By PAUL GOTHAM
IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — Senior Clare Ruff and ninth-grader Shaye Angelo highlighted a pivotal third-quarter run, and the Honeoye Falls-Lima girls’ basketball went on to defeat host Irondequoit, 58-48 in Monroe County action, Monday night.
The win was second on the road in three tries for HF-L this season.
“We like to push the ball up and down the floor, but they’re so athletic that they take that away,” HF-L head Steve Willoughby said of the Irondequoit team. “We’re a little deeper than they are. We were hoping that they would wear down a little bit.”
The opportunity to strike came midway through the third quarter.
Clinging to a one-point lead at 31-30 with less six minutes remaining in the stanza, Ruff got in the lane and finished a layup. Angelo scored the next seven points. The HF-L lead had grown to 10 in less than four minutes, and the Cougars did not allow Irondequoit to make it a one-possession game for the remainder of the contest.
Runner in the lane, Clare Ruff. @HFLGirlsBB 42-32. pic.twitter.com/Ls2RXsHzFR
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 20, 2022
“It’s hard to wear down good athletes,” Willoughby said noting the night’s opponent, again. “After a while they started to wear. We went on that little run, but they stayed around that six, seven, eight-point margin. We had to protect the ball down the stretch.”
Angelo scored 10 of her game-high 17 points in the third quarter. This after managing to find the bottom of the net just once in the first half.
“She plays like a senior,” Willoughby said of Angleo who is in her second year on the varsity level. “She’s got a smooth stroke. She has so much confidence that when things don’t go her way, she gets a little frustrated. I have to tell her to relax out there.”
Angelo converted a pair of free throws and then completed an and-one for a 38-30 HF-L lead. Next trip down the floor the 5-foot-6 guard got ahead of the defense for a layup.
Seven straight from Shaye Angelo, and the @HFLGirlsBB lead is double digits at 40-30. pic.twitter.com/G8ie1KciVC
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 20, 2022
Angelo opened the quarter with a catch-and-shoot triple from the left wing. She connected again from distance in the fourth quarter.
Three different Cougars found the measure from long distance.
Samantha Osovski hit twice in the first quarter from behind the arc. Marlee Green added to the long-range attack with a pair of her own in the second quarter.
“Osovski’s two threes got us back in it,” Willoughby said noting an early deficit HF-L faced. “We live and die by the three a little bit, but once we settle in we’re okay.”
Ruff finished with 10 points and eight assists. More importantly, the 5-foot-4 guard facilitated an offense that struggled soon after the opening tip with six turnovers in the first quarter but scored on four of five possessions heading into halftime to grab a lead it did not surrender.
“We are never out of the game with Clare Ruff at point guard,” Willoughby said. “She’s a terrific defender. She handles the ball. We’re hard to press. Other teams want to press us because she doesn’t look the part.
“She can handle the ball. She goes hard to the basket. She’s a super-athlete. She’s a terrific leader. She knows where everyone is going to be. She sets those kids up for those threes. That’s so important for us.”
Ella Brennan led three in double figures for Irondequoit with 16 points. The junior forward hit one-of-two free throws for a 19-18 Eagles lead. Two possessions later, older sister Maeve Brennan hit a runner for 21-18 Irondequoit advantage.
It was the last lead of the night for the Eagles.
“We’re gritty, so are they,” Willoughby said.
Green hit a wing three then followed with an upfake and drive before rattling home another trey. Angelo beat the buzzer with a bucket along the baseline for a 28-23 HF-L lead heading into the locker room.
Irondequoit’s Lizzy Tytler opened the third quarter scoring with a 3-pointer. Tytler’s rebound and putback cut the deficit to one, but it was as close as Irondequoit would get for the remainder of the contest.
Lizzie Tytler buries a 3 to open the third, and the @WIEagles defense forces a turnover. pic.twitter.com/gQh9hADGER
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 20, 2022
Maeve Brennan and Tytler scored 10 apiece for Irondequoit (2-5). Maeve Brennan grabbed 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Aubrey Smith (5), Evin Terzioglu (3), Arianna Santos (2) and Maddie Thore (2) also scored for Irondequoit.
Maddy Schubach finished with nine points and 10 rebounds for HF-L (4-1) which lost in its previous outing to Brockport. Green and Caroline Smith added eight points apiece. Osovski had six points.
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