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EBENSBURG -- During a typical high school basketball game, most teams will end up with two to three scorers ending their night in double figures.
Friday night, Hollidaysburg's scoring balance went beyond that. In fact, it was the entirety of its starting lineup that ended up with 10 points or more in Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference action at Central Cambria High School.
Starting on the defensive end on a takeaway by McKenna Weimert, which set up Bella Vent for an early bucket, the Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Devils 25-6 in the first quarter and never looked back as they cruised to a 70-44 victory to keep their unbeaten mark in conference play alive.
"Tonight (the Lady Tigers offensive success), it really came from our defense," Lady Tiger senior point guard Bella Vent said. "We had a lot of energy, and it just led to scoring on offense. Starting off like that gave us a lot of confidence."
Hollidaysburg coach Deanna Jubeck credits how her squad has taken pride in how they execute the system they run.
"The girls are really buying into both ends of the court offense and defense," she said. "They're sharing the basketball, they're making the extra pass, and it's really showing on games like tonight."
Hollidaysburg blew the game open with a 17-2 run as Clare Padamonsky found Weimert, who launched a pass to Vent for two of her 12 points as part of the outburst.
Weimert later added a bonus free-throw opportunity as she scored 10 and Lauren Stevenson knocked down a pair of 3-pointers as she finished with 10 to finish the opening stanza.
"We got a three-year starter in our point guard (Stevenson), and she's doing a really good job running the offense," Jubeck said. "Her leadership skills have been great from day one, and I think that's the difference between having a team that's younger versus a team that has great leadership from our seniors."
It took until an Alaina Long putback with about 3¢ minutes left in the opening frame before the Lady Devils scored their first points. Long, along with Alaina Sheehan, led Central Cambria with 13.
Central Cambria coach Brittany Bracken tipped her cap to the Lady Tigers for how they started the game and sustained that success.
"I think they had one of the best first quarters I've seen," She said. "I don't know what they shot, but they shot very well. They played great defense. I'll give the credit to them for a good, strong start to the game."
"We were a little out of position at times, but they were also very patient, and they worked the ball well until we made a mistake on defense."
Padamonsky took over offensively in the second as she scored eight of her game-high 16 points. Alissa Heim -- who added 13 -- buried a 3-pointer, which gave Hollidaysburg a 40-21 halftime lead.
Hollidaysburg has not failed to reach 50 points in any of its 12 victories this season -- scoring 60 or more in six of those triumphs. Jubeck has enjoyed seeing the scoring diversity the Lady Tigers have enjoyed and seeing what her team has been willing to contribute.
"Any given night, you never know which kid is going to score in double digits," she said. "We talk about sacrifice, and that's what these kids have done, sacrifice for each other."
While Hollidaysburg enters the home stretch in prime position for a spot in the LHAC playoff and for a chance at the top spot in the upcoming District 6 Class 5A playoffs, it also knows there is room for growth as the push for the postseason gets going.
"I feel like right now we're at a really good point, but thinking that we have little spots to clean up gives me and my team so much confidence to go far in the long run," Vent said.
That next opportunity for the Lady Tigers will be on Monday as they welcome Tyrone to town. Central Cambria meanwhile will be looking to bounce back as it makes the trip to Forest Hills the same day.
HOLLIDAYSBURG (70): Vent 5 1-2 12, Padamonsky 8 0-0 16, Heim 5 2-2 13, Weimert 3 6-7 12, Stevenson 4 0-0 10, Steiner 1 0-0 2, Lear 0 0-0 0, Bailey 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 28 9-10 70.
CENTRAL CAMBRIA (44): Al. Sheehan 4 2-4 13, Ab. Sheehan 0 0-0 0, Long 6 1-1 13, Link 3 2-2 8, A. Ruddek 0 0-0 0, Barra 1 2-2 4, George 1 0-0 2, R. Ruddek 1 2-4 4. Totals -- 16 9-13 44.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Hollidaysburg 25 15 22 8 -- 70
Central Cambria 6 15 9 14 -- 44
3-point field goals: Hollidaysburg 5 (Vent, Heim, Sidney, Stevenson 2), Central Cambria 3 (Al. Sheehan 3)
Records: Hollidaysburg (12-1), Central Cambria (9-5).
Officials: Brandon Ashurst, Brian Wasilewski, Tony Warynovich
JV: Central Cambria, 44-22. High scorers: Jillian Buffone, H, 5; Makenzie Hite, CC, 16.