ALBANY - Cassidy Bump is well aware that every time the Albany girls basketball team steps on the court, rebounds are at a premium.
Highland grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and muscled its way to a 43-33 win over Albany Thursday night. Albany (1-3) showed some resiliency storming back from a 14-point third-quarter deficit.
"Boxing out is one of the points we are working on," said Bump, who scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and had three steals. "We know if we don't box out we will not get a rebound. We have a small team so boxing out is key for us."
Highland sophomore Leigh Drury, who scored 13 of her game-high 17 points in the second half, drilled a 3-pointer early in the third quarter that helped the Cardinals take a 26-12 lead. The Comets used a 1-3-1 zone and a press with halfcourt traps to spark a 13-2 run. Albany junior Julia Farley, who scored 10 points, scored down low and was fouled with 3 minutes, 45 seconds left in the third quarter. She made the free throw to convert the conventional three-point play to pull the Comets within seven points. Bump scored on a layup and then scored on a putback with 36 seconds left in the period to slice the Cardinals' lead to 28-25.
"Once we got rolling in the 1-3-1 zone, I think it benefited us playing zone instead of man-to-man because they are a bigger team," Albany coach Bryce Pickett said.
The Comets' 1-3-1 zone helped force 17 Cardinals' turnovers.
"Our 1-3-1 zone is something that sparked it," Bump said. "We knew we couldn't get down like the first couple of games. We were all hyped up. All we wanted to do is fight back and get our second wind."
It was the Cardinals who got their second wind. The three-point deficit starting the fourth quarter is as close as the Comets would get. The Cardinals went on a 12-4 fourth quarter spurt to seal the game. Drury hit a 3-pointer and senior Taylor Wienkes scored down low on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead to 38-27.
Early on, it looked like the Cardinals would run away with it. The Comets were held more than 10 minutes without a field goal as the Cardinals used a 13-0 first-quarter run to open up an 11-point lead. Bump snapped the cold spell when she hit a 3-pointer with 5:54 left in the second quarter to cut the Cardinals' lead to 15-4.
Albany junior Kirstie Kauk scored down low with 2:12 left in the second quarter to cut the Cardinals' lead to 17-12. Despite committing 11 of their 17 turnovers in the first half, the Comets trailed 21-12 at halftime. The Comets shot just 4 of 19 in the first half.
"At I halftime I told the girls we needed to crash the boards and box out," Pickett said. "We just have to know in situations we have to finish baskets instead of turning it over."
Albany couldn't overcome a 14-point deficit, but Pickett is confident that as the rebounding improves, the Comets will find themselves in more tight games in the second half.
"Once we started crashing the boards and boxing out, it sparked our offense," he said.
Highland grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and muscled its way to a 43-33 win over Albany Thursday night. Albany (1-3) showed some resiliency storming back from a 14-point third-quarter deficit.
"Boxing out is one of the points we are working on," said Bump, who scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and had three steals. "We know if we don't box out we will not get a rebound. We have a small team so boxing out is key for us."
Highland sophomore Leigh Drury, who scored 13 of her game-high 17 points in the second half, drilled a 3-pointer early in the third quarter that helped the Cardinals take a 26-12 lead. The Comets used a 1-3-1 zone and a press with halfcourt traps to spark a 13-2 run. Albany junior Julia Farley, who scored 10 points, scored down low and was fouled with 3 minutes, 45 seconds left in the third quarter. She made the free throw to convert the conventional three-point play to pull the Comets within seven points. Bump scored on a layup and then scored on a putback with 36 seconds left in the period to slice the Cardinals' lead to 28-25.
"Once we got rolling in the 1-3-1 zone, I think it benefited us playing zone instead of man-to-man because they are a bigger team," Albany coach Bryce Pickett said.
The Comets' 1-3-1 zone helped force 17 Cardinals' turnovers.
"Our 1-3-1 zone is something that sparked it," Bump said. "We knew we couldn't get down like the first couple of games. We were all hyped up. All we wanted to do is fight back and get our second wind."
It was the Cardinals who got their second wind. The three-point deficit starting the fourth quarter is as close as the Comets would get. The Cardinals went on a 12-4 fourth quarter spurt to seal the game. Drury hit a 3-pointer and senior Taylor Wienkes scored down low on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead to 38-27.
Early on, it looked like the Cardinals would run away with it. The Comets were held more than 10 minutes without a field goal as the Cardinals used a 13-0 first-quarter run to open up an 11-point lead. Bump snapped the cold spell when she hit a 3-pointer with 5:54 left in the second quarter to cut the Cardinals' lead to 15-4.
Albany junior Kirstie Kauk scored down low with 2:12 left in the second quarter to cut the Cardinals' lead to 17-12. Despite committing 11 of their 17 turnovers in the first half, the Comets trailed 21-12 at halftime. The Comets shot just 4 of 19 in the first half.
"At I halftime I told the girls we needed to crash the boards and box out," Pickett said. "We just have to know in situations we have to finish baskets instead of turning it over."
Albany couldn't overcome a 14-point deficit, but Pickett is confident that as the rebounding improves, the Comets will find themselves in more tight games in the second half.
"Once we started crashing the boards and boxing out, it sparked our offense," he said.
