DEFENSE, MACIK LIFT ATHENS TO 45-26 WIN OVER TROY
By: Tim Birney | AthensWildcats.com | February 10, 2022 | Photo courtesy David Alliger
ATHENS — Athens dished out a large dose of senior Caydence Macik, and an
even bigger dose of defense in a 45-26 win over Troy here Thursday
night in NTL Large School girls basketball action.
“I really love
to coach defense, and we have a philosophy,” said Athens coach Brian
Miller. “We all believe in it, and the girls really played to that
philosophy tonight.
“We wanted to limit them driving the ball to
the basket, because they are more of a driving, slashing team,” noted
Miller. “We made sure we were outside on their shooters, and we did a
nice job fronting the post because they love to enter the ball into the
post.
“That might have been our best defensive performance of the
year as a team,” added Miller. “To hold that team to 25 points … even
the shots they made were highly-contested.”
The win also avenges a
35-28 loss at Troy earlier this season. In that loss, the Lady Wildcats
played without junior Karlee Bartlow.
“Having Karlee (Bartlow)
was the huge difference,” said Miller. “She’s one of our better guards
and scorers and has experience; that was a huge difference.
“We also executed offensively against their zone, and then against their man-to-man,” he added. “And, we scored in transition.“
Macik scored 15 points in the first quarter to help Athens to a 17-9 lead after the first eight minutes.
“We got the ball Caydence a lot, especially early on, and she finished,” said Miller. “She had a really good offensive night.”
Athens stretched its lead to nine points, at 22-13, on a 3-pointer by Addy Wheeler with 2:10 remaining in the first half.
Karlee
Bartlow scored on a driving lay-up early in the opening minute of the
second half, and Macik scored off a steal under the bucket to give the
Lady Wildcats a 27-15 lead with 6:18 remaining in the third quarter.
A
jumper by Troy’s Katie Lackey with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter
trimmed the deficit to 30-21, but Athens closed the quarter with a 6-2
spurt — on a jumper by Macik, and back-to-back driving lay-ups by Karlee
Bartlow — to take a 36-23 lead into the final eight minutes.
Sophomore
Mya Thompson scored four points, and Macik converted an old-fashioned
three-point play as the Wildcats used a 9-2 spurt to take its biggest
lead of the game, at 45-25, in the final minute of the game.
Macik
led Athens with 28 points, six rebounds and one blocked shot, while
Karlee Bartlow had eight points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one
blocked shot, and Wheeler added five points, seven rebounds, and two
assists.
Thompson chipped in with four points and one blocked
shot in the win, while senior Olivia Bartlow grabbed five rebounds and
blocked four shots, and junior Emma Bronson contributed five rebounds,
three assists, and six steals.
Lackey led Troy with 12 points and six rebounds.
Athens,
now 15-5, moves into a tie with Troy for second place in the Large
School Division, but currently holds the third tie-breaker, which is
power points.
Athens closes out the regular season Monday when it hosts North Penn-Mansfield, while Troy plays at division champion Towanda.
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