By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
SWANTON (December 27, 2024) – Unbeaten Delta shook off a case of the Christmas doldrums in the second quarter, by ringing up the first 13 points of the third to chalk up a 53-20 win over Swanton in the opening round of the Fisher Holiday Tournament in Swanton.
“We can’t be content winning the way we played tonight,” Delta coach Kelsey Gillen expressed regarding her team’s performance early in the game.
“Yeah, we are 7-0 and it’s a great start to the season but there are a lot of things we still need to get better at before we start seeing some of our tough games and league games.”
The Bulldogs (2-7) actually took the lead twice in the first eight minutes. Swanton’s Jessica Finfera got the opening hoop off an inbounds play, then after Kendall Sprow hit a triple for the Panthers, Carli Lagrange scored in the paint to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead 90 seconds into the contest.
From then on, it was all Panthers. Delta racked up the next 14 points to take a commanding 17-4 lead.
Sprow got a putback to start the spurt, then Addy Wyse got two more buckets off the offensive glass to make it 9-4.
Anna Lohman began a binge of points off turnovers that Abbey Todd continued with a layup and triple. Finfera banged a triple off glass and Lagrange scored to get Swanton back to 19-9 but another Sprow three-ball and baskets from Natalie Friess and Wyse got the Delta lead to 26-9.
The Panthers shot just 3/16 in the second and outscored the Bulldogs just 6-2, drawing the ire of Gillen going into the locker room.
“We were really playing sloppy,” Gillen stated of her team’s game in the first half. “We just weren’t playing the way we are capable of. It was definitely not our best moment tonight in that half.”
Gillen’s words were heard loud and clear as Sprow started the second extended Delta run with two scores off Swanton miscues, then Lohman got inside for a hoop and hit a three-ball off a turnover around a Todd bucket.
Wyse’s basket off a turnover started the running clock as the Panthers went up 49-13 before the end of the third.
Delta forced 31 Swanton turnovers in the first three quarters while committing just five. Sprow led the Panthers with 19 and Lohman had 15.
DELTA (53) – Maynhart 0; Lohman 11; Todd 11; Kruger 0; Friess 2; Sprow 21; Wyse 8; K. Gillen 0; Mohring 0; Totals: 19-4-3 – 53
SWANTON (20) – Yeager 0; Finfera 7; Bettinger 2; Masko 0; Lagrange 7; Ventimiglia 2; Pelland 2; Totals:1-7-3 – 20
DHS 26 6 17 4 – 53
SHS 9 2 2 7 – 20