Red Tornadoes survive Nativity
MOUNT CARMEL - Mount Carmel coach Lisa Varano said there was one reason the Red Tornadoes scheduled Nativity for a non-league game when each had an open date - for the challenge.
"Absolutely, we put them on the schedule because I knew they'd be a tough team," Varano said after her Red Tornadoes remained undefeated (16-0) with a 63-48 win over the Golden Girls that wasn't quite as easy as the final score indicated. Mount Carmel trailed at halftime for the first time all season, 30-28, but came back with relentless second-half defense and a balanced scoring attack which featured four players in double figures and a fifth with nine points.
Ali Varano was the catalyst for the comeback. After scoring only two points in the first half and making just 1 of 6 shots, she scored 13 in the second half to finish with a team-high 15 points. More importantly, her defense caused the Golden Girls problems. She had several steals during a stretch in which Mount Carmel increased its lead from three points to double digits. She and Ranotta Ahrensfield each had six of the Tornadoes's 20 steals. The bulk of Ahrensfield's came in the first quarter when Mount Carmel built an 18-10 lead.
But Nativity used its inside game to attack Mount Carmel's defense in the second quarter and had the Tornadoes a little flustered for really the first time this season.
"We knew that we didn't want to lose," Ali Varano said of the mood at halftime. "I knew I definitely needed to step it up."
"We shot off to a really good start in the first quarter but we let our guard down a little bit," said Lisa Varano. "Nativity is very athletic and they moved the ball real well against our man defense. We were playing with flat feet; they were outhustling us."
But Mount Carmel switched up to a zone in the second half and dialed up the pressure.
"We struggled in the second half with their 1-3-1 defense," said Nativity coach George Forney, whose team dropped to 9-7. "We didn't get the ball where we wanted to in the second half, and they're a very athletic team."
Kim Andruscavage had 14 points for Mount Carmel, Heather Bolick 12, and Anna Raybuck 11. Ahrensfield scored nine points, but had 10 rebounds along with her six steals. Bolick had a strong first half, with 10 of her 12 points.
"If we just play tough and together, we're a good team," said Ali Varano. "We have to make good passes and play good defense."
"This game says a lot to me about how the girls kept their heads in it," said Lisa Varano.
Olivia Andreski and Mariah Sabol each scored 10 points to lead Nativity. Andreski also had five assists and three steals.
"We're a young team," Forney said. "We do well for two quarters and then let down. But I'm extremely pleased with our effort. We've played hard in every game."
Game Summary
NATIVITY (48) - Andreski 4 0-0 10, Holohan 3 0-0 8, Field 4 0-0 8, Sabol 4 2-5 10, Luckenbill 3 0-2 6, Hughes 2 2-4 6, Pogash 0 0-0 0, White 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 4-11 48.
MOUNT CARMEL (63) - Bolick 6 0-0 12, Varano 5 5-8 15, Raybuck 5 1-2 11, Ahrensfield 4 1-4 9, Andruscavage 3 8-12 14, Shamus 1 0-0 2, Hornung 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 15-26 63.
Nativity 10 20 5 13 - 48
Mount Carmel 18 10 16 19 - 63
3-point FGs: Nativity (4) - Andreski 2, Holohan 2.
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