Jayden Kroll is out on the break after a steal Tuesday night against State College.
By Jamie Eichenlaub
For the mirror
Altoona’s Jaiden Krull is rarely the tallest player on the court, listed at just 5-foot-7, but she tends to assign the defensive assignment to the taller players on the opposing team.
Kroll, whom her coaches and teammates called “the point guard,” did a lot of damage to the post on Tuesday night.
She scored eight of her game-high 18 points in the first quarter, converting a number of layups and short jumpers near the basket throughout the game, to help the Lady Lions put away visiting State College, 53-37, early. Mid-Pennsylvania Conference midseason game at Altoona Area High School Field.
“We joke with her, we call her a point guard because she can defend the big guys on most teams,” Altoona coach Chris Flegel said. “Jayden is one of only three seniors. She’s been working extremely hard and I’m happy to see her have such great success on the floor tonight.”
After State College took an early 5-0 lead, Kroll hit a layup to put Altoona on the scoreboard, then scored six more points in the first quarter to keep the game close as the Lady Lions trailed 16-15 to start the second quarter.
“I’m glad I made these shots to motivate us to keep going,” Kroll said. “We needed that.”
Krull also came up big in the fourth quarter. When State College cut Altoona’s 14-point lead to six points late in the game, 43-37, with 3:08 remaining, Kroll made a short shot with 2:33 remaining in the game, and later drained two free throws. To help achieve victory.
“It feels great to get the win,” said Kroll, who also had five rebounds. “We worked for it. We had two great practices before this game that got us ready for it. It was a tough game and I’m glad we were able to work together as a team to finish the game.”
Altoona, playing its first home game of the season, improved its record to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference. State College fell to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
“It’s always tough to play your first conference game against one of your district rivals,” State College head coach Allie Mock said. “Overall, it was a good test for us to see where we stand.”
State College started strong, going out on a 5-0 and 11-4 early lead, held off by nine points from freshman Sherri Wilson in the first quarter, to hold an early 16-15 lead after the first quarter.
Altoona responded with six straight points to start the second quarter — a Kroll jumper, a Laney Wilt layup, and a Kroll layup — to put Altoona up 21-16 at the 6:08 mark, a lead it wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the game. Melania Eyre hit a 3-pointer late in the first half to give the Lady Lions a 30-21 lead heading into halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Altoona extended its lead to its largest of the game, 43-29, on a layup by Kroll with less than six minutes left. State College fought back as Sherri Wilson scored the next six points — a pair of layups and a pair of free throws — and twin sister Sienna Wilson added a layup to cap off an 8-0 run that cut the deficit to six (43-37). .
Altoona had a strong answer, getting four points from Wilt, four from Kroll, and two from Milana Air, to go on a 10-0 run to end the game.
“It was a good win against a good State College basketball team,” Flegel said. “State College is a good, young team. They battled and came back, but we showed some resilience and extended the lead and finished the game.”
State College freshman Sherri Wilson scored a team-high 15 points and her sister Sienna scored seven.
“We are excited to have them on the team,” Mock said. “I love the spark and energy they bring. This is probably one of the most athletic teams we’ve had in a long time.
Altoona travels to play cross-town rival Hollidaysburg on Thursday.
“We had an emotional game tonight and we play at Hollidaysburg on Thursday, which is another rivalry/emotional game against a well-coached team,” Flegel said. “They will be ready and it should be an exciting game.”
Game Notes: Altoona junior Milana Eyre had a team-high eight rebounds. … State College’s Jessica Hawbaker had a team-high five rebounds. … State College hosts Central Dauphin in another conference game on Friday.
State College (37): Hawbaker 3 0-0 6, Donnell 1 1-2 3, Sh. Wilson 6 3-3 15, C. Wilson 3 0-0 7, Tate 1 0-0 2, Richa 0 0-0 0, Whitehurst 1 0-0 2, Bechtel 1 0-0 2. Totals – 16 4-5 37.
Altoona (53): m. Ayer 5 1-1 13, Nguyen More 1 1-2 3, Wilt 4 2-2 12, Hullabo 1 0-0 2, Krol 8 2-4 18, R. Air 0 0- 0 0, Harpster 1 2-2 5, Knorr 0 0-0 0. Totals – 20 8-11 53.
The result is in quarters
Government College 16 5 8 8 – 37
Altona 15 15 9 14 – 53
3-Point Goals – State College 1 (C. Wilson); Altona 5 (m. Air 2, Wilt 2, Harpster).
Records: State College (1-2, 0-1 Mid-Penn Commonwealth); Altoona (2-2, 1-0 Mid-Penn Commonwealth).
JV: Altoona, 47-34. Top scorers: Sam Mixic, SC, 12; Ajaisia Alexander, A, 10.
Officials: Mike Andrews, Randy Burkett, Courtney Cecere.
In an impressive display of both offensive and defensive prowess, the Big team led Altoona to a thrilling victory. The team utilized a combination of strategic plays and strong defensive efforts to outmatch their opponents and secure the win. The impressive performance demonstrated the team’s ability to excel on both sides of the ball, making them a force to be reckoned with in future matchups. This exciting victory has undoubtedly solidified Altoona’s position as a formidable contender in the sports world.