by Cover Photo by Jenn Pleban
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The Avon Lady Eagles hosted the Amherst Steele Comets on Saturday afternoon. It would be a fierce battle between two South Western Conference opponents.
Like two boxers feeling out an opposing fighter, both teams threw jabs but no real punches landed. The two squads struggled to find an identity early on. The score at the end of the first quarter was Comets 11, Eagles 8.
Two players also emerged as leaders in the first quarter. Avon Senior Abby Liber, and a breakout performance from Amherst Sophomore Kristen Kelley who is 6 foot tall, and has quickness and ball skills. Kelley had 6 points in the first quarter, and this would be a big afternoon for the Sophomore.
In the second quarter things didn’t get much better for Amherst, and Avon started to get warmed up a bit. Abby Liber had 6 points in the quarter, including a beautiful 3 pointer from the left wing. Senior Guard Ryann Clapham chipped in for the Eagles with 4 points in the quarter.
Clapham is a feisty player with a lot of heart and she is all over the court at times. Amherst Sophomore Bradyn Silvasy hit a beautiful 3 point swish from the top of the key for her contribution in the quarter, but the Comets only scored 8 points in the quarter. The halftime score was Avon 25, Amherst 19
In the third quarter Avon put their offensive game in gear. They attacked the Comet defense with scoring from six different players. Their ball movement, quick passes, rebounds, and tips all turned into opportunities that The Lady Eagles took full advantage of. One other Avon player that had a big contribution in the third quarter was Junior Brook Laub with two field goals and a three for a nice 7-point quarter.
Lady Eagle Junior Guard Alexis Titas had a huge second half and put a 2 and a 3 into the basket for the third quarter to really make a difference off the bench.
The promising Amherst player who was outstanding on Saturday # 10 Kristen Kelley, had three buckets and two free throws for 8 points in the quarter, but not one other Comet had even one point in the quarter.
After the Eagles put-up a whopping 25 points on the Lady Comets in the third quarter the score was now an insurmountable 50 to 27 Avon.
In the fourth quarter the Eagles went back into hibernation and rested on the productive second and third quarter. Amherst tried to make a run and make it interesting, but could not overcome the third quarter. One play in particular in the quarter had Avon fans in a tizzy.
Elena Agostine, the 5-6 Junior Guard dribbled at full speed up the court towards the basket, just when she got to the three-point line she went up for a jumper, and in the middle of the air passed inside to wide open teammate # 12 Senior Kendal Walsh. She caught the speedy pass and bounced the shot off the glass beautifully for the two points. The crowd erupted, and at that point the Amherst hopes of a comeback were over.
The full roster of Eagle players, and a heavy dose of Abby Liber was way too much for Amherst to handle. All the Amherst starting five girls are Sophomores. Several including Kelley, Ferancy, and Silvasy all stepped up and had solid games. There seems to be a promising next couple of years for Comet parents and alumni.
Avon won by a final score of 61 to 43.
What a great game by Avon . I was at the game vs Midview when they lost Wednesday. And I thought Avon came out with a purpose. They are well coached and those girls play hard . This was the 3rd time I have seen Amherst play and they play really hard and have glimpses of putting it together. They are always with 6-8 points at halftime and seem to come out lost in the second half . There coach does a great job in the first half keeping his team in it . Then they come out in the 3rd and just get throttled . Seems like that they may be getting out coached with the other team making adjustments. They will be a force for years once they get a few W’s in a row !