Brandon holds off Springfield

It's not always "Attack-sketball" at Otter Valley. Good thing, too.
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It’s not always “Attack-sketball” at Otter Valley. Good thing, too. When the Otters girls needed some set plays to get through a close game they got them in a 56-49 victory over Springfield Tuesday. The Cosmos turned a seven-point deficit into a one-possession game in the fourth period at 49-48, their 9-2 run capped by a Chelsea McAllister 3-pointer. After they came up empty on three hurried chances to take the lead, the Otters created some space. With Brittany Bushey cutting down the lane, Olivia Bloomer caught her with a little bounce pass from the wing and Bushey converted a layup. After Springfield’s Abi Cox hit a little runner to close it back to a point, Bloomer got open for a foul line jumper and then fireball Jessica Frazier had a signature OV play, grabbing a rebound at one end and going the distance for a driving layup with 1:25 left for a 53-48 lead that was not threatened. The victory left the Otters at 7-7, the same mark as their Division II brethren from Springfield. “We really try to focus on getting up the floor in attack basketball but a big thing is working on set pieces so when we need a bucket we can get two and then get back and play defense,” Otters coach Steven Keith said. Bloomer finished with 17 pionts for the Otters while Frazier added 15. McAllister had 16 points, Cox 13 and Rachel Ells 10 for Springfield. It was a game of conflicting styles, the Otters running as much as possible and the Cosmos relying more on getting inside looks with their height advantage. The game was tied three times in the early minutes then the teams traded scoring bursts. With the scored 10-10, OV’s Cortney Poljacik sandwiched jumpers around a Frazier end-to-end drive for a laypup, the second jumper just beating the first-period buzzer. Bloomer started the second period with a pretty spin move and bank shot and it was 18-10. That’s when Cox jump-started the Cosmos with a baseline runner and two free throws in an 8-2 run that closed the gap to 20-18. But it was here that the Cosmos’ patience betrayed them: several times they created good inside looks and the shots did not fall. The Otters seized the opportunity with an 8-2 run to close the half, including a jumper and two free throws by Blooomer and a Bushey trey for a 29-20 halftime lead. “(Springfield has) a nice team,” Keith said. “They had a couple of shots inside that easily could have gone that rolled off the rim. If some of those shots fall it could have been a different game. We just stayed tough.” The teams swapped buckets through the third period and then the Cosmos broke the spell with a 7-0 run capped by McAllister’s trey, putting Springfield in position for a road victory. “I’m pleased with the second half. I thought we had a couple of opportunities to either take the lead or tie the game but we didn’t get quality shots,” Cosmos coach Joe Brown said, “and that’s something we’ll work on. “But other than that give Otter Valley credit. They played with a lot of heart and determination, and that’ll give us fire when they come to our place.” Published February 13, 2013 in the Rutland Herald OV holds off Springfield By BOB FREDETTE STAFF WRITER BRANDON —