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Large second half lifts Silver Creek past North Collins

SILVER CREEK — The Silver Creek Black Knights girls basketball team used a large second half to pull away from the North Collins Eagles 45-26 on Wednesday night.

“We warmed up sluggish and that was reflected in the first half,” stated Silver Creek coach Tammy Rice. “We did not start playing to our ability until the third quarter.”

The game started off slow with both teams trying to get back into the swing of playing basketball early into the season. After trading off baskets early in the game, Silver Creek ended on a 7-0 run in the last 90 seconds to take a 13-8 lead after one quarter.

“We have to put up a lot of shots,” Coach Rice stated. “Girls are in positions where they weren’t expected to score in the past and have to adjust to a new role. We have to learn minor details, like getting our feet set and not rushing for the shot. My fear as a coach is that the girls will be embarrassed for missing a shot, but I am proud that they worked through this because they were not afraid to shoot.”

After a couple buckets by the Black Knights (2-0) to start the second quarter, North Collins made a strong comeback towards the end of the half. Consecutive three point shots by Myah Gabel and Makenna Williams in as many trips down the floor allowed the Eagles finished the half on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 18.

“We did a great job of coming back and that started with the presence and an effective zone defense,” North Collins coach Vince Fininzio stated. “We did a good job of forcing them to shoot deep and were effective at hustling down the loose balls. We need to continue to do that for an entire game.”

To start the second half, Abby Rice hit a three. In the next possession, Gabel hit another three point shot to tie the game. Silver Creek responded with a three point shot in its next possession from Jaylah Cossin. The Black Knights never looked back from that point, dominating the entire second half. The Black Knights were strong on the boards, giving themselves multiple chances to score. Despite not shooting their best, Silver Creek was able to attack the glass and get off multiple high percentage shots and finished the quarter on a 15-0 run.

“We struggled rebounding in our scrimmage and have spent a lot of time addressing this,” Coach Rice added. “If we are not shooting well, we need to attack the glass to get shots. That will at least give us some opportunities to get better chances.”

Hailey Jasinski was able to end the Eagles scoring drought after ten minutes as she was able to get the steal and an old fashioned three point play. Silver Creek’s defense was able to hold down the Eagles and did a great job getting into the passing lanes to record multiple steals.

Abby Rice finished with 20 points and four assists. Jaylah Cossin recorded 10 points and seven steals, while Kiera Brennan chipped in with six points and 10 rebounds.

According to Coach Rice, “I am pleased with the play of Jaylah. She is coming into her role nicely after we lost two guards from last year. Her speed is definitely an advantage to the position.”

Myah Gabel led the Eagles with eight points while Makenna Williams and Michaela Rice both finished with seven points. Silver Creek is back in action on Friday as the Black Knights play Pine Valley, while North Collins visits Global Concepts next week.

“We have a lot of goals heading into February,” Coach Rice stated. “We need to do a better job of running our offense and getting out into transition. We also need to be able to handle the ball under pressure and work on everyone being an offensive threat. There are a lot of good teams coming up so we have to be ready and if we play to our capabilities, we should have a good year.”

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