By Rob Potter
ELDRED — December 8, 2006 — On Tuesday evening, the Eldred Central School hosted the first round of its annual Girls’ Basketball Holiday Tournament.
In the event’s first game, Livingston Manor defeated Chapel Field, 49-44, in overtime. Then in the second contest, the host Eldred Lady Yellowjackets topped Liberty, 36-33.
Chapel Field is scheduled to play Liberty at 4 p.m. today in the tournament’s consolation game and Manor and Eldred meet in the 5:30 p.m. title contest.
Lady Wildcats Win in OT
Manor overcame a 28-21 deficit after three quarters to win its season-opening game.
A jump shot by Rose Curtis midway through the fourth period allowed Manor (1-0) to knot the score at 31-31.
After a few lead changes, the Lady Wildcats again tied the game when Bionca Colton scored with 37 seconds remaining.
In the last 13 seconds, Manor’s Megan Ellison and Chapel Field’s Katie Oskum each made one foul shot, which left the squads tied at 39-39 at the buzzer.
Oskum made two foul shots early in the extra session to give Chapel Field (0-1) a 41-39 advantage.
But the Lady Wildcats tied the game at 43-43 and took the lead for good when Marissa Diescher made a jump shot with 2:25 remaining.
Diescher finished with a team-high 12 points, while Rose Curtis had 11 points, Jackie Trotti recorded 10 points and Desirae Dutcher added eight points.
Chapel Field’s top scorers were Grace Hodges with 12 points and Oskum, who finished with 11 points.
Kristen Theodore added six points for the Lady Lions.
“It was a good win, I’ll take it,” Manor Coach Kevin Clifford said.
Eldred Outlasts Liberty
Host Eldred (1-0) enjoyed a 22-12 advantage at halftime, but held off a Liberty (0-1) comeback in the last two quarters.
The Lady Indians outscored the Lady Yellowjackets 14-5 in the third period to make it a 27-26 game heading into the final frame.
Just over two minutes into the fourth quarter, a Liberty player was called for a technical foul. Eldred senior Jessica Bisland made both of the subsequent foul shots to push the Lady Yellowjackets’ lead to 31-28.
But a few seconds later, Bisland suffered a knee injury and had to be taken off the court by members of the American Legion Ambulance Corps. She was reportedly taken to Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis for treatment.
When the game resumed, Eldred extended its lead. With 48 seconds left, Lori Henry made a jump shot to give her team a 36-30 advantage.
Liberty’s Angela Giacalone hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to make it a 36-33 contest.
Giacalone and Ceara Williams each scored a team-high nine points.
“I was pretty pleased with the way the girls played overall,” Liberty Coach Tom LaGattuta said. “They fell behind in the first half, but they kept hustling and playing hard. I’m as happy as you can be about a loss.”
Eldred Coach Frank Kean noted that a change in defensive strategy contributed to his team’s victory.
“In the last quarter, we went back to a 1-3-1 [zone] defense and I think that was the key,” he said.
Bisland was the Lady Yellowjackets’ leading scorer with 14 points and teammate Gabby Westfall added 13 points.