Fillies top Lake-Lehman

Paul Brutto looked at his basketball team for one half of play Saturday afternoon, and knew the Fillies were waddling.

There was zero, zip, nada, no excitement.

“Our energy level wasn’t there,” said the Marian girls head basketball coach. “We were so sloppy, unbelievable… we want the (guards) to push the ball (up the court). You get three-point line to three-point line (and) you don’t have it.”

Brutto said it was a matter of not “shifting gears,” more so a breakdown in concentration, along with shooting a paltry 9-for-27 from the floor. Even after the respite, Marian still didn’t find the overdrive gear until the Lady Knights jumped in front by five points.

Then suddenly there was an epiphany of sorts. Marian went to the inside game, took control of the tempo and laced up a somewhat impressive 48-37 victory to stay undefeated in four starts before hitting the “real season,” — the Schuylkill League.

The team’s power surge came from the “bigs” inside — Isabelle Schwabe and Emma McClafferty. The junior tandem combined for 18 rebounds, 11 of them from McClafferty. Toss in the defensive effort from unsung Reese Erbe and Alexa Murray, and the engine was purring smoothly from the 5:03 mark of the third quarter.

“All of those girls did a great job, especially Emma and Izzy,” said Brutto. “(Murray and Erbe) didn’t score much and they don’t have to because their defense is what’s important.”

Where the offense sprouts is from the perimeter and on the break. Sure, Schwabe had game honors with 20, including half of those in the fourth quarter, but the zip started with Emily Shaud, Macey Alansky and Giana Agosti, the latter forcing seven turnovers.

Trailing by five, the Fillies got a kick-start when Agosti drained a triple to fuel a 10-point run. Schwabe added four in the rally and McClafferty a bucket. Before the final quarter hit the midway point, Marian poured in another eight points to zoom in front 38-27.

Schwabe posted up two straight times, before an Alansky breakaway and another Schwabe bucket on a great assist from McClafferty provided Marian with a comfortable 11-point lead.

“We just need to be (more) patient, we make too many long passes, which we don’t have to,” said Brutto. “I thought our press really bothered them in the second half. I think that picked up our energy level … our effort and intensity were a lot different.”

GO FIGURE … The Fillies were hot in the third period shooting 9-for-18 from the floor. They also were able to get a better grasp on trying to handle a physical 6-3 Madison Borum (10 points, 10 rebounds) and guard Sarah Salus (13), who penetrated the lane.

BY THE NUMBERS … Marian shot 22-for-55, while the Knights were 16-48; Fillies had the edge in rebounds, 36-27, and after committing 11 first-half turnovers, they had only three in the second half. The Knights had 13.

LAKE-LEHMAN

Salus 6-1-1-13, Borum 3-0-0-10, Purdy 3-2-2 8, Salansky 2-0-0-4, Scoblick 0-2-4-2, Kline 0-0-0-0, Blight 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 14-5-7-37.

MARIAN

Schwabe 10-0-0-20, Shaud 4-0-0-9, Alansky 3-0-0-9, McClafferty 2-1-4-5, Agosti 1-0-0-3, Erbe 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 22-1-4-48.

Lake-Lehman 13 7 7 10 - 37

Marian 10 9 11 18 - 48

Thee-pointers: Lake-Lehman - Borum 3; Marian - Alansky 3, Agosti 1, Shaud 1.