ELDRED, NY — “I only have six players,” said June Hallock, returning coach of the Lady Yellowjackets varsity bucketeers, about a squad that only has one hoopster on the bench.
“They are my ‘Mighty Six’,” she said, adding about the six-pack of players, “They never give up; they fight to the very end no matter what the score is.”
That spirit of never-call-it-quits was on full display December 14, as Eldred (1-2) battled the Lady Bears of Tri-Valley (2-1) in an extremely physical home-stand game. The visitors won, 40-21, aided in part by five players waiting in the wings.
“It was a very physical game on both sides; a lot of kids hit the floor tonight,” said Jason Closs, helmsman of the Lady Bears. “And I give credit to Eldred for boxing out Jenna Carmody,” who was limited to 9 points, including a three-pointer, during the hard-fought outing.
“We found small ways to pick up points, and in the second period, we basically took control of the game,” said Closs. About the season’s goals? “We’re looking to get better every day and compete with everyone on our schedule.”
June Hallock, coach of the Lady Yellowjackets, took over as head coach mid-season last year. The team finished 3-10.
“Our goal is to make it to sectionals and beat our record from last year,” she explained.
The team is captained by seniors Regan Kizer and Rayanna Quintana. “They fight to the end of every game, and are team players, encouraging all the other players,” Hallock said. “They are perfect young ladies on and off the court.”
A brief look at the stats: in the first frame, TV outgunned ECS 8-4; in the second and decisive inning, the score was 18-5; the two teams tied 8-8 in the third, and Tri-Valley squeaked by 6-4 in the fourth.
Top scorers for Eldred:
Olivia Gonzalez (8), Regan Kizer (4), Marissa Gochneour (3) and Sydney Furler (3).
Top scorers for Tri-Valley:
Jenna Carmody (9), Kaitlin Sturgis (8), Emily Rusin (7), Riley Kelly (5) and Jorden Dymond (4).
For more photos, visit www.riverreporter.com/sports.