BLAZERS BOUNCE BACK TO OPEN DAY TWO
In the opening game of day two of the fifth annual South Range Holiday Hoops Classic, The Hathaway Brown Blazers matched up with The Louisville Leopards. The Blazers fell short against the red hot Green Bulldogs on Wednesday, while The Leopards won in a thriller comeback fashion against The Painesville Riverside Beavers. Both teams have faced tough competition all season and have been well-tested throughout.
The Blazers came out scoring with a purpose, finding a lot more success from distance in the second day of The Holiday Hoops Classic. Spreading the scoring around, Gia Piscitelli proved once again to be a good court manager from the point guard position, as she got a multitude of teammates involved. Massie Castellanos contributed with some major minutes off the bench, making good with multiple scores to help provide an extra spark for Hathaway Brown! By the end of the first half, The Blazers managed a 16 point lead heading into halftime.
Out of the second half, Louisville was sparked up and firing on all cylinders from distance! Going on a nice offensive run to start the third quarter, The Leopardas were able to trim the deficit all the way down to just five points. However, Hathaway Brown was not having it on this day, as Teagan Clark kept up her same energy throughout the game and managed to find consistent success from the arc, enabling The Blazers to build their lead back up to 16 points to end the third.
The Leopards tried to keep chipping away at the deficit, with Courtney Barwick and Taryn Mglich finding their shots from distance. The difference? Everytime the Leopards tried at the momentum scores, Hathaway Brown was able to take it right back. Jermaney Jones proved to be a difference maker for The Blazers, grabbing a number of offensive boards to secure extra possessions for her team. Pair that with a solid team effort of scoring and Hathaway Brown came away with the 60-48 win over Louisville.
With the win, Hathaway Brown will now go to 9-3 on the season, while Louisville will fall to 5-4 on the campaign. Both teams finished 1-1 in their two days at The South Range Holiday Hoops Classic, while Teagan Clark won Player of The Game for this contest! As her consistent scoring and shooting through all four quarters were critical in aiding a Blazers victory! Interviews with the coach and Player of The Game can be found below!
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
