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Big fourth quarter shoots Lady Eels past Lady Cards
For the Clay City Lady Eels it was better late than never Thursday night at Bloomfield.
In the fourth quarter Clay City finally overcame its offensive struggles, nearly equaling its production over the previous 24 minutes.
Trailing 19-17 entering the final eight minutes of play the Lady Eels put 16 points on the board while limiting the Lady Cardinals to four at the other end, pulling away for a 33-23 win in Southwestern Indiana Athletic Conference girls basketball action.
“We got some big baskets toward the end,” Clay City coach Chris Ames said. “Three threes in the last quarter and that really kind of turned the tide I think.”
Two Eels - Madelyn Ames and Avalee Jeffers - accounted for Clay City’s entire scoring output in the fourth quarter outburst.
Ames knocked down a pair of threes and tacked on a free throw for seven points while Jeffers put up two deuces and a trey to go with two freebies for nine.
Jeffers scored inside to knot the score at 19. The next trip down she found Ames open for a corner three. Ames buried the look and the Lady Eels never trailed again.
Bloomfield’s full-court press had given Clay City fits all night.
As Ames said, “Bloomfield is so well-coached and their defense is so hard to figure out. They’ve been well-drilled at it and we couldn’t break it.”
Andrea Steward finally broke the press and got it ahead to Jeffers for a bucket in transition.
Kyndall Boyll drove baseline and whipped it to Ames in the corner. Ames bagged the triple, was fouled and converted the rare 4-point play.
Lauryn Myers fired to Jeffers up top who swished it from beyond the arc. Jeffers sank 2-of-2 at the stripe with 1:27 left to finish off the Cards.
“If you can get up by two possessions you get some confidence and that’s what happened there,” the Lady Eels coach said.
Until then, Ames said the game was “one of those back-and-forth classic fights out there. One would get up by two or three and the other would score eventually.”
Bloomfield’s four points both came from center Kayla Pinnick, on a short turnaround jumper and an offensive board.
The Lady Cardinals were also plagued by a two-point second stanza. Nicole Kilzer converted two charity tosses with 3:10 on the clock for Bloomfield’s only points.
The Lady Cards misfired on all eight field goal attempts in the second.
“In this game you have to score the ball to win,” Bloomfield coach Ron Knepp said. You can defend and hold teams in the thirties. But if you can’t score you’re not going to win.”
Knepp said it’s a matter of his young team learning who is open, where the cut is and delivering the ball on time.
“We just struggled to get the ball to open people at the time they’re open,” the Lady Cardinals coach said. “That’s the biggest issue, just not delivering the ball on time.”
The stagnant quarter allowed Clay City to erase what had been a strong start for Bloomfield.
The Cards led 10-5 after the opening stanza. Malea Toon turned a steal into a layup. After Felicity Graf hit 1-of-2 free throws Toon scored on a nifty lefthanded move inside.
Graf tossed to Hayley England up top for a 3-pointer off an inbounds play. Graf then scooped up a loose ball and bagged a jumper from the elbow.
The Lady Eels countered with Kyndall Boyll inside and the first of Ames’ three triples.
After the quarter break Ames hooked up with Jeffers on an out of bounds play. Jeffers then blocked a shot, grabbed the carom and took it coast-to-coast for a layup. Ayshia Hernandez found Ames open underneath. Boyll applied the finishing touch on a drive with seconds left, giving Clay City a 13-12 lead headed into the locker room.
The Lady Eels were still leading 17-16 when Graf fired to Toon at the top of the key for a three-ball as the third quarter wound down.
But Pinnick’s two buckets were Bloomfield’s only made field goals in 12 attempts in the final quarter, allowing the suddenly-hot Eels to overtake the Cards.
For all its offensive woes, Bloomfield had its share of moments defensively. The Lady Cardinals forced 22 Clay City turnovers, coming up with 13 steals. Graf nabbed six thefts.
“Defensively, you’re going to find great effort from the girls,” Knepp said. “They just give you everything they’ve got on the defensive end. We play good defense. But it’s just the offensive end. That’s where it lacks.”
Ames and Jeffers shared scoring honors with 13 points apiece. Toon’s seven led Bloomfield while Pinnick added six.
Bloomfield slips to 6-12 and 2-3 in the SWIAC. Clay City evened its season mark at 10-10, improving to 3-2 in conference play.
The Lady Cardinals host Northview Monday. Clay City entertains SWIAC foe North Daviess at the Eel Dome Tuesday.
LADY EELS 33, LADY CARDINALS 23
Clay City 5 8 4 16 -- 33
Bloomfield 10 2 7 4 -- 23
CLAY CITY (10-10, 3-2) -- Kyndall Boyll 2-4 0-0 4, Madelyn Ames 4-7 2-3 13, Avalee Jeffers 5-6 2-2 13, Aysiah Hernandez 0-5 0-0 0, Andrea Steward 1-1 0-0 3, Lauryn Myers 0-0 0-0 0, Jeana Everhart 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-23 4-5 33.
3-point shooting: 5-12 (Ames 3-5, Jeffers 1-1, Steward 1-1, Hernandez 0-5). Rebounds 19 (Boyll 5). Assists 5 (Hernandez 2). Steals 7 (Jeffers 4). Blocks 6 (Jeffers 4). Personal fouls 9.
BLOOMFIELD (6-12, 2-3) -- Malea Toon 3-11 0-0 7, Nicole Kilzer 0-2 2-2 2, Kayla Pinnick 3-5 0-0 6, Felicity Graf 1-9 1-2 3, Hayley England 2-8 0-0 5, Katie Small 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 9-36 3-4 23.
3-point shooting: 2-9 (Toon 1-2, England 1-4, Pinnick 0-1, Graf 0-2). Rebounds 18 (Toon 7). Assists 4 (Graf 3). Steals 13 (Graf 6). Blocks 1 (Toon). Personal fouls 9.
