On Monday, the Corry Lady Beavers JV and Varsity both had exciting and intriguing games against the Fort LeBoeuf Bison, resulting in stunning victories. The final score for JV was 32-31, and Varsity was 45-31, with another region win.
Starting with the first quarter of JV, the Bison led with a solid 4 points right after tip off, pressuring the Beavers with a full court press. After they hit one more 3 pointer, the Beavers trailed behind with a foul shot made by Mikayla Comitz. The Bison get one more layup, ending the quarter 9-1, FLB.
After a rough first quarter, the Beavers really turn it around in the second. Right off the bat, Maci Kemp drained a 3, with the Bison following with a jumpshot. With shots going back and forth in just two minutes, the score was 16-10 with the Bison still leading. Kemp drained another 3 pointer, on a roll with her shooting. As Madi Leofsky was wide open at the 3-point line twice in a row, she made 6 points to end the quarter, keeping the Bison humble, 19-16, Beavers.
After an exciting first-half comeback for the Beavers, as the third quarter starts, no points scored within the first three minutes. Lots of good defense for both teams, and finally a layup scored for the Beavers by Comitz. Not long after, Baylee Northop got fouled and made a shot. The Bison make a few layups, slowly catching up, as the quarter ended at 22-20, Beavers still in the lead.
Starting the fourth quarter strong, Madi Leofsky was fouled on trying to take a layup, and popped a free throw. Not far behind, this reporter got fouled on a drive, and scored 2 points for the Beavers. Comitz took a beautiful wide-open 3 pointer, and buried it in. The Beavers are getting excited, but the Bison bump up their aggression. They get an offensive rebound and put up the layup, and a few plays later made two foul shots. The score is now 28-25, Beavers. The Bison took one more layup, making it a 1-point game with four minutes left. FLB continued the full court press, pressuring the Beavers for a steal. Corry got it down the court, and with a handoff from Leofsky, this reporter dribbled in the paint and put up 2 points. FLB got taken to the foul line and made a shot, then right after tying the game with a layup.
In transition, Leofsky got fouled and went to the line with just 30 seconds left. With everyone in the crowd and on the bench watching and relying on Madi, she drained both shots. With 15 seconds left in the game, and the Beavers pumped, until they foul FLB. She made her first bucket, making it 31-32. She missed her second, and the Beavers got the rebound. Corry held it for the last 6 seconds, taking the victory.
After a good warmup, in the first quarter of Varsity, Grace Allen got the tip-off for the Beavers to begin the game. FLB got the ball back down to their hoop, and buried a 3 pointer. Not far behind, Allen got a breakaway layup to put up 2 points for the Beavers. Rylee Nickerson got an offensive rebound, tried putting it up, but got fouled on the way. She popped 2 points from stunning free throws. While the Bison had possession in their paint, Ava West came in with a great steal, leading Allen with another layup, also with the assist from Nickerson. Immediately, FLB followed up with another 3 pointer, tying the game 6-6. In an action series, FLB also had two consecutive steals, and earned 4 points. With a lot of hustle, Nickerson got another offensive rebound and put up a layup for the Beavers. To end the quarter, Regan Kemp threw up 2 more free throws, tying the game 10-10.
In the second quarter, the Beavers started off with outstanding defense. They limited the Bison to a few dribbles, and resulted in stealing the ball. After multiple back-to-back steals, Haley Mumau put up the shot, and Kemp with the rebound and putback. Nickerson took a defensive steal, and got fouled on the fast break layup. She easily put up the two free throws, 14-10 with the Beavers leading.
The Bison came back with great hustle and swished a jump shot. Right after, back at their hoop, they drained another 3, taking the lead. Trailing, with great passing by the Beavers, Nickerson, once again with the offensive rebound, put up a layup. FLB drained another 3, forcing Corry to call a quick time out. Coming out of the break, Allen immediately answered with a long three of her own, but the Bison quickly continued with another jumper.
Corry kicked off the next quarter with some really good passes, while FLB switched up their defense to a 2-3 zone. The ball was flying around back and forth until Allen finally drove in for a smooth layup. Just as the Bison was about to inbound the ball, Mumau pulled off a sneaky steal, giving Corry possession right back. West then showed off some fancy footwork under the basket, nailing a great reverse layup. Corry kept putting up shots, forcing FLB to call another timeout, now trailing by 19 points.
The game continued with both teams fighting up and down the court, and there were a few foul shots here and there. FLB even completed the “and-1” 3 point play. The Bison attempted a comeback, sinking a few more shots to cut the trail to 15 points. But, Corry stuck out strong, ending the game with 45-31.
It looked like the Beavers are on their way to another region win.
