Cardinal girls a bit rusty, but win first game since break
The Onaway High School varsity girls’ basketball team improved to 3-4 (2-3 Ski Valley Conference) Wednesday by defeating visiting Mancelona in an exciting game, 35-31.
The Cardinals dominated on the boards and showed a great deal of hustle, coming up with a majority of the loose balls during the contest. The margin of victory would have been greater, but OHS struggled shooting the ball.
Part of that could have been rust, as the game was the first for the Cards since December 20 – a layoff resulting from the holiday break and winter weather cancellations.
Though neither team scored many points, the contest featured seven lead changes and five ties. The Lady Ironmen’s largest lead was six, while the Cardinals largest lead was four – their final margin of victory.
Lexi Szymoniak paced the Red Birds with 13 points. Devin Bristley added seven points, while Erika Price had six. Emily Nixon scored 10 points for Mancy. Both teams were plagued with foul trouble throughout.
Mancelona led 6-5 after one period and 15-11 at the half, stretching that to 19-13 early in period three. Price, though, would do all of her scoring in a 45-second span, knocking down consecutive threes to tie things at 19.
Bristley followed that by hitting a jumper of her own, from just inside the three-point line, to put Onaway up 21-19. The contest was knotted at 24 heading into the final quarter.
Szymoniak scored on an offensive rebound, and Jade Galer knocked down a free throw to put the Cardinals up 27-24 with 7:13 left, but Mancy fought back to take a 31-29 lead with 4:20 remaining.
The Red Bird defense would blank the Lady Ironmen the rest of the way. Morganne badger knocked down a pair of foul shots to tie things with 3:35 left, and Bristley hit a freebie to put OHS up 32-31 with 2:25 remaining.
Elise Arkwood added another free throw to give her team a 33-31 lead with 30 seconds left, and after a Mancy turnover, Szymoniak got free on an inbounds play, tossing in a lay-up a split second before the final buzzer sounded.
The game was the first for the varsity since a 58-33 victory on December 20 at Inland Lakes. OHS led 6-2 after one period, 24-11 at the break, and 42-23 through three.
Bristley
The OHS JV improved to 2-5 with a 28-21 win over Mancelona. The Cards led 11-4 after one period, 17-8 at the half, and 19-10 after three. Mancy cut the lead to two in period four before the Red Birds pulled away for good.
Taylor Ehrke paced Onaway with seven points, while Vydailya Letts and Skylar Butler scored six apiece.
The JV lost its game at Inland Lakes, 44-21. Onaway trailed 16-0 after one period, 25-7 at the half, and 40-15 through three. Butler scored nine points, with Ehrke scoring seven.
The girls’ basketball teams travel to Pellston tonight (Friday) and host Forest Area on Wednesday.