12/14/23 Mirror image of Patrick Wakemonski/Jayden Kroll of Altoona tends to Samantha Shoemaker of Hollidaysburg.
Written by Nate Ritchie
nritchey@altoonamirror.com
HOLLIDAYSBURG — When Altoona and Hollidaysburg meet on the basketball court, more often than not, the relationship is close and goes back to late-game circumstances.
On Thursday night, it took a little longer for the competition to heat up as the Lady Tigers cruised from the edge to the lead.
A second-half flip of the script by the Lady Lions brought them within three before Hollidaysburg regained its composure enough to pull out a 52-38 win.
“These girls came out with some energy and motivation right from the start,” Hollidaysburg coach Diana Jobek said. “People have doubted us this year and I thought we had a good show tonight.”
The Tigers cruised to an 11-1 edge out of the gate behind a balanced attack led by McKenna Weimert’s five points.
Altoona scored the next four points to get things back to single digits (13-5) on a Lanie Wilt pull-up with 47 seconds left.
Hollidaysburg’s Claire Badamonsky, who scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, hit a layup with less than a second left to give her team a 15-5 lead after one quarter.
“We started out strong, and when I came in, I just wanted to continue the way they (the starters) started,” Badamonski said. “I just wanted to bring a lot of energy and continue what they started.”
Badamunski, who provided a tremendous spark off the bench, kept the Lady Tigers going as the sophomore scored the first six points of her team’s second quarter as part of a 9-2 run.
“I felt really good especially in a big match like this, I had a lot of adrenaline,” Badamonsky said.
Wilt’s layup at 6:03 was the Lady Lion’s only signs of a spurt.
Lauren Stephenson capped the Hollidaysburg blast with a 3-pointer that extended the lead to 17 (24-7) — the largest of the game.
“They (Hollidaysburg) are a good basketball team — very well coached. They’re working hard on their game,” Altoona’s Chris Flegel said regarding Hollidaysburg’s start. “They shot and we struggled. I’ve struggled to make our kids seem outgoing, and some of them seem easier. They came out with more energy than us.”
A layup by Wilt, who led all scorers with 27 points, broke the run at 4:19 and began a 10-5 spurt that allowed Altoona to get within 29-17 at halftime.
While turnovers were close in the first two quarters at 13-11 in Hollidaysburg’s favor – three of those by Altoona came on offensive fouls on push-ups and an illegal screen.
The difference was that the Lady Tigers were able to capitalize on those mistakes, allowing them to build the lead.
Hollidaysburg scored the first three points after the end of the first half on a free throw from Samantha Shoemaker and two more points from Bella Vent to bring the lead back to 15 (32-17).
Altoona, which started the half with three more turnovers, got a rebound and a 3-pointer from Milana Ayer for its only points as the young star struggled to get anything down from outside or close all night.
Weimert, who led the Tigers with 16 points, made his first two foul shots to make it 33-22 with 4:31 to go ahead in the third period before the Lady Lions pulled away.
Wilt got things going with an emphatic three-point play on a trip to the hoop that started a 10-1 run by Altoona.
A pair of free throws from the juniors put Altoona down by three points at 35-32 with 50.5 remaining.
“We had to keep our composure and not let it (Altona’s return) get to our minds,” Badamonski said. “When the score was getting closer, we just needed to keep our heads in the game and get back to where we were.”
That’s as close as the Lady Lions would get as Hollidaysburg’s Isabella Yoon hit the first two from the charity stripe to close out the third with a score of 36-32.
Weimert converted a driving layup to open the scoring in the fourth quarter before Wilt responded with a steal at 5:53 to push the lead back to four (38-34).
Neither team could drop anything for about two and a half minutes before Stevenson, who finished with 10, began a 7-0 run that allowed the Lady Tigers to push the lead to double digits at 45-34 with 1:37 to go.
“We talk day in and day out about composure,” Jobek said. “When people come with their knockout punch, you have to be able to take it and make sure you keep it flowing.”
Hollidaysburg would go 10-for-12 from the free throw line down the stretch when Altoona was in foul mode.
The two rivals will meet again on February 6 in Altoona.
“We played hard, and our kids were never going to back down,” Flegel said. “Me and our coaching staff and all those ladies in the locker room know we didn’t play our best game tonight. They’re going to keep fighting because they put in a great effort in the rematch, and we were a shot or two away from coming back and taking the lead.”
Altona (38): m. Ayer 2 0-2 5, Nguyen More 0 0-0 0, Wilt 9 7-8 27, Holabo 0 0-0 0, Kroll 0 4-6 4, R. Ayer 0 0- 0. 0 0, Harpster 0 0-0 0, Cohan 1 0-0 2. Total: 12 11-16 38.
Hollidaysburg (52): Vint 2 5-6 10, Stevenson 3 3-4 10, Weimert 5 5-6 16, Shoemaker 2 1-4 5, Yoon 0 1-2 1, DiPangrazio 0 0-0 0, Badamoneski 5 0 -2 10, Sydney 0 0-0 0. Total: 17 15-24 52.
The result is in quarters
Altona 5 12 15 6 – 38
Hollidaysburg 15 14 7 16 – 52
3-point field goals: Altoona 3 (Wilt 2, M. Ayer); Hollidaysberg 3 (Weinth, Stevenson, Weimert).
Records: Altona (2-3); Hollidaysburg (3-0).
Joint Venture: Altoona, 44-25. Top scorers – Kendall Logan, A, 20; Gillian Sidney, H, 14.
In a thrilling display of strength and determination, the Tigers used their strong fourth place performance to overpower their rivals in the latest sporting event. With their impressive performance, the team solidified their position as a force to be reckoned with in the sports arena. This victory marks a significant step forward for the Tigers as they continue to show their prowess and determination in the world of competitive sports. Stay tuned for more exciting updates as the Tigers continue to dominate their competition and push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of sports.