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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
EBENSBURG -- Veteran coach John Strittmatter is in the first year of his second tenure overseeing the Bishop Carroll Catholic girls basketball program, and he has also been the head coach of the school's boys basketball program.
If the Lady Huskies shoot the ball and play defense as well all this season as they did Friday night, Strittmatter's return to the bench will be a very enjoyable one.
Led by sophomore Ava Pablic's game-high 22 points, Carroll made 50 percent of its floor shots (22 of 44) Friday, including nine 3-point goals, and rode a very quick start out of the gate to a 59-34 Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference victory over Tyrone at the Bishop Carroll High School gymnasium.
Pablic hit six 3-pointers in the game for Carroll, including three in the first quarter, as the Lady Huskies (3-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference), scored the game's first 13 points en route to building a 21-6 lead after one quarter.
"We had an outstanding night shooting the basketball, and if you can put the ball in the basket, it makes all the difference in the world,'' Strittmatter said. "We also played very good defense tonight.''
Pablic accounted for the game's first nine points by draining three 3-point field goals - two from the top of the circle and one from the right corner - to give Carroll a 9-0 lead.
After junior Madison Delauter converted a fast-break layup for Carroll, junior Sarah Miller hit a jumper from the left corner to give the Lady Huskies the 13-0 edge before Tyrone (0-2 overall and in the conference) could get on the board.
While Carroll was converting eight of its 12 first-quarter shots, Tyrone made just two of eight in the opening period and only 11 of its 38 in the game.
"They came out and they hit shots,'' Tyrone coach Mike Whitling said of the Lady Huskies. "That's what it came down to - three of their first five shots tonight were 3's.
"We didn't do a good enough job breaking through their (defensive) pressure,'' Whitling added. "We were able to get shots tonight, but they just didn't go down.''
Carroll built a 25-9 lead on two Pablic free throws in the second quarter before Tyrone reeled off three straight field goals, by Brielle Parker, Lola Woomer, and Claire Lehman, to narrow the gap to 25-15.
But that's the closest that Tyrone, which was led by Woomer's 10 points, could get for the duration.
"We started off very strong, we came out with a big lead, and I thought that our defense was really good,'' Pablic said. "I thought our players gave each other encouragement out on the floor tonight, and that we played well as a team.
"I'm excited to keep playing with our team,'' Pablic added.
Miller, with 10 points, was also in double figures for Central Cambria, which held a 23-18 edge in rebounds, with Pablic's six sharing game honors in that category with Woomer, who is a talented freshman.
Both teams return to action Wednesday night, with Central Cambria hosting Bedford and Tyrone hosting Bald Eagle Area.
TYRONE (34): Greene 2 3-3 7, Lehman 2 2-2 7, L. Woomer 4 0-0 10, A. Woomer 1 2-3 4, Crowell 0 2-2 2, Parker 2 0-1 4. Totals - 11 9-13 34.
BISHOP CARROLL (59): Delauter 1 0-0 2, Golden 2 2-3 6, Pablic 7 2-2 22, Ad. Myers 2 0-0 4, Miller 4 0-0 10, Lucko 1 2-2 4, Lieb 4 0-0 9, Dziabo 1 0-0 2, Sirsikar 0 0-0 0. Totals - 22 6-7 59.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Tyrone 6 9 10 9 -- 34
Bishop Carroll 21 8 19 11 -- 59
3-point goals: Tyrone 3 (L. Woomer 2, Lehman); Bishop Carroll 9 (Pablic 6, Miller 2, Lieb.)
Records: Tyrone (0-2 overall and in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference); Bishop Carroll (3-1, 3-0).
Officials: Brandon Ashurst, Donnie Bachota, Cory Theys.
JV: Bishop Carroll, 32-25. High scorers--Grace Naylor, T, 7; Allie Dziabo, BC, 14.