Blissfield girls turn showdown with Morenci into a rout
MORENCI – The last thing anyone expected in a match-up of two top five ranked teams was a running clock to close out the game but that is what happened Tuesday in Morenci when Blissfield rolled to a 56-18 win over the home Bulldogs.
“We weren’t really expecting that, but we played pretty good defense,” Blissfield head coach Ryan Gilbert said. “We got off to a sort of a slow start, but we picked it up.”
The Royals took nearly four minutes to score its first points, but when they did it opened the flood gates. Blissfield led 12-4 after the first quarter, then went on a 18-2 run and went into halftime up 30-8.
Abrie Louden hit two 3-pointers during that stretch to spark the run.
“She hit some big shots,” Gilbert said. “We like to see that.”
The third quarter was all Blissfield, who didn’t allow a point while scoring 21 points of its own. In the closing two minutes, Leigh Wyman had back-to-back buckets, including one on a layup after grabbing a rebound and going the distance of the floor. She also dribbled the clock down to the final seconds and found Louden for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and a 51-8 lead going into the final quarter. It was one of six assists for the Royal freshman.
The fourth quarter was under a running clock. Morenci was able to hit for 10 points, but it was too little too late to put a dent into the Royal lead.
The Bulldogs came into the game missing starters Josie Zuvers and Emersyn Bachelder. Another starter, Addyson Valentine, returned after a six-game absence, but only sparingly. She scored four points.
Alyssa Gibbs led the Bulldogs with 7 points. Morenci will regroup and try to get healthy for the stretch run. They are 14-2 overall but still unbeaten in the TCC.
June Miller led the Royals with 12 points Tuesday while Louden had 11. Julia White had 9 points and 15 rebounds.
Blissfield (15-1) returns to LCAA action Friday, playing at Madison. They will have five LCAA games in a row – if they win three of those five, they will clinch no worse than a share of the league title.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Blissfield girls turn showdown with Morenci into a rout
