32
