After Hanging Tough, Somers falls 55-44 to Harrison

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After beating Edgemont on Monday, December 9 for their first win, the Tuskers welcomed Harrison to the high school on Wednesday and the teams battled to a one point first half score. In favor of Harrison, the Huskies didn’t stay close for long.

The visitors went on a 13-0 run to start the third and finished off a 55-44 win.

Arriving a little late, Harrison started the game under the boards and above the arc. Charlotte Hazelton fought the offensive rebound down into the corner, passed to Sophia Estes and the guard drained the three.

Unplugged, Eliana Contreras made her first showing. The freshman took the ball away from Hazelton, dribbled up court and put a perfect bounce pass on Olivia Allegretti. In stride, the senior went off glass and had the fast break layup.

3-2, Hazelton hit a short jumper on the baseline, and Somers was about to get a look at the difference in the game. On Kacey McCullough’s attempt to steal the ball above the arc, Mia Strazza gathered on the over play, and left open, the high scorer dropped a triple.

Down six, McCullough got a little redemption when the defense left her standing alone in the paint. Sydney Ingraham had the look, and the center had an easy layup at 3:55.

She then sank two from the line after a baseline foul, and the 8-6 game had Strazza avoiding contact in response. The guard got around Ashley Kuchinsky in the corner, and before the double team arrived, Strazza lofted a floater for a four point lead.

Not for long, Contreras did some corner duty of her own. Somers worked the ball around, and when the rock came to the freshman, her launch angle was perfect.

She looked pretty good on the move too. After Strazza threw a bomb to Brianna Gonzalez for a fast break layup, Contreras saw a lane at the top of the key. She broke, went behind her back and found herself at the rack. Off glass, the wow from the crowd didn’t care that the ball rolled off the rim.

On the other hand, Strazza was able to finish on her end. She dribbled the Somers defense into fits, passed to the corner, and upon receiving back, she hit from four feet behind the arc.

At the buzzer, the 15-9 score had looks of trouble, but Somers stayed tough. The first up with the fortitude was Sophia Valenzuela.

The freshman received the ball in the paint, and after having her shot blocked, she refused to give the ball up. The guard dribbled through the giants down low and kicked the ball to Contreras.

Ninth grade squared, Contreras had her second three of the night, and moments later, Valenzuela forced a Harrison travel on the defensive boards. The grittiness sent Somers the other way, and Allegretti threw a little hook shot off the square to make it a two point game.

6:33 left in the half, Valenzuela wasn’t done getting down and dirty. She got her hand on the ball, and in tumbling to the floor with Strazza, her running mate came away with the possession. Contreras got the ball up court, passed to Allegretti and rifled the ball back to Engji Demaj, who hit the open jumper.

A two point game again, Strazza took her turn. After Elaina Cottini hit a three, the point guard played the long game. She made two outlet passes and the result was a layup for Hazelton and one from the line for Gonzalez.

The lead now at 24-17, Valenzuela came to the rescue again. She wrestled away a rebound under the defensive boards, broke up a Harrison fast break on the next possession, and the larceny led to a Maeve Cleary three in the corner.

In at 1:07, Valenzuela and Contreras tagged team the next defensive rebound next, and Allegretti made the hard work payoff with another triple. Unfortunately, the end of half excitement didn’t carry, and Strazza played the main killjoy.

Following an Estes three to open and foul shots by Eliana Cottini, the guard went coast to coast with a baseline floater, hit a three and started a fast break that ended in a conventional three point play by Elise Cottini.

Still, Somers did not give in. Julia Schmidberger took a pass from Allegretti, spotted a lane and crashed the paint for a toss off the square to stop the run at 2:32. Then Kuchinsky did a similar number. She came around a hand off from Allegretti and bolted through the paint for a ten point game.

Of course, Strazza was there to make sure Somers didn’t get any funny ideas. She took off from the right side on the next possession and got to the rim for two more.

Even so, two was better than one. Valenzuela got the steal, went on the break and hit Contreras on the right to get within ten again. So Strazza went on rewind. She got the steal this time and hit two from the line.

Onto the fourth, Somers would get within eight on an Allegretti drive and then a three point drop at 5:33. But Harrison still had the answer. Hazelton hit a triple, and Strazza took the rebound coast to coast to go up 48-35.

Allegretti did answer from downtown but Harrison maintained and the Tuskers were forced to accept defeat.