×

Indians’ defense comes up big in overtime win

Sentinel photo by MIKE GOSS
Juniata's #10 MacKenzie Bennett shoots a jump shot while UDA's #12 Sam Bowman tries to block.

MIFFLINTOWN–Going into Monday night’s home matchup against Upper Dauphin, Juniata coach Mike Smith’s plan for the remainder of the Indians’ regular season was simple–win out.

In order to make the Tri-Valley League Tourament, Juniata needs to finish in one of the top two seeds in its division. Before Monday’s game, the Indians sat in fourth, but were just a game behind East Juniata for the No. 2 seed.

While the tournament is definitely in reach, the plan is much easier said than done. The already daunting task is made that much more difficult considering that in their final four games, the Indians must face Upper Dauphin, Greenwood and East Juniata. All three of those teams are among the top of the Tri-Valley League, adding more of a challenge to Smith’s plan.

Smith’s team took a step in the right direction as it topped Upper Dauphin by a score of 58-53 in overtime. After losing to East Juniata and Susquenita on consecutive days, the Indians have bounced back nicely, putting up 63 points on Saturday during a win over Line Mountain before dropping 58 on an Upper Dauphin team that leads the Tri-Valley League East.

“They just kind of settled down and played their game,” Smith said about his team’s recent offensive turnaround. “On Saturday, (against Line Mountain) we just got the chance to kind of get back into our regular rhythm and get shots up.”

It took strong performances from the whole team to take down the sharpshooting Trojans, but it was Olivia Clark in particular who lit up the scoreboard and the stat sheet. The forward scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists while blocking five shots and swiping four steals.

Center Malin Kint and guard MacKenzie Bennett each score 10 points while tallying 15 rebounds and seven rebounds, respectively.

Juniata and Upper Dauphin traded blows in the first quarter as each side took turns putting the ball in the basket. Despite the Indians turning the ball over on multiple occasions, Clark converted an and-1 before burying a 3-pointer to give the home team a 15-14 lead after the first.

The second quarter saw the pace of play slow drastically as both sides made the necessary defensive adjustments to prevent its opponent from establishing a rhythm. Five different Juniata players scored in the second as it held a slim 24-23 lead going into the half.

Going into Monday’s game, Upper Dauphin averaged 46 points per game while Juniata averaged 45 points per game, a sure indicator that the contest was going to come down to the wire.

The Trojans’ offense heated up in the third quarter as they combined to drain three 3-pointers, en route to a 16-point quarter. On the flip side, the Indians struggled to keep pace with Upper Dauphin after being limited to just nine points in the quarter.

“They’re a real tough team,” Smith said. “Those shooters are deadly. They hit, hit, hit and they don’t stop hitting.”

Trailing 39-33 headed into the fourth, Juniata needed a spark to ignite its offense, in hopes of getting back in the game. The Indians got that spark from Bennett who scored six points in the quarter, helping Juniata fight back into the game. Bennett scored on consecutive possessions to make it a one-score game. Talon Walton, who played a key role off the bench, grabbed an offensive rebound and put it up and in for a layup, tying the game at 46 with a little more than two minutes to play.

Upper Dauphin retook the lead after Kara Rupp split a pair of free throws, but the Indians got it right back as Clark corralled a wild inbound pass, taking it in for an easy layup and giving her squad a 48-47 lead.

After an exchange of free throws, the game was tied at 51 with 12 seconds to play. Bennett grabbed an offensive rebound and made her layup, but it was waved off as she did not put the shot up before time ran out.

“I was pretty happy with how they played,” Smith said. “Being down six (after) the third quarter and really just plugging to get back in and making smart decisions; that’s what we needed.”

Upper Dauphin, who only has five players on the varsity team, showed signs of fatigue in the overtime period as the normally solid-shooting team, struggled to connect from the floor. The electric Upper Dauphin offense managed just two points in overtime, and could not keep up with the Indians who put the game on ice, securing the hard-fought 58-53 win.

“It’s huge,” Smith said about what Monday’s win means in their charge for the postseason. “If we can knock Greenwood off next week, knock Upper Dauphin off again… and then we have EJ. That would really be icing on the cake for us.”

Juniata 58, Upper Dauphin 53 (OT)

UPPER DAUPHIN

Olivia Halterman 8 0-0 18, Eileen Nestor 7 1-2 16, Bryonna Cather 4 2-4 14, Kara Rupp 2 1-2 5. Totals: 21 4-8 53.

3-point goals: Cather 4, Halterman 2, Nestor.

Did not score: Sam Bowman, Natalie Campbell.

JUNIATA

Olivia Clark 7 4-5 20, Malin Kint 5 0-2 10, MacKenzie Bennett 3 3-7 10, Mya Rush 3 0-0 8, Talon Walton 3 0-0 6, Makenzi Beward 2 0-0 4. Totals: 23 7-14 58.

3-point goals: Clark 2, Rush 2, Bennett.

Did not score: Rowe Shepps.

Score by quarters:

Upper Dauphin 14-9-16-12-2 53

Juniata 15-9-9-18-7 58

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $3.92/week.

Subscribe Today