RIDGWAY – Tess Bloom poured in a game-high 19 points, but Ridgway kept the rest of the Curwensville team in check to post an important Allegheny Mountain League South Division win in scholastic girls basketball action Tuesday night.
Olivia Horning and Kathy Shirey scored 12 points to lead the Lady Elkers into a first place tie with DuBois Central Catholic at 3-1.
They combined for 11 points in the first period as Ridgway (5-10) opened a 13-4 lead.
For coach Rusty McCracken’s Lady Tide, the first points didn’t come until Katie Wriglesworth tossed in a field goal with 5:43 gone, after the Lady Elkers had 11 points in the hopper.
Curwensville closed the first half with the final six points to trim the deficit to 17-12, but Ridgway came out in the third quarter and took command with an 8-2 run.
Bloom netted 13 points in the second half. She was the lone Lady Tide player to score in the third period.
The Lady Elkers prevailed 54-32 in the first meeting on Dec. 18, so McCracken was somewhat encouraged that his team managed to chop the difference in half on their home floor.
“They’re playing better defensively,” he gave credit to the Lady Tide. “They’re doing some things they weren’t doing at the beginning of the season, and we have to find the positives.
“We’re just not making our shots.”
McCracken will be able to gauge the Lady Tide’s progress again Friday when Curwensville (1-11) hosts Brockway (4-11) in another AML-South game Friday night. The Lady Rovers beat the Lady Tide 47-35 back on Dec. 15.
In the prelim, coach Bob Eshelman’s Golden Tide jayvees emerged with a 23-21 victory with Becca Johnson’s nine points leading the way.
Allegheny Mountain League South Division – DuBois Central Catholic 3-1, Ridgway 3-1, Brockway 2-2, Curwensville 0-4.
CURWENSVILLE — 29
Lindsay Barrett 0 0-0 0, Tess Bloom 7 5-9 19, Shayla Buzard 0 0-0 0, Courtney Bachelier 1 0-0 2, Taylor Bumbarger 0 0-0 0, Katie Wriglesworth 2 0-0 4, Savannah Strickland 2 0-0 4, Becca Johnson 0 0-0 0, Katrina Seaburn 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 12 5-9 29.
RIDGWAY — 40
Olivia Horning 5 2-6 12, Kathy Shirey 5 1-2 12, Bekka Leitzel 3 1-2 7, Nicole Breier 2 0-0 4, Bryton Dybowski 1 0-0 2, Andrea Redmond 0 2-2 2, Denise Lardner 0 1-2 1, Shelby Davison 0 0-2 0, Selena Scarnati 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16 7-16 40.
Three-Point Field Goals – Ridgway 1 (Shirey).
Score by Quarters
Curwensville 4 8 6 11 – 29
Ridgway 13 4 16 7 – 40
