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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- For the first half, and a few minutes of the third quarter, the Hollidaysburg-Altoona girls basketball game Thursday night was a tightly-contested battle between two long-time rivals.
And then just like that … poof!
Adalynn Cherry hit a corner 3-pointer at around the 5:30 mark of the third to put the Lady Lions up, 29-27, at that point, and the next thing you knew, Hollidaysburg went on a monster run, keyed by Alison Hatajik, Marin Miller and Sydney Lear. The Lady Tigers were up 46-31 going into the final frame, where they finished off their county foes, 59-43.
"Altoona is a very good team … a well-coached team, and anytime you are playing Altoona, you always tell the kids it will come down to the last bucket," replied Hollidaysburg coach Deanna Jubeck, when asked if she was surprised by the final score. "Being able to win at this point and time, all you need is a one-point win."
Altoona coach Chris Fleegle was gracious in his praise for the Lady Tigers' effort, and despite his club being in the middle of a three-games-in-three-nights stretch, he did not use that as an excuse.
"We still got decent looks and open shots, but the ball didn't fall," said Fleegle, whose club fell to 9-6. "You have to remember, this is only our second game back after a 17-day layoff (because of COVID-19 protocols). The shots were there. The shots that we were missing are shots we usually make, but give them credit. They played well."
Cherry, the team's leading scorer, was held to 10 points, which was the high score for Altoona.
"We knew we had to key on her," said Jubeck, who credited the work of Lear and Miller in guarding Cherry. "We knew if we could stop her, and let their other kids have to put the ball in the basket, we would have a better shot at them."
Miller finished with 30 points after having just two in the first quarter. Hatajik totaled 15 points, including eight in the second quarter and seven in the third quarter.
"Ally has all the potential in the world and she continues to get better for them," Fleegle said. "She finished strong around the rim and when she gets comfortable with her back to the basket, she only gets better."
The Lady Tigers improved to 6-5 and got to avenge an earlier five-point loss at Altoona earlier this season.
"We are a in a good position right now," said Jubeck, whose club is at State College tonight. "Like everyone else in the state, it's been a roller-coaster ride. As long as our kids stay focused and keep their poise, we are in a good position."
Altoona is at Central Mountain tonight, and then, like Hollidaysburg, begins district play next week.
"With three games in a row, we wanted a playoff atmosphere, we wanted to be pushed, to be tested," Fleegle said. "Hopefully, we can get a bye into the district championship and use that time to get our legs back."
ALTOONA (43): Cherry 2 5-5 10, Corbin 3 0-0 7, Lane 2 0-0 4, Smith 2 0-0 4, Rupert 0 2-5 2, O'Keefe 0 0-0 0, Barron 1 0-0 3, Burchfield 1 0-0 3, McGirk 0 0-0 0, Gibson 3 2-2 8, Krull 1 0-0 2, Cree 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 15 9-12 43.
HOLLIDAYSBURG (59): Miller 10 8-8 30, Lear 2 3-4 8, Smith 0 0-0 0, Hatajik 5 5-6 15, Figard 2 0-0 4, Stitt 1 0-0 2, Shoemaker 0 0-1 0, Steiner 0 0-0 0, DiPangrazio 0 0-0 0, Kordish 0 0-0 0, Reed 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 16-19 59
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Altoona 10 14 7 12 -- 43
Hollidaysburg 9 16 21 13 -- 59
3-point goals: Altoona 4 (Cherry, Corbin, Barron, Burchfield); Hollidaysburg 3 (Miller 2, Lear).
Records: Altoona (9-6), Hollidaysburg (6-5)
JV: Altoona, 47-14. High scorers--Krull, A, 15; Kordish, H, 6.