Somers Battles Back in 54-49 Defeat

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On Friday December 27, Somers traveled to Pelham Middle School and faced Fox Lane in the Pelham Winter Basketball Tournament. Putting the festivities aside, the Tuskers matched up well on the inside and out. But a pair of buzzer beaters gave the Foxes a 34-25 halftime lead. So with their work cut out for them, Somers did not fail to answer the call.

The girls took a 46-45 lead, but Fox Lane scored the next seven points on the way to a 54-49 win.

The outset belonged to Somers, though. Eliana Contreras spun through the paint for two, Ashley Kuchinsky buried a three after Lindsay McCullough’s defensive board, and Contreras did the same following Sydney Ingraham’s offensive rebound.

Even so, Fox Lane didn't let the early outburst put a damper on the festiveness, and the Foxes ran a triple play with Cara Drapala, Morgan Clinton and Cora Moore. Drapala hit a three and a pull up jumper, Clinton scored four on the baseline, and Moore twice put the moves on in the paint for a 15-8 advantage.

Timeout for Somers, the regroup put the spirit back in Somers. After Olivia Allegretti pulled down two offensive rebounds for a putback, Kuchinsky ghosted Fox Lane with a half court steal, and in receipt, Contreras had the Foxes screaming with another triple.

15-13, Somers looked like they regained the momentum. Not quite, from just inside mid court, Riley New let fly, and the ball dropped through with double zeros on the scoreboard.

Somers stood up nonetheless. Following two from the line by New, Contreras answered with a three and kept her team in range by getting to the line on the fast break.

Two for two, Contreras refused to let the Foxes fly off despite Drapala's conventional three point play that opened a seven point lead. The Somers guard countered on the outside. She took the kick out off Allegretti's baseline drive, and her high tops had three more.

Of course, Fox Lane could play that game also. New knocked down a three, and Drapala did the same for a 31-22 lead.

No problem, Contreras was also feeling it and answered from downtown. Unfortunately, the story was the same at the end of the quarter. Fox Lane got a long rebound, and Drapala’s contested jumper regained the nine point lead at the buzzer.

Intermission ending, it was Somers turn to sound off. Allegretti spotted Ingraham on the cut for two and then Contreras had eyes for Kacey McCullough.

A fast break layup on the long look, a tie was around the corner. New did interrupt with a runner first, but the Foxes still had Contreras to chase. Kuchinsky found her teammate for an open three, and next, the freshman did it all herself. She got a half court steal and went all the way to knot the game at 36.

Not for long, Moore’s dribble, shake through the paint reached the rack, and New added three more when she first found Clinton at the backdoor, and on the next possession, sank one from the line.

Five quick points, Somers contained the mini run. Ingraham's penetration freed McCullough for a short jumper, and Erin O'Brien made sure there were no second chance points with three defensive rebounds to close the third.

Eight minutes to go, Fox Lane extended their tails and the lead. Clinton rolled to the hoop to open the quarter, and after Ingraham answered on the drive, New dropped two from the line at 7:06.

Five up, two Somers possessions erased the margin, and the Tuskers did so one better. Contreras found Ingraham above the arc, and after Kuchinsky muscled a defensive board, Allegretti was the beneficiary with four minutes remaining.

The one point deficit didn't ground the Foxes, though. Clinton answered right back from downtown and then persisted on the offensive boards. Two from the line resulting, the teams traded turnovers and misses until New struck her brand again. Her pull up jumper made it 52-46, and with 90 seconds remaining, Somers was in trouble.

But the Tuskers didn't give in. Allegretti hit Julia Schmidberger in the paint, and she powered her way to the rim. In for two, the backup center got one from the line, and Fox Lane wasn't home free yet with 58 seconds left.

Unable to convert, the Foxes lost the ensuing battle underneath to Kuchinsky, and it was still a one possession game. Back the other way, Kuchinsky spotted a lane. The guard juked and sidestepped the traffic but could not get the ball to go down.

Twenty seconds on the clock, Ingraham forced Moore to travel on her way up court, and Somers called for time. The ball would find Contreras on the inbound, and up for the tie, the shot was on target. Not enough, the three fell short of the rim, and Fox Lane had the win.

Somers will face Pelham in the consolation game on Saturday.