By Rob Potter
ELDRED —February 9, 2001 - Another game, another victory.
That’s the way it has been for the Eldred girls’ basketball team its last 15 games. Eldred, the seventh-ranked Class D team in the latest New York State Sportswriters’ Association poll, has not lost since December 1.
The Lady Yellow Jackets’ latest win came against visiting Tri-Valley Tuesday night.
Eldred never trailed in a 48-37 win over the Lady Bears in an Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division IV match-up.
After a 2-2 tie in the game’s opening minute, Eldred (15–1, 9–0 Division IV) went on a 12-2 run. But just as soon as the Lady Yellow Jackets grabbed a 14-4 lead thanks to an inside the paint basket by Loretta Wolff, the Lady Bears responded. Two baskets by Amanda Krom, one of which came from beyond the three-point arc, helped Tri-Valley (8–8, 4–5 Division IV) close the gap to 14-11 at the end of the first quarter.
But over the next three periods, Eldred steadily built a comfortable lead to take control of the contest.
One key factor in the game was the foul situation. Tri-Valley took only four free throws on the evening and committed a host of fouls. As a result, Eldred shot 21 free throws, although the Lady Yellow Jackets connected on just 10 of those opportunities.
“Two of my starters were sitting on the bench for a big part of the game,” said Tri-Valley coach Karen Furman, noting that Heather Bachmann and Megan Sheeley fouled out in the second half. “And Eldred didn’t have too much trouble with our press, they just went right down the floor. They were able to take it down the middle of our defense.”
Tri-Valley was also hampered by the absence of starting point guard Jessica Miller. Miller suffered a sprained ankle in a game last weekend and is expected to miss two weeks.
Eldred likewise was sans one starter as guard Erin Donnelly was a spectator on the bench. Donnelly had been inadvertently poked in the eye during a game last Saturday, but was expected to return to the lineup for Eldred’s next game.
Missing a starter might spell disaster for many teams, but the Lady Yellow Jackets didn’t skip a beat.
“This is a good group of girls that works well together,” Eldred coach Frank Kean said. “We have four seniors who provide leadership and the other girls follow their example. These ladies have a lot of heart. That’s the key to the team — they have lot of heart.”
Eldred center Stacie Blaut recorded a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Christine Lizzi added 10 points and dished out nine assists for the Lady Yellow Jackets.
The Lady Bear offense was paced by Sheeley, who netted 16 points, and Krom, who finished with 13.