MSJ holds off Springfield girls basketball

MSJ came into Friday afternoon’s VPA girls basketball matchup against Springfield with a plan: Slow down standout senior Chelsea McAllister.
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MSJ holds off Springfield girls basketball Cosmos fall, 50-45 By Jason Orfao | Dec 20, 2014 Share on print Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email More Sharing Services 0 Photo by: Jason Orfao Springfield senior Nicole Patterson dribbles past MSJ sophomore Monica Schmelzenbach on Friday during the Cosmos' 50-45 loss at the Green Mountain Holiday Tournament. CHESTER — MSJ came into Friday afternoon’s VPA girls basketball matchup against Springfield with a plan: Slow down standout senior Chelsea McAllister. The task is easier said than done, but the Mounties did just enough and held on for a 50-45 victory at the Green Mountain Holiday Tournament. The Cosmos (2-2) faced a seven-point deficit heading into the final quarter, but Springfield responded with a late charge. McAllister had three big hoops down the stretch. The first came off a pass from Nicole Patterson, before McAllister buried a 3-pointer with 2:30 to go. Moments later, Brooke Willey came away with a steal and fed McAllister for a layup to cut the deficit to 46-45 with 1:43 left on the clock. However, Springfield couldn’t cash in another bucket and MSJ (4-0) secured the victory. McAllister finished with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting, along with seven rebounds, six assists, six steals and a blocked shot. The Springfield senior fouled out with 30 seconds left and the Cosmos down by three. Willey added eight points, three assists and three steals. Patterson chipped in seven points and three assists, as well. The Mounties implemented a diamond-and-one defense on McAllister and MSJ head coach Dan Elliott tasked Megan Eaton and Izzy Harvey with chasing her down. “Our game plan coming in was to limit her points and we were going to try and make someone else beat us,” said Elliott. “I thought we did a good job wearing her down a little bit. I thought those two girls did a phenomenal job getting after her.” Megan Schmelzenbach was a thorn in the side of Springfield throughout the game. The MSJ sophomore finished with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, five boards, six assists and five steals. “She was taking care of the basketball all game long because our point guard (Jenna Eaton) was out. She took on a big load of being our true ball handler,” said Elliott of Schmelzenbach. “She gets to the rim so well. She’s so quick off the dribble.” The Cosmos struggled out of the gate, as MSJ jumped on top 7-1 in the first quarter. The Mounties managed to maintain a small cushion throughout most of the contest. “I think it’s just execution — that’s the biggest thing — and not being disciplined on defense,” said Springfield head coach Joe Brown. “There were a lot of girls who got into foul trouble; silly fouls.” Of MSJ’s 39 rebounds, 18 came on the offensive glass. “I don’t think we controlled the boards that well. We gave them a lot of second and third opportunities,” said Brown. “We really didn’t get into a rhythm on offense. Overall, it wasn’t a very good game for us. We didn’t do the things that we had to do to win.” Springfield trailed 24-20 at halftime, but Willey gave the Cosmos a boost early in the third quarter with seven points in the first two minutes of the second half. A 3-pointer from Willey gave Springfield its only lead of the game at 27-26 with 6:10 to go in the third, but MSJ answered right back with a trey on the next possession. Diamond Bruso gave the Cosmos a lift in the paint with five points and a team-high nine boards. The biggest positive for the Cosmos was their full-court press, which forced numerous turnovers and kept MSJ within striking distance. “We really focused on our full-court defense and there were some times we executed and got into spots and were able to trap,” said Brown. “That was nice.” Both teams struggled at the foul line. MSJ went 11-of-31 from the charity stripe, while Springfield converted 6-of-18 opportunities. “The free throws killed us,” said Brown. “It wasn’t pretty. We’re just trying to break some bad habits. Until we break those habits, we’re going to struggle against teams like this.” MSJ went 1-of-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch, but a conversion from Harvey with 19.6 seconds left made it a two-possession game and secured the win. “That’s a good team,” said Elliott. “That’s a huge signature win for us.” Box Score MSJ (50) Megan Eaton 4-14 1-5 11, Shannon Elms 3-9 1-4 7, Monica Schmelzenbach 6-9 2-5 15, Bethany Garrow 0-8 6-8 6, Sally Hogan 4-11 0-6 8, Izzy Harvey 1-3 1-3 3, Sarah Harvey 0-0 0-0 0, Olivia Corbett 0-0 0-0 0, Gabby Giancola 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-54 11-31 50. SPRINGFIELD (45) Chelsea McAllister 8-18 1-3 19, Nicole Patterson 3-7 1-2 7, Brooke Willey 3-5 1-2 8, Jordan Phelps 0-2 0-0 0, Cassidy Otis 0-4 1-2 1, Aunna Parker 1-2 0-1 2, Lizzie Mackenzie 1-4 0-0 2, Ari Rowe 0-2 1-2 1, Diamond Bruso 2-8 1-6 5. Totals 18-52 6-18 45. MSJ 13 11 13 13—50 Springfield 11 9 10 15—45 3-point goals — MSJ 3-8 (Eaton 2-5, Schmelzenbach 1-1, Garrow 0-1, I. Harvey 0-1), Springfield 3-6 (McAllister 2-5, Willey 1-1). Rebounds — MSJ 39 (Hogan 11), Springfield 34 (Bruso 9). Assists — MSJ 13 (Schmelzenbach 6), Springfield 13 (McAllister 6). Steals — MSJ 9 (Schmelzenbach 5), Springfield 11 (McAllister 6). Records — MSJ 4-0, Springfield 2-2.