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Avon came into tonight down to 7 dressed players due to quarantine and they needed players to step up, play airtight defense and do all of the little things well. They did all of that on the way to a 46-31 victory at home.
Abby Liber was her usual steady self, dishing dimes and cashing in on breakaways as she finished with 15 big points. It was everyone and everything around her however that brought the Eagles this victory.
Their defense led by Alyssa McLellon and company went on total lockdown in the second half, holding the mighty Titan attack to just 7 points in the second half, and only three of those came from the field.
It was incredible considering the fact Talyssa Moody was on fire in the first half with 12 points all from long range. Moody would finish with 15 while Athena Sevastos would finish with 9. The Eagles made an adjustment at halftime and shut it down. Lauren Yee would finish with 6 for the Titans as well.
Also stepping up was Anna Fitch with 5 in extended minutes with Ryan Clapham out. How about Catie Geiger, known for her defensive presence, tonight she chipped in on the offensive side of the ball as well with 6 points, all of which came in the fourth quarter.
Alyssa Peganoff had a night she won’t soon forget with 9 points of her own. Peganoff started off a bit slow but still managed to score in every quarter. She had 6 from long range and three from the foul line.
Speaking of stepping up, it was Brooke Laub with six more with Natalie Santoro also burying a three ball. As a team, the Eagles hit 6 from beyond the arc, while they also sunk 8 from the charity stripe.
The Avon Eagles came out a strong with a 7-2 run to start the game. The quick points came thanks in part to a three ball from Laub, two fouls shots from Peganoff and a layup from Liber. The Titans would answer back with made buckets by Athena Sevastos and Lauren Yee to cut it to 7-4 with 3 minutes gone by in the opening period. A few moments later is was Talyssa Moody nailing a three to tie it 7.
It was then that Natalie Santoro who has been thrust into extended minutes because of the roster shortage in Avon stepped up big with a three ball of her own to recapture the Eagle lead at 10-7. The three ball was the result of a beautiful dribble drive and kick from Abby Liber who continues to be one of the very best at doing that.
Libers vision saw Santoro from the top right-hand side of the three-point line to sink it. It was then that the Titans did the exact same thing when a great dribble drive by Lauren Yee found a wide-open Moody who nailed her second three of the quarter, to retie the game at 10. Liber would then take the inbounds pass and race down the court, going coast to coast for a quick layup as the Eagles went back in front 12-10. It was a blitzing pace.
Speaking of players seeing extended minutes with the bench being a smidge shorter, and players like Ryan Clapham out of the lineup, this time it was Anna Fitch stepping up. Fitch would sink a three ball from the side to make it 15-10 with under 40 seconds to play in the first. Lauren Yee would hit a layup at the buzzer to cut it to 15-12.
The Talyssa Moody express picked up in the second quarter where it left off in the first, with another three ball to tie at 15. A few moments later, it was Athena Sevastos taking her man off the dribble and headed to the lane, she would miss the shot but get fouled. Sevastos would make both foul shots and give the Titans their first lead at 17-15 with 6:53 to play in the opening half.
Up 17-15, it was Sevastos again driving the lane, but this time deciding to kick it out to the red-hot Moody who buried another three ball. This time with a hand right in her face to give the Titans a 20-15 lead. It may have been freezing outside, but Moody was on fire.
With 4:35 to play in the half, Avon still hadn’t scored in the second quarter and trailed 20-15. A fast break layup from Liber would begin a 7-0 Eagle run to regain the Eagle lead at 22-20 with 2:02 to play. The other 5 points coming from another Liber break away and also a nothing but not three ball from Peganoff.
The back-and-forth half wasn’t over yet however, as this time it was the Titans scoring four straight to reclaim the lead at 24-22 thanks in part to a Lee layup and then a perfectly timed steal and breakaway from Athena Sevastos. In fitting fashion to a wild quarter, it would end with the Eagles up 25-24 after another Brooke Laub 3 ball found the bottom of the net.
The wild first half didn’t carry over to the third quarter as it became a defensive lockdown for 8 full minutes. The Titans didn’t manage a single field goal and only scored two points, coming on Athena Sevastos free throws.
The Eagles didn’t exactly light up the nets either, but did manage 6 more points courtesy of another Alyssa Peganoff three ball and three foul shots by Abby Liber. This earned the Eagles a 31-26 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Titans would finally get their first bucket of the second half with 5:20 left in the game. The three ball by Moody cut the Eagle lead to 37-29 as they had used the Titan cold streak to build a double digit lead during that stretch. It would prove to be too little too late however as the Titan comeback attempt fell short 46-31. These two teams will rematch this Saturday in Berea-Midpark.
