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Huskies unable to tame Lions

Bodtorf scores team-high 16 for MC

Sentinel photo by MATT STRICKER
Mifflin County’s Katelyn Knable, center, looks to score while defended by Altoona’s Avery Burchfield in a nonleague girls basketball game Tuesday in Lewistown.

LEWISTOWN — They say speed kills in sports but height and size can do a pretty decent job as well. Just ask Mifflin County girls basketball coach Roger Herto.

The Huskies had no answer for the height and length of Altoona as Caranda Perea and Brigid Fox combined for 36 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocked shots in a 68-41 Mid-Penn Commonwealth victory over Mifflin County Tuesday night.

With the loss, Mifflin County’s slim playoff hopes ended. The Huskies are 0-3 against district competition, 3-9 in the Commonwealth and 5-12 overall, which means they cannot finish .500 or better in any of the qualifying mechanisms under school district policy with only five games left in the regular season.

“Altoona is very good. They are much better than we are right now personnel-wise. They’re pretty gracious. That game could have been very different if she (Altoona coach Miriam Colledge) wanted it to be,” Herto said. “She was pretty gracious with us tonight. She didn’t press the entire time, gave us an opportunity to do some things with our kids and I appreciate that.”

Perea had 20 points, five boards and seven blocks, while Fox scored 16 with 12 rebounds and two blocks. The 6-2 Perea and 6-0 Fox were too much inside for the Huskies, who are minus frontcourt players Molly Wagoner and Emma Yeager.

“It seems to be a growing trend with those two. In the last couple games, they’ve really been coming on and they work so nicely together,” Colledge said. “They feed off of each other. They are very comfortable around the basket with each other, so they know where the other is going to be. It’s a beautiful exhibition to see the two of them out there.”

Brianna Bodtorf led the Huskies with 16 points and seven rebounds. Emma Weaver came off the bench and scored seven, all in the fourth quarter.

“I was pleased with our kids. They kept fighting. (Brianna) Bodtorf had herself a great game and to have a freshman who doesn’t quit, that’s a great sign,” Herto said. “She kept playing. I told her at halftime, I know that kid (Perea) has blocked your shot three or four times, but you have to stay the course and keep trying to make plays and she did.”

Altoona (10-6, 9-3) used the outside shooting of Perea to take a commanding 21-5 lead after one. The Mountain Lion junior scored nine in the quarter while Mifflin County missed easy layups.

“We missed four or five good layup opportunities early in the game against their press and that kills you,” Herto said. “When you have good opportunities, you have to do something with them and we didn’t convert. We had some good five feet and in looks at the bucket and came away with nothing. When you have those opportunities, you have to cash in and we didn’t.”

The Mountain Lions kept the pressure up in the second quarter, thanks to eight points from Fox. Altoona won the frame 17-6 to hold a decisive 38-11 advantage at the half.

Bodtorf came out in the second half on fire with 11 points in the third quarter as the Huskies won the frame by a 16-15 score.

“I was going to try and help our team get to where we need to be by being as aggressive as I could and get some points on the board,” Bodtorf said. “I feel more comfortable on the court now than I did at the beginning of the season. What’s good about our team is we never give up. We’ve gotten better at being aggressive on the court.”

Mifflin County showed more energy and effort, playing Altoona even 30-30 in second half, but the disastrous first half was too much to overcome.

“Altoona right now, personnel-wise, is at a different level. There’s no question about it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring effort and energy to the floor and with a lot of our kids I saw that tonight,” Herto said. “That’s a plus sign, a building sign, and while the score isn’t what we wanted to see, the effort is what I was after more than anything else and from a lot of our kids, I saw that tonight.”

The Husky JVs improved to 14-3 with a 45-32 victory. Halle Rittenhouse led the team with 12 points.

Mifflin County travels to State College on Saturday.

Altoona 68, Mifflin County 41

ALTOONA

Brigid Fox 7 2-2 16, Caranda Perea 9 0-0 20, Adalynn Cherry 4 0-0 11, Stevie Webber 4 0-0 11, Adaliz Corbin 2 0-0 4, Isabella Frank 1 0-0 3, Riley Reid 1 0-0 2. Totals: 28 4-5 68.

3-point goals: Webber 3, Perea 2, Frank.

Did not score: Brooklyn Rupert, Kaylee Smith, Avery Burchfield, Mallory Cree.

MIFFLIN COUNTY

Fern Silfies 1 0-0 3, Brianna Bodtorf 7 1-3 16, Morgan Weston 0 2-2 2, Hannah Aumiller 1 1-2 4, Hanna Rittenhouse 1 0-0 2, Abbie Treaster 1 0-0 2, Mya Aumiller 1 0-0 3, Sarah Shilling 1 0-0 2, Emma Weaver 3 0-0 7, Katelyn Knable 0 0-2 0. Totals: 16 4-9 41.

3-point goals: Silfies, Bodtorf, Hannah Aumiller, Mya Aumiller, Weaver.

Did not score: Kolbi Knode, Elizabeth Daubert, Halle Rittenhouse, Lily Yoder, Tessa Pavlova.

Score by quarters

Altoona 21-17-15-15 — 68

Mifflin County 5-6-16-14 — 41

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