JUDA - For Juda senior Ellen Kiser, the Panthers' 46-22 win against Albany in a Six Rivers Conference opener was like the perfect storm.
Even though the Panthers didn't shoot their best, they played suffocating defense to remain unbeaten. Kiser, a University of North Dakota recruit, had a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) to go along with four steals and three blocked shots.
"It's one step towards having a great season," Kiser said. "I think since we have an undefeated record, it's bringing everyone closer together as a team."
Juda (5-0, 1-0 Six Rivers East) outscored the Comets 15-0 in the first quarter. Juda senior C.J. Dunwiddie drilled a 3-pointer to ignite the run. Kiser scored on a putback and the Panthers rolled.
Albany (1-5, 0-1) had more turnovers (23) than points (22). The Comets shot just 19.3 percent (6-for-31) in the game.
"Turnovers have been a thorn in our side this year," Albany coach Bryce Pickett said. "We have to do better at passing and receiving the ball. We just have to get a lot better at that."
The Comets went more than 8 minutes without a field goal in the first half. Albany sophomore Felicia Conley snapped the cold spell with a 3-pointer to start the second quarter.
The Comets went to a 1-3-1 press in the second quarter to try to slow down the tempo. When asked whether he considered playing a press throughout the game, Pickett was direct.
"We had that conversation," he said. "We are not really deep. Juda has some really experienced guards. Dunwiddie is really good at bringing the ball up. They did a fantastic job against the press."
Dunwiddie scored 13 points and senior Katlyn DeVoe added 11 for the Panthers. It wasn't a shooting clinic by the Panthers, either. Juda shot 38.7 percent for the game (19-for-49), but led by as many as 25 points in the second half.
"For whatever reason we were out of sync a little bit," Juda coach Curt Brown said. "We can never do too much shooting in practice. We have to keep working hard at shooting."
The Panthers showed some resiliency in shaking off some missed scoring opportunities down low.
"We know we have to step it up," Kiser said. "No matter whatever happens, we just have to keep playing hard the entire time."
The Panthers did work hard on their defense, limiting the Comets to just two field goals in the second half. The Panthers turned to a press in the third quarter that sparked a 14-1 run to put the game away.
"We wanted to come out and play a little more aggressive defensively in the third quarter and I think we did that," Brown said.
Kiser scored on a putback and then came up with a steal and scored on a layup to extend the Panthers' lead to 27-10. Later in the third quarter, Kiser scored down low and Dunwiddie hit a 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left in the period to give the Panthers a 36-11 lead.
"They know Ellen is the main focus for a lot of teams," Brown said. "We try to move the ball around and take advantage of that."
Albany junior Cassidy Bump scored nine points and had 10 rebounds. Conley added six points.
"I think we will have to go back watch the film and come up with a different game plan," Pickett said. "I told them this is just our first conference game. The next time through the conference, maybe we can have a better result."
Even though the Panthers didn't shoot their best, they played suffocating defense to remain unbeaten. Kiser, a University of North Dakota recruit, had a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) to go along with four steals and three blocked shots.
"It's one step towards having a great season," Kiser said. "I think since we have an undefeated record, it's bringing everyone closer together as a team."
Juda (5-0, 1-0 Six Rivers East) outscored the Comets 15-0 in the first quarter. Juda senior C.J. Dunwiddie drilled a 3-pointer to ignite the run. Kiser scored on a putback and the Panthers rolled.
Albany (1-5, 0-1) had more turnovers (23) than points (22). The Comets shot just 19.3 percent (6-for-31) in the game.
"Turnovers have been a thorn in our side this year," Albany coach Bryce Pickett said. "We have to do better at passing and receiving the ball. We just have to get a lot better at that."
The Comets went more than 8 minutes without a field goal in the first half. Albany sophomore Felicia Conley snapped the cold spell with a 3-pointer to start the second quarter.
The Comets went to a 1-3-1 press in the second quarter to try to slow down the tempo. When asked whether he considered playing a press throughout the game, Pickett was direct.
"We had that conversation," he said. "We are not really deep. Juda has some really experienced guards. Dunwiddie is really good at bringing the ball up. They did a fantastic job against the press."
Dunwiddie scored 13 points and senior Katlyn DeVoe added 11 for the Panthers. It wasn't a shooting clinic by the Panthers, either. Juda shot 38.7 percent for the game (19-for-49), but led by as many as 25 points in the second half.
"For whatever reason we were out of sync a little bit," Juda coach Curt Brown said. "We can never do too much shooting in practice. We have to keep working hard at shooting."
The Panthers showed some resiliency in shaking off some missed scoring opportunities down low.
"We know we have to step it up," Kiser said. "No matter whatever happens, we just have to keep playing hard the entire time."
The Panthers did work hard on their defense, limiting the Comets to just two field goals in the second half. The Panthers turned to a press in the third quarter that sparked a 14-1 run to put the game away.
"We wanted to come out and play a little more aggressive defensively in the third quarter and I think we did that," Brown said.
Kiser scored on a putback and then came up with a steal and scored on a layup to extend the Panthers' lead to 27-10. Later in the third quarter, Kiser scored down low and Dunwiddie hit a 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left in the period to give the Panthers a 36-11 lead.
"They know Ellen is the main focus for a lot of teams," Brown said. "We try to move the ball around and take advantage of that."
Albany junior Cassidy Bump scored nine points and had 10 rebounds. Conley added six points.
"I think we will have to go back watch the film and come up with a different game plan," Pickett said. "I told them this is just our first conference game. The next time through the conference, maybe we can have a better result."
