Lady Mikes fall to Frazier, 50-42
Carmichaels鈥� Sophia Zalar puts up a one-handed shot over Frazier蘑菇视频 Maria Felsher (5) during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House. Zalar scored a game-high 22 points but the Lady Commodores won, 50-42. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Carmichaels鈥� Ashton Batis shoots the ball as Frazier蘑菇视频 Eliza Newcomer defends during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House. Batis scored 18 points but the Lady Commodores won, 50-42. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Carmichaels coach Chelsea Ulery motions to her players during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game against Frazier at Henry DiVirgilio Field House. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Frazier蘑菇视频 Maria Felsher closely defends Carmichaels鈥� Ashton Batis during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Sophia Zalar takes a jump shot as Frazier蘑菇视频 Eliza Newcomer and Emma Kortina (11) defend during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House. Zalar scored a game-high 22 points but the Lady Commodores won, 50-42.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Megan Voithofer looks to pass as Frazier蘑菇视频 Taylor Hazelbaker (15) defends during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Sophia Zalar gets off a shot despite a block attempt by Frazier蘑菇视频 Delaney Warnick (21) during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Ali Jacobs (left) defends Frazier蘑菇视频 Eliza Newcomer (40) during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House.
Frazier蘑菇视频 student section tries to distract Carmichaels鈥� Sophia Zalar as she shoots a free throw during the fourth quarter of Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Emalee Mejia (21) delivers a pass as Frazier蘑菇视频 Taylor Hazelbaker defends during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels coach Chelsea Ulery talks to her players during a timeout in Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game against Frazier at Henry DiVirgilio Field House.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Alayna Simon attempts a jump shot as Frazier蘑菇视频 Elisabeth Santo (left) and Taylor Hazelbaker (15) defend during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Ashton Batis (left) battles Frazier蘑菇视频 Eliza Newcomer and Addison Day (4) for a loose ball during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House.
Rob Burchianti | 蘑菇视频
Carmichaels鈥� Alayna Simon passes the ball as Frazier蘑菇视频 Gabriella McGavitt (23) defends during Friday night蘑菇视频 playoff game at Henry DiVirgilio Field House.
PERRYOPOLIS 鈥� Frazier and Carmichaels were very familiar with each other heading into last Friday night蘑菇视频 WPIAL Class AA girls basketball preliminary round playoff game.
The teams had split their two regular-season Section 2 meetings and both knew what to expect in their third clash. The Lady Commodores held the size advantage with Eliza Newcomer and Delaney Warnick and the Lady Mikes had the better shooters with Sophia Zalar and Ashton Batis.
It was Frazier蘑菇视频 strength inside that won out in the back-and-forth rubber match with the Lady Commodores pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 50-42 victory at Henry DiVirgilio Field House.
鈥淲e kind of know everything about each other,鈥� Frazier first-year coach Kenny Johnson said. 鈥淲e just wanted to make sure we came out and executed the game plan.鈥�
Newcomer, a 6-foot senior, scored 13 of her team-high 17 points in the second half and grabbed 22 rebounds in a monster game that gave Frazier its first playoff win since 2015.
鈥淲inning this game means everything to me,鈥� Newcomer said. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 won a playoff game in a long time and to do it at home is just so great.鈥�
Warnick, a junior, followed with 15 points as the Lady Commodores (8-14) advanced to a first-round game at top-seeded Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Monday night. Taylor Hazelbaker added eight points.
鈥淭hat蘑菇视频 where we have an advantage against a lot of teams we play,鈥� Johnson said of his team蘑菇视频 inside game. 鈥淓liza is usually the biggest and Delaney is usually the second biggest on the floor. So if we can pound the ball inside it gets us a lot of layups and gets the other team in foul trouble. When we do that our chances to win go way up.鈥�
Zalar and Batis did their best to try to keep the Lady Mikes (6-13) in the game as the pair combined to score all but two of their team蘑菇视频 points.
鈥淲e knew they had a really good athlete (Zalar) who can be a stud,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淪he lit us up the first time we played for 26 when we lost at their place. We knew we had to try to slow her down some.鈥�
Zalar, a junior, wound up with a hard-earned, game-high 22 points that included a 10-of-12 performance at the foul line. Batis, a freshman, followed with 18 points. Carmicahels鈥� other two points came on two free throws by Megan Voithofer.
In their earlier meetings this season the Lady Mikes won 51-46 at Carmicahels and the Lady Commodores won 49-40 at Frazier. The two ended up tied for fourth place in the section.
鈥淭heir size that was the difference the last two games,鈥� Lady Mikes coach Chelsea Ulery said. 鈥淲e knew what to expect coming into the game. We did not want their big girls getting the ball inside, but they managed to do that and they grabbed a lot of rebounds. They just really hurt us underneath.鈥�
The game was tight throughout the first half.
Warnick tossed in nine points in a first quarter that had five ties and three lead changes with her last bucket coming just before the buzzer on a long inbounds pass from Maria Felsher to put Frazier ahead 18-16.
There were three more ties and three lead changes in the second quarter which ended with the Lady Mikes in front 29-28 thanks to a late 3-pointer by Batis.
The second quarter also included a bit of controversy which came on the Lady Commodores鈥� first points of the frame after a drought that lasted 4:55. At the 3:05 mark Warnick scored while seemingly being fouled by Megan Voithofer, who wears No. 10, but the foul was signaled to be on No. 14. When told there was no No. 14 on Carmichaels鈥� roster the foul was signaled to be on No. 4, thus giving Zalar, temporarily, her fourth foul.
Ulery pulled Zalar out of the game shortly after and kept her star on the bench the rest of the half. The officials conferred at halftime, realizing the error, and had the foul in question taken off Zalar and assessed to Voithofer.
鈥淚t affected us a lot,鈥� Ulery said. 鈥淲e were playing pretty well then and you never want to take a player like her out of the game but when I saw that she somehow had four fouls I felt like I had to.鈥�
Still, Carmichaels held a one-point halftime advantage but the Lady Commodores dominated inside in a slow-paced third quarter to take control of the game.
Newcomer蘑菇视频 three-point play to open second-half scoring put Frazier ahead to stay. Warnick followed with consecutive buckets and Gabriella McGavitt made one of two free throws to make it 36-29.
Batis scored the Lady Mikes鈥� first points of the quarter with 2:30 left and Zalar hit a 3-pointer at the 1:02 mark to get the visitors within 36-34.
Newcomer scored two straight baskets, the second with two seconds left, to give the Lady Commodores a 40-34 lead heading into the final frame.
鈥淐oach did tell me at halftime, be the senior, be the leader so I came out strong in the second half,鈥� Newcomer said.
Zalar opened fourth-quarter scoring by hitting three of four foul shots to whittle the gap to three but Newcomer scored the next four points and Felsher made a pair of free throws to push the lead out to nine.
Frazier used its delay offense effectively in final three minutes as Carmichaels couldn鈥檛 get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Ulery cited Emalee Mejia fouling out 16 seconds into the fourth quarter as a turning point.
鈥淭hat was a big deal because she does so many things for us,鈥� Ulery said.
Both teams have a bright future with plenty of talent returning next season. Frazier loses two seniors in Newcomer and reserve Elizabeth Carroll while Carmichaels graduates just one senior in Mejia.
鈥淓malee is a great leader, but we do have a lot of good young girls coming back and we should have the potential to make it to the playoffs next year as well,鈥� Ulery said.
Johnson is pleased with how his first season has transpired.
鈥淚 let them know the standard is the playoffs regardless of who we have or me being a new coach,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭hat蘑菇视频 the standard for every year no matter who蘑菇视频 on the team.
鈥淓liza蘑菇视频 a huge piece to our puzzle but we do have a lot coming back and our eighth grade class coming in is very good as well. They鈥檙e setting the building blocks for a foundation for what蘑菇视频 going to be a great four-or-five-year run here.鈥�