By Lori Brown
GRAHAMSVILLE — The visiting Chapel Field Lady Lions defeated the Tri-Valley Lady Bears on Thursday night in a non-league basketball game which was the regular-season finale for both teams.
The Lady Lions dominated the first quarter by taking a 15-5 lead in those opening eight minutes. They went on to post a 57-45 victory.
Chapel Field improved its record to 18-2, while T-V fell to 13-7.
Teammates Grace Hodges and Lyndi Fielitz scored the first seven points of the game for the Lady Lions.
The Lady Bears called two timeouts within a minute to discuss strategy.
Hodges made a 3-pointer only 15 seconds into the second quarter.
Soon after, T-V’s Kelly McNamara scored as her team tried to cut Chapel Field’s considerable lead.
But the Lady Lions continued to add to their advantage, pushing it to 30-9 before T-V called a timeout with 2:55 left.
McNamara converted a pair of foul shots and made a traditional basket and teammates Kayla Kearns and Skylar Musa each scored a basket to help the Lady Bears reduce their deficit.
With 25 seconds left in the period, Hodges scored to push the Lady Lions’ lead to 15 points at 34-19.
However, the Lady Bears played stellar defense in the third quarter, holding Chapel Field scoreless.
Early on in the stanza, Hodges, who had recorded 11 points in the first half, left the game with an injury.
In addition to helping her teammates to prevent Chapel Field from scoring, McNamara netted eight points in the third period to bring T-V closer on the scoreboard.
With 3.6 seconds left in the quarter, T-V’s Allyson Bowers made a foul shot to give her team a 35-34 advantage.
But in the fourth period, the Lady Lions outscored the Lady Bears, 23 to 10.
Chapel Field’s Janelle Gros scored early in that final stanza to put her team in the lead.
Jakki Pugh responded with a basket to give T-V a one-point edge.
After Fielitz netted six points on the next two Lady Lion possessions, McNamara and Pugh both scored a basket. T-V’s Amanda Martin then made a free throw to even the score at 42-42.
With only 2:46 remaining in the game, Fielitz hit a 3-pointer and teammate Audrey Pooley swished a jump shot.
Following a Lady Bears’ timeout, Chapel Field’s Jen Oskam scored while being fouled and then made her free throw.
Bowers answered for T-V with a basket and successful foul shot.
With one minute left, Pooley made two free throws.
After a T-V timeout, Fielitz and Pooley each converted both shots of a 1-and-1 free-throw situation to extend the Lady Lions’ lead.
Fielitz and Pooley each finished with 16 points to pace the Chapel Field offense. Fielitz added four assists, three rebounds and three steals, while Pooley dished out five assists and made four steals.
McNamara led the Lady Bears with a game-high 18 points.
“T-V has a good team,” Chapel Field Coach Sal Patane said. “In the third quarter, we went absolutely cold.
“Grace Hodges, our floor leader, got hurt in the early part of the third quarter,” he added. “We showed a lot of character. I am proud of my kids and we had some key baskets in the fourth quarter. Audrey Pooley was consistent and held it together. Senior Lyndi Fielitz hit a couple of big baskets and put us back into the lead when we were down.”
Chapel Field is the No. 2 seed in this week’s Section IX Class D tournament and will play No. 3 seed Livingston Manor at 6 p.m. tomorrow at Pine Bush High School.
At 6 p.m. tonight, T-V, which received the No. 3 seed in the Section IX Class C tournament, will play at No. 2 seed Millbrook.
“We dug ourselves too deep of a hole in the first half,” T-V Coach Andy Taggart said moments after Thursday night’s game. “Chapel Field is a good team. They were well-coached and not shy on shooting the ball.
“In the second quarter we were down 34-19 and came back in the third to lead by one point,” Taggart continued. “We stopped taking the ball to the basket in the fourth quarter. Chapel Field defensively had a box-in-one on Jakki Pugh.
“I give our team a lot of credit for not giving up,” he said. “We did a great job, and battled to the end.”