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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
TYRONE -- Tyrone came into the season as the two-time defending District 6 Class 4A champions, but the Lady Eagles returned only one starter from the core of those championship teams, senior forward Kayelin Gibbons.
Gibbons missed the start of the season, and Tyrone lost its first four games, but with its leader back and getting into a groove, the Lady Eagles have started to do the same.
Gibbons scored a game-high 20 points and had seven rebounds for Tyrone in its 46-40 victory over Penn Cambria in the first round of the 11th annual Reliance Bank Holiday Tournament hosted by Northern Blair Kiwanis on Wednesday night.
"(Gibbons being back on the floor) gives us an opportunity to look inside," Tyrone coach Luke Rhoades said. "I think we have to finish a little more inside. I think she left a couple points out there, but I'm really happy having her back -- there's no doubt about it."
Gibbons is serving as a bridge for her younger teammates such as freshman Alayna Woomer -- who added 12 points for the Lady Eagles and made their only 3-pointer.
"Her being on the floor relieves a little bit of pressure for the younger girls," Rhoades said. "That's very important."
Tyrone's opponent, Penn Cambria, thrives on providing pressure.
The Lady Panthers used their trademark full-court defense to force 26 turnovers, but they couldn't find their shooting touch -- something that has plagued them during a 2-5 start.
"I said to the girls at halftime, we were 0-for-12 from the 3-point line, and (Tyrone) defended the hoop very well," Penn Cambria coach Keith Saleme said. "We didn't play with a sense of urgency in the first half like we did in the second half. We really picked it up and matched their intensity late, but when you're not shooting well, you have to out-work them, and unfortunately in the first half we didn't. That ended up being the difference in the game."
Tyrone outscored Penn Cambria in each of the first three quarters and led by as many as 15 points, but an Emily Hite free throw with 2:17 left pulled the Lady Panthers within four points.
Unfortunately for Penn Cambria, five seconds later, the Lady Panthers picked up their seventh team foul which calmed the pressure somewhat. Bree Paul made a pair of free throws for Tyrone as did Amariah Sprankle in between a layup from beating the press by Gibbons.
Abby Crossman, who finished with a team-high 15 points, hit a turnaround jump shot with 37.8 seconds left, and Penn Cambria got a couple steals and shots from deep to try and make it a one-possession game but never converted.
"We wore them down, and we're a little deeper team," Saleme said. "But, I told them, we put the effort in for half a game. We need to do that for a full game to get the result we want. Unfortunately, we didn't do that tonight."
The Lady Panthers played 15 players on Wednesday, and 13 in the first half alone. They are known for line shifts much like hockey to keep players fresh, but Saleme did it a little more against Tyrone than even he's used to.
"Depending on the night, we'll go anywhere from 10 to 15," Saleme said. "Usually, 12 or 13 is normal, but when you're trying to find a hot hand, someone to catch a spark, we went a little deeper into our bench than we normally do."
Tyrone will play Bellwood-Antis in the championship game today while Penn Cambria will take on Central in the consolation game. Rhoades was pleased with how his team held on Wednesday after the Eagles lost a fourth-quarter advantage earlier in the year against Penns Valley.
"We've got to figure out ways to finish off games," Rhoades said. "This is a learning experience for us. The Penns Valley game was me. I blew that game, because I didn't make any switches or changes. It had worked all game, but they executed in the fourth quarter and I didn't make a change, but tonight the girls stepped up and did what we asked them to do and secured rebounds. We have to be careful with outlets, knowing when they are trying to foul us and being strong with the ball. But with a young team, you have to find ways to win. Getting this winning feeling is important for us."
PENN CAMBRIA (40): Harpster 2 0-2 4, Della 1 0-0 2, Crossman 7 0-0 15, E. Hite 3 7-8 13, Vinglish 0 0-1 0, Galovich 0 0-0 0, Ronan 0 0-0 0, Andersen 0 0-1 0, A. Hite 0 0-0 0, Saleme 0 1-2 1, Mak. McCoy 1 0-0 2, O'Donnell 1 0-0 2, Spahr 0 0-0 0, Mad. McCoy 1 0-0 3, McConnell 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 15 8-14 40.
TYRONE (46): Corl 1 0-0 2, Paul 1 2-2 4, Woomer 4 3-3 12, Crowell 0 2-2 2, Gibbons 9 2-8 20, Greene 0 0-0 0, Sprankle 2 2-4 6, Weston 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 17 11-19 46.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Penn Cambria 5 10 11 14 -- 40
Tyrone 11 13 13 9 -- 46
3-point goals: Penn Cambria 2 (Mad. McCoy, Crossman); Tyrone 1 (Woomer).
Records: Penn Cambria (2-5); Tyrone (2-4).
Officials: Clark Adelman, Skip Dry, Brandon Hoover.