By Hayley Milon
O’Connell Student
If it were up to No. 3-ranked Elizabeth Seton, the Roadrunners would just pound the ball inside all night. After all, Seton has made just five three-pointers all season.
So even when O’Connell tried to force the outside shot, the Roadrunners stuck with the plan, leading to a comfortable 73-57 road win Friday night.
“We weren’t really doing everything we needed to do,†Seton Coach Candy Cage said. “We needed rebounds and an inside presence, and Alexis Martin really came through for us on that end.â€
Martin led Elizabeth Seton’s offense with 17 points to push the Roadrunners to 13-1. Katelyn Marshall trailed closely behind with 16 points and Tyaunna Marshall notched 15.
“We saw that we needed to get the ball inside to score, rather than taking outside jumpers as we did early in the game,†Cage said.
This plan proved effective, as the only three-pointer for Elizabeth Seton was scored by sophomore point guard Alyssa Albanese. The score at the half was 40-27 in favor of Seton.
Elizabeth Seton for the most part scored down low even though the Knights played a man defense to put pressure on the ball, in hopes to force Elizabeth Seton to take the outside shot.
“Our offense really works to get runs,†Marshall said. “We push the ball in and score low.â€
O’Connell’s offense, on the other hand, was constantly moving the ball around the outside looking for the open shot. The Knights used quick dribble hand-offs to keep their offense going. Senior Kelly Horvath led the team with 22 points and five three-pointers.
“Our three-pointers were definitely on, even if our offense didn’t play perfectlyâ€, Horvath said.
O’Connell (10-7) lost to Elizabeth Seton by 32 points in their second game of the season on Dec. 9 earlier this year, so Friday night’s game was seen as a step in the right direction.
“There is no question that we improved since the last team we faced Elizabeth Seton,” Knights Coach Jimmy Brown said. “I was happy with the confidence the team played withâ€.
The Road Runners look forward to playing the Episcopal School in the Philadelphia Sunday Showcase this weekend, then return home to take on the St. John’s Cadets on Jan. 27.
“We’re going to have our hands full in the next few games and we’ll be ready to change things up if we have to,†Cage said.
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