By PAUL GOTHAM
RUSHVILLE, N.Y. — Through three quarters of play Friday afternoon, Dundee/Bradford’s Kendall Parker had managed eight points. The senior guard connected four times from the floor. Acceptable for most but not for the BraveScots’ leader and 1,000-point career scorer.
An O-for-4 effort from the free-throw line over those first 24 minutes perhaps served as an indicator of an off-day. Possibly an after effect of the added attention she received on the offensive end.
Trailing by nine early in the third quarter, Dundee/Bradford went to a three-quarter court press. With the move, the BraveScots were able to generate offense from their defense.
And Parker started to see the ball go through the basket with more regularity.
“Sometimes, our defense is what needs to get us going,” said co-head coach Michael Strait after Dundee/Bradford’s 37-36 defeat of host Marcus Whitman in overtime. “Today, we shot so badly. Luckily, we were able to get some fast breaks.”
The BraveScots forced seven turnovers in the third quarter and limited Marcus Whitman to one field goal during the eight-minute stretch.
“We love to live on our quickness,” Strait said. “We feel like we’re a quick team. We’re really good at getting our hands on passes maybe not necessarily for steals, but for deflections to slow the other team down. We’re kind of a do-or-die team in that way.”
Parker had two points in an 8-0 run to close the quarter as Dundee/Bradford pulled within one. Her rebound and putback on the second possession of the fourth quarter tied the score at 26. Cheyenne Grandall gave the BraveScots a brief lead at 31-30.
“Last year, Kendall had three or four girls that played varsity with her for three or four years,” Strait said referring to former players Kailey Yeoman, Mikayla Schoffner and Bruna Crespo who have since graduated from the team that advanced to the Class C state quarterfinal. “A lot of these girls are new to playing with Kendall. At first, the game was a little fast for them. They were turning the ball over.”
Parker’s bucket in the lane with just under a minute remaining in overtime proved to the the game winner.
“Second half, they were able to come down and realize what they were capable of doing. They are capable of being in control and hitting a shot and doing a nice job.”
Parker finished with a game-high 15 points as Dundee/Bradford (No. 15 NYSSWA Class C) improved to 7-1 with its seventh straight win.
“I’m seeing a lot of growth from a lot of girls that haven’t been in that situation,” Strait said.
Lily Carroll scored seven of her team-high 13 points in the first half, and Whitman (6-1/ No. 11 NYS Class B) took a 23-14 lead into the break.
“I’m super-proud of them,” Marcus Whitman head coach Liz Royston said of her team. “It’s not the result we wanted, obviously. This was the game we were looking to so far this season. We knew this was a really big test for us.”
Sophie Snyder and Evy Royston drew the assignment of face-guarding Parker when she didn’t have the ball.
“Our defense was phenomenal,” Liz Royston said. “We really locked in on Kendall. They did everything I asked of them. We always knew where she was. Our defense was really tough.”
Carroll finished in the lane and then stepped out to hit a 3-pointer to spark a 9-2 run in the second quarter. Snyder converted a rebound and putback for the nine-point lead at the half.
“It says a lot about Whitman,” Strait said. “They’re so well-coached. They’re so tough and gritty and physical. They gave us everything we could handle. That’s for sure.”
DUNDEE/BRADFORD
Kendall Parker 7 1-6 15, Cheyanne Grandall 3 0-4 6, Korrin Yeoman 2 3-6 7, Riley Stinson 2 0-0 5, Marie Steffensen 0 0-2 0, Danica Hall 2 0-0 4 TOTALS 16 4-18 — 37
MARCUS WHITMAN
Evy Royston 1 2-2 5, Hailee King 0 0-0 0, Aliysiah Clark 1 0-0 3, Helen Snyder 4 2-4 10, Sophie Snyder 2 0-1 4, Maddie Daggett 0 1-4 1, Lily Carroll 4 4-10 13 TOTALS — 12 9-21 — 36
DUNDEE/BRADFORD 8-6-10-9-4 — 37
MARCUS WHITMAN 12-11-2-8-3 — 36
3-point goals: DUNDEE/BRADFORD 1 (Stinson 1); MARCUS WHITMAN 3 (Royston 1, Clark 1, Carroll 1).
Thank you again for taking the time out of your week (Friday evening no less) to support Section V basketball, especially on the girls side. We truly appreciate the time and passion you have towards all that you write about.
Thank you!
I couldn’t be prouder of both the Girls Dundee/Bradford and our Marcus Whitman team after Friday night’s nail-biter! Both teams played with their full hearts and gave it their all, leaving everything on the court. Thank you to everyone for your unwavering support—it means the world to these incredible athletes!