McAllister leads Cosmos over Rebels

Chelsea McAllister became Springfield's top female scorer as her 33 points pushed her past Danielle Hunt and also keyed the Cosmos to a 60-33 win over Leland & Gray in a Division II game Wednesday night at Dressel Gym.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20141204/SPORTS02/712049919

Published December 4, 2014 in the Rutland Herald McAllister leads Cosmos over Rebels By POODY WALSH Correspondent SPRINGFIELD — Chelsea McAllister became Springfield’s top female scorer as her 33 points pushed her past Danielle Hunt and also keyed the Cosmos to a 60-33 win over Leland & Gray in a Division II game Wednesday night at Dressel Gym. McAllister now has 1199 points to jump head of Hunt who had 1196. It was a big night for the senior as she fell just short of a triple double with nine rebounds and 11 steals. It was the season opener for both teams. For the first time since she could remember, McAllister was not double teamed or dealing with a defense that was designed to limit her offensive production. “That was different,” McAllister said. “I was so surprised.” It was an emphatic win for the Cosmos, who had some early-game struggles, but settled down nicely as the game moved along, allowing the Rebels just 12 points in the second half. “I’m very pleased the way the defense has evolved,” said Springfield coach Joe Brown. “I think the players executed the defense pretty well.” Brown is hoping for a new-look Springfield team. “We want to be more aggressive and play with some toughness,” Brown said. “We’re also looking for some better team chemistry.” McAllister, who was mad at herself for missing some easy shots, had a trio of three-pointers in the first quarter that got the Cosmos out of an early 8-2 hole and into an 11-8 lead. While McAllister may have missed some layups, she had a baby hook with her left hand that was very effective, including three such shots in succession as the went past Hunt in the fourth quarter to get the storing title and then left the game. Leland & Gray came into the contest with three sophomore starters and paid the price of inexperience when it came to taking care of the ball. “We did have some ball control problems,” said Leland & Gray coach Terry Merrow. “We’re still young and we installed a new offense. We saw a lot of first-game stuff tonight.” Leland & Gray’s Haley Buffum had six early points as the Rebels were impressive out of the chute, but turnovers and some slick passing moved Springfield into a 31-21 lead at the hal,f and they were never threatened the rest of the game. Rachel Borgeson, with 10 points, and nine each from Buffum and Jordan Gouger paced the Rebels offensively. Springfield sophomore Cassidy Otis added nine points. Springfield goes to Mill River Friday night. The Rebels are at West Rutland on Saturday.