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GIRLS: McConnellsburg buries Fannett-Metal


MCCONNELLSBURG - At tip-off of the McConnellsburg vs. Fannett-Metal matchup, it looked more akin to the story of David and Goliath, rather than a high school girls basketball game.

But this time it was the giant who claimed victory, as McConnellsburg defeated Fannett-Metal in a 65-36 decision in a Sideling Hill League/Inter-County Conference game Tuesday.

The Tigers, who lack size in every sense of the word, struggled to get looks at the net in the first half, scoring just one field goal in the first 16 minutes thanks to McConnellsburg's aggressive defense and obvious advantage under the hoop.

Kylie Keefer, McConnellsburg's 5-11 center, had her best night of the season, scoring 12 points and blocking seven shots.

"We tried to work the ball to our big girl," McConnellsburg coach Brent Seville said. "She's had a pretty cold start to the season so far and I told her in the locker room, 'This is your night tonight.' We knew we were oversized to what they were. She really stepped up tonight."

McConnellsburg's defense had 16 blocks, and the Spartans (7-3, 3-2 SHL, 2-2 ICC) finished with more than 33 rebounds. Kellyn Perry came off the bench to lead the way with 14 boards.

"Probably the key in this game was Perry off the bench," Seville said. "She had a phenomenal night on the boards, and obviously Bronwyne (Mellott) made a big contribution tonight."

Mellott had another double-double, scoring 32 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, nearly matching Fannett-Metal's team total for the night. Mellott went 11-for-13 from the line.

"This was one of our better games, even though they weren't our toughest competition," Keefer said. "We still have to play as best we can and we really stepped up and played as a team."

But despite the Spartans' advantage on the board, Fannett-Metal's quickness posed difficulties for McConnellsburg in the second half.

"We may be bigger, but with size you lose some speed," Seville said. "We knew we were going to have our hands full. We had 22 turnovers tonight."

The Tigers (5-3, 2-3 SHL, 1-3 ICC) rebounded from an eight-point first half to a more productive second. Taylor Coffman fell into a rhythm after scoring just one point in the opening half. Coffman led the Tigers with 12 points, followed by Ally Hoffmann's eight.

"We didn't get into a flow on offense in the first half," Fannett-Metal coach Todd Best said. "(Coffman) was able to get some shots in the second half, but we still didn't come close to competing. We really wanted to get it down to the single digits by the end of the second quarter, but things went the other way and we didn't play nearly good enough."

Despite a much-improved second half, Fannett-Metal concluded the night shooting 25 percent from the floor.

McConnellsburg 65, Fannett-Metal 36 

Fannett-Metal (36)

Emily Metcalfe 1-4 1-2 3, Ally Hoffmann 2-10 4-6 8, Taylor Coffman 6-9 0-0 12, Makayla O'Donel 0-4 4-8 4, Becky Runk 0-0 1-2 1, Maddy Johns 0-0 0-0 0, Morgan Richy 0-0 0-0 0, Ashlyn Murray 2-3 0-0 4, Katie Johns 1-2 1-2 3, Jessi Custer 0-0 0-0 0, Becca Rotz 0-0 0-0 0, Jamie Adams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 12-48 12-24 36.

McConnellsburg (65)

Alexis Mellott 3-6, 0-0 6, Bridgett Ritchey 1-2 1-3 3, Justice Seville 4-5 0-1 8, Kylie Keefer 5-6 2-4 12, Bronwyne Mellott 10-15 11-13 32, Kellyn Perry 2-3 0-0 4, Sam Hensley 0-1 0-0 0, Leah Seville 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Walls 0-0 0-0 0, Carlie Lynch 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 25-38 14-21 65.

Fannett-Metal _ 3 _ 5 _ 13 _ 15 _ — _ 36

McConnellsburg _ 16 _ 9 _ 21 _ 19 _ — _ 65

3-point goals — McC 1 (B.Mellott).

JV score — McConnellsburg 33, Fannett-Metal 14. Kellyn Perry led the Spartans with 17 points.