By Rob Potter
LIVINGSTON MANOR — The Chapel Field Lady Lions dialed long distance for a victory on Thursday night.
That’s long distance as in making shots beyond the 19-foot, 9-inch arc on their half of the basketball court.
Chapel Field made eight 3-point shots to defeat the host Livingston Manor Lady Wildcats, 68-36, in an Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) game.
With the win, Chapel Field improved its season record to 12-2 overall and 7-0 in Division VI.
Leading the Lady Lions to victory were Audrey Pooley, who made five 3-point shots on her way to registering a game-high 26 points, and Grace Hodges, who had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Also contributing to Chapel Field’s balanced offensive attack were Lyndi Fielitz (12 points) and Jen Oskam (11 points).
However, Manor (11-5, 5-3 Div. VI) held the advantage on the scoreboard in the opening minutes of the contest.
With 6:37 remaining in the first quarter, guard Marissa Diescher made a 3-point shot to break a 2-2 tie. Diescher scored again nearly two minutes later to give the Lady Wildcats a 7-4 lead.
But Hodges scored on a drive to the hoop and then put back a missed shot to give Chapel Field an 8-7 advantage with 4:02 remaining.
The Lady Lions closed the quarter with a 12-4 run and enjoyed a 36-16 lead at halftime.
Chapel Field Coach Sal Patane noted that Pooley “really shot the ball well tonight.”
Patane noted that his players were able to quickly overcome their early deficit.
“We competed well as a team,” he said.
He also praised the Lady Wildcats.
“Manor played tough, they have a good team,” Patane said.
Diescher led Manor with 15 points. Christine Babich had six points, while Chaz Reed and Angela Zayas each added four points for the Lady Wildcats.
Manor Coach Kevin Clifford noted that his team “played good defense at times” and got off to a good start.
“But they are such a talented team,” Clifford said of the Lady Lions. “Sal [Patane] is a great coach. Every player in their starting five can shoot 3-pointers and they play on such an even keel. We took an early lead, but they didn’t panic and came back to grab the lead.”