ATHENS TOPS SAYRE, 50-21, IN LADY RESKINS' RETURN TO COURT
By: Tim Birney | AthensWildcats.com | December 23, 2021 | Photo courtesy David Alliger
ATHENS - Athens raced out to a 39-4 halftime lead, and cruised to a
50-21 win over Sayre, which was playing its first varsity game in nearly
two years, here Thursday night in NTL girls basketball action.
"We
played well in the first half," said Athens coach Brian Miller. "We
executed our offense, and we scored in transition; we like to score in
transition, so it was nice to get that going."
Miller played his reserves for the entire second half.
"Sayre
is down a little bit, and haven't played in a couple of years," he
said. "It gave us the opportunity to give some girls major minutes at
the varsity level, and to work on some things they need to get better
at.
"It was nice to get everyone in the game - and to get all 11 girls major playing time," added Miller.
For
Sayre coach Eileen Sparduti, it was her time on the sidelines for a
varsity game (she coached the Sayre junior high team last year) since
Feb. 10, 2020. For many of her girls, it was their first varsity game.
"Not only was there a skill and experience mismatch, but the environment - the crowded gym - played a part," she said.
"Young
inexperienced teams need to learn to turn that noise off and focus
inside the lines," noted Sparduti. "They let the moment own them early,
but kept battling against Brian(Miller's) reserves with some
confidence-building results.
"I appreciate the coaching courtesy
Coach Miller extended to us," she added. "We were able to leave with
some positives and that will just make the league stronger down the
road. We need to keep our programs viable."
The Lady Wildcats blew the game open quickly, and led wire-to-wire.
Macik
scored 10 points in the first quarter, while junior Karlee Bartlow
drained a 3-pointer and scored five points, senior Olivia Bartlow added
four points, and freshman Addy Wheeler canned a 3-pointer in a 28-0
blitz in the first eight minutes.
Macik scored seven points
points in the second quarter, including her 1,000th career point (see
related story), in an 11-4 spurt as Athens stretched its lead to 39-4 at
the intermission.
Jazz DeKay, who scored both of Sayre's buckets
in the second quarter, added another bucket in the third quarter, while
Liz Shaw, Kendra Merrill, and Gabby Shaw also scored two points apiece
as the Redskins outscored Athens, 8-6.
Liz Shaw scored four points in the fourth quarter as Sayre closed the game with a 9-5 spurt.
Macik
led Athens with 17 points, four rebounds, and one blocked shot, while
Karlee Bartlow had five points, Olivia Bartlow added four points and
three boards, and freshman Sara Bronson grabbed seven rebounds, and
dished out three assists.
Wheeler had four assists and three
steals in the win, while sophomore Mya Thompson grabbed five rebounds
and recorded three steals, freshman Ella Coyle doled out three assists,
and Izzy Davis hauled down four boards.
Liz Shaw led Sayre with
six points and two steals, while Jazz DeKay scored six points, Gabby
Shaw added four points, and Kendra Merrill had five assists, two
rebounds, and two steals.
Athens, now 3-1, returns to action
Tuesday at Waverly in the opening round of the Valley Christmas
Tournament, while Sayre (0-1) hosts Towanda in the other opening-round
game.
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