The Bradford Lady Owls were hoping to come away with back-to-back wins for the first time this season. However, the fourth-quarter offense wasn’t what it needed to be as Bradford (2-17, 2-5) fell to DuBois (10-8, 5-3) 51-42 on Tuesday night in a District 9 League contest.

Ashley Hallowell scored a game-high 21 points for the Lady Beavers, who have now won five of their last six games and six of their last eight.

It was a promising start offensively for Bradford. The Owls were moving the ball around with a lot of confidence, looking to get everyone involved.

Erica Marshall in particular was in a groove early, taking advantage of several midrange chances for six points in the first quarter.

On the defensive end, however, the Owls suffered several mental lapses that led to wide-open baskets for the visitors.

“We, as a team, can’t afford to take plays off,” Bradford coach Bob Hannon said. “When we take a play off, it seems, invariably, that they find that weak spot and beat us there. We have to become better at recognizing those opportunities and taking advantage of them.”

Hannon also pointed to the need for his younger players to be more consistent in their defensive approach.

“We had a couple freshmen playing in that first half,” he said. “I know they’re young, but you can’t take three or four plays before you get into the flow of the game. You have to be ready, when you come off that bench, to contribute right now.”

After the first quarter ended with the score tied 13-13, play only intensified. The Lady Beavers were getting baskets in the paint but the Owls were making them fight for every inch, playing some tough low-post defense.

DuBois’ Chelsea Desalve took advantage of the room Bradford was giving her in the midrange area. She would score 12 of her 16 points in the first half.

“She shot the ball extremely well from the outside,” Hannon said about Desalve. “They found her and worked it to her.”

With just over two minutes left in the half, Bradford’s Bri Wells – who finished with a team-high 19 points – came up with a momentum-building sequence. After making a basket and drawing a foul, Wells recovered her own missed free throw and put it back in to tie the game at 21-21.

The Beavers would go on a mini-run late in the half to take a 25-23 lead into the locker room.

Despite its defensive shortcomings, a more balanced offensive attack allowed Bradford to keep pace with DuBois.

After a slow start to the third, the Owls began to find their groove, going on a 9-0 run that was highlighted by a Wells takeaway that turned into a three-point play. Bradford held a 35-27 lead midway through the third period.

DuBois would come back quickly, though, powered in large part by the inside game of Hallowell, who used her size and physicality to outmuscle the Owls for points in the paint and offensive rebounds.

“She’s a terror on the boards,” Hannon said of Hallowell. “She’s a big girl, she’s really worked on her game. I give her a lot of credit, because she’s improved tremendously from where she was last year.”

The Beavers were able to retake the lead with just over five minutes to go in the game as Bradford’s offense suddenly went cold.

A major factor in the Owls’ offensive struggles was a rough night at the free-throw line, where they went just five for 13.

“I don’t think it was the biggest difference, but they made more than we did,” Hannon said about his team’s free throw struggles.

On the other end, the Beavers made the most of their opportunities at the line, as they went up 44-40 with under a minute-and-a-half to play.

Bradford had its chances in the late going, but open looks, unfortunately, did not equate to open baskets.

“We’ve got to be able to put the ball in the basket,” Hannon said. “We missed a lot of shots, missed a lot of open looks at the basket, and a good team will make those shots.

“They deserved to win the game, no question. They outplayed us when they had to.”

Bradford will travel to face Brookville on Friday night. The Lady Owls fell to the Raiders at home 50-48 on Jan. 13.

At BRADFORD

DuBois (51)

Snyder 1 2-2 4, Fatula 1 3-4 5, Chelsea Desalve 6 4-6 16, Kirk 1 1-2 3, Ashley Hallowell 7 7-9 21, Smith 1 0-0 2, Totals 17 17-23 51.

Bradford (42)

Luther 1 0-0 2, Sayers 1 2-2 5, Marshall 3 0-0 6, Bri Wells 8 3-9 19, Smith 2 0-0 4, K. Moffett 2 0-0 4, B. Moffett 1 0-2 2, Totals 18 5-13 42.

DuBois    13  25  34  51

Bradford  13  23  35  42

Three-point FGs: DuBois none; Bradford 1 (Sayers)

Total fouls: DuBois 12, Bradford 21. Fouled out: Bradford (B. Moffett)

JV score: Bradford 32-31