Being the first Loyalsock varsity basketball team competing at the school’s new gym provided some extra incentive. Honestly, though, the Loyalsock girls would have been motivated Saturday if the opener was played on the moon.
Wherever the game is and whoever it is against, this team wants to play. And, oh how it played in that first game at CI’s Court.
Five players scored at least eight points, 10 players produced 24 assists and Loyalsock routed Towanda, 79-17. The Lancers (1-0) scored 36 first-quarter points, built a 63-10 halftime lead and proved as unselfish as explosive.
“They love to play the game of basketball. They probably would go another game right now,” Loyalsock Curtis Jacobson said. “It’s just in their blood. It’s fun to coach a team that lives the game like that.”
Every player Jacobson used made a quality impact and Loyalsock piled up points faster than a politician tells lies. Alaina Dadzie scored 19 points, Lacey Kriebel and Jaekairah Harden 15 each, Julie Ellis 11 and Izzy Dadzie eight. Less than four minutes into the game, Loyalsock already had scored 21 points and it led 36-7 by quarter’s end.
Loyalsock made 14 of 21 first quarter shots and its defense gave Towanda fits, producing 17 turnovers during that time. There are some new pieces this season but in the team’s first game, everything fit.
“The preseason goes so long, and you just want to get out and play and get a game in to learn and see where you’re at,” Alaina Dadzie said after also grabbing eight rebounds and dealing three assists. “It’s been really good. We’ve been working to better understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we really brought it out tonight.”
Loyalsock has reached seven straight District 4 Class AAA state tournaments and returns nearly every player from last year’s team. Kriebel earned all-state honors at South Williamsport where the Mounties won the district’s AA crown and Harden comes from Williamsport.
Each player fit like a glove Saturday. Kriebel scored 15 points, made six steals and added four rebounds. Harden, who played mostly JV last year, looked like she could become quite a weapon, scoring nine of her 15 points in the first quarter, adding three steals and helping fuel the defense.
“(Harden) is a gym rat. She loves the game. They’re may not be a faster player on the team. She’s so lightning fast. She’s a ball hawk. She’s certainly going to be an important piece.”
Kriebel and Harden have quickly jelled and it’s not surprising since both players are focused on winning, rather than their personal statistics. The Lancers have built a winning tradition upon that mentality and quickly displayed it against Towanda.
The Lancers feature several players capable of consistently scoring in double figures in different ways. The thing is, they don’t care who is scoring as long as someone is and all took their turns in the opener. Dadzie set the tone early, scoring 14 first quarter points, Izzy Dadzie (5 assists, 5 steals) had a hand in 11 straight during the second and Ellis and Kriebel combined for three 3-pointers.
Equally impressive, six players produced at least three assists, including Katie Ryder, Bella Mileto and Anna Luxenberger. Teams can try game planning to slow one or two Lancers, but this team holds a lot of cards and Saturday they all looked like aces.
“It’s very spread out. It’s so nice because everyone can score,” Alaina Dadzie said. “We can post up or pop it out and hit the three. Everyone is a threat.”
Loyalsock made that apparent early and often. Six players scored in the first quarter, but the success ran deeper than that. Seven players had assists and eight steals while building that 36-7 lead. And no matter the score or situation, they never stopped playing hard.
Many challenges await this season, but the relentless effort and chemistry sure provided a nice foundation to build upon.
“We’re going to play for 32 minutes; we’re going to coach for 32 minutes. There are always things you can work on,” Jacobson said. “We tried to work on getting the shot we wanted as opposed to getting a shot. There’s a big difference. We’re not there but it’s something we stress to them. We tell them that if you do that, you’re going to make more than you’re going to miss.”
It’s early, but these players look like quick learners.
TOWANDA (17)
Brynn Woodruff 1 3-8 6, Kennedy Heyer 0 1-2 1, Melody Hakes 0 0-0 0, Payton Perry 2 0-4 4, Mya Maynard 0 0-2 0, Alonna Ayres 1 2-2 4, Destine Matthews 0 2-2 2. Totals 4 8-20 17.
LOYALSOCK (79)
Alaina Dadzie 8 1-1 19, Lacey Kriebel 5 4-4 15, Izzy Dadzie 4 0-0 8, Julie Ellis 2 5-8 11, Katie Ryder 0 0-0 0, Chloe Kennedy 1 0-0 2, Anna Luxenberger 2 0-0 5, Maddie Luxenberger 1 2-2 4, Jaekairah Harden 7 1-2 15. Totals 31 13-19 79.
Towanda 7 3 2 5–17
Loyalsock 36 27 12 4–79
3-pointers: Towanda 1 (Woodruff); Loyalsock 4 (Ellis 2, Kriebel, A. Luxenberger).
Records: Loyalsock 1-0. Towanda 0-1.
