CURWENSVILLE — Having low numbers this year meant the Curwensville Lady Tide would be having all of their roster be on the court every game. Monday night was no exception, as only seven players were dressed for a contest against the Lady Green Hornets of Juniata Valley.
The opposition from the opening tip was running a fast-paced attack, and that immediately caused the home squad to be in a bad spot. The quick offense of Juniata Valley found the Lady Tide in bad positions early, and often. That led to a disappointing 55-15 loss for Curwensville, one which head coach Dawna Wheeler immediately spoke about afterwards.
“Definitely not where I thought we would be,” she said. “We were out of sync, and I am not sure if it’s just us having a day off when not used to that, or something else. I’m really not sure.”
Juniata Valley got going quickly when Kenzie Coffman would account for eight of the first 10 points for the Lady Hornets. As the opening quarter rolled on, Curwensville tried to get near the basket for some easier buckets. The ball would make it to the hoop, but would not get in the net, and Juniata Valley would take a rebound and go down the court to get an easy attempt at a bucket. When play would stop, Curwensville did have chances to substitute in, giving one girl a break for several minutes.
All the while, Juniata Valley would be able to sub in 2-3 girls at a time, giving fresh legs, eyes, and arms. After one quarter, the Hornets held a 20-3 lead, and would continue to set the pace in the second quarter.
Wheeler spoke of the pace, saying, “When we got into a running game with them, it was no contest. We have seven girls, and they were bringing in five freshmen off the bench. We simply get gassed, and that’s not how we are able to play right now.”
Coffman was held to a single basket over the remaining three quarters, but her 10-point effort in the first yielded a game-high 16 points on the night.
At the same time, Curwensville struggled with ball handling, as 28 turnovers, including five steals from Maddie Hopsicker, made the night a challenge on both ends of the court. Heading into the locker room, Juniata Valley held a 33-7 lead.
The visitors put the running clock into effect in the third after a quick layup by Hopsicker following a steal, which by that point allowed Juniata Valley to give some younger players a chance at some minutes. McKenna Hartman added in 11 points on the night, while leading the team in both rebounds (7) and added in five assists.
Curwensville only had three players score during the game, with Janelle Passmore leading the charge with six points. Karleigh Freyer and Skylar Pentz each had five rebounds.
Despite the struggles that Wheeler knew would happen this year, and even with an 0-17 record, she has seen a lot of positive thinking and effort from her squad.
“Every night, I tell these girls they show up, and go start-to-finish. We are not losing; we’re learning. And we are going to build off all those lessons,” Wheeler said. “Hopefully being home for these three, including tonight, will help us, since those road trips do wear on you, especially when you aren’t winning.
“We’ll get practice in tomorrow to see what adjustments we can make.”
One day after that practice, Curwensville will host the Lady Owls of Harmony, with a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Juniata Valley 20 13 13 9 – 55
Curwensville 3 4 6 2 – 15
Juniata Valley – 55
Kenzie Coffman 8 0-0 16, Makayla Moskel 1 0-0 3, Maddie Hopsicker 3 0-0 6, Adria Russell 1 0-0 2, Taryn Stewart 1 0-0 2, Anna Taylor 2 2-2 7, Makenna Hartman 5 1-2 11, Izzy Anderson 0 0-0 0, Gabby Coffman 1 0-0 2, Alli Mowrer 2 0-0 4, Aaliyah Foster 0 0-0 0, Amelia Russell 0 0-0 0, Kassidy Watson 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 25 3-4 55.
Curwensville – 15
Skylar Pents 2 0-2 4, Jaiden Weber-Herring 0 0-0 0, Addison Butler 0 0-0 0, Karleigh Freyer 1 3-4 5, Janelle Passmore 3 0-0 6, Brooklynn Price 0 0-0 0, Jovee Elensky 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 6 3-6 15.
GAME STATISTICS
Juniata Valley/Curwensville
- Shooting: 25-57/6-31
- Rebounds: 25/15
- Fouls: 10/3
- Turnovers: 18/28
- Three-Point Shots: Moskel, Taylor
