Weekend Hoops: Reading's team confidence fuels victory on the road at Jonesville

Ranger sophomore Aubree Ervans hit 3-for-5 on her free throw attempts to help the Rangers win 38-31 over Jonesville.
Ranger sophomore Aubree Ervans hit 3-for-5 on her free throw attempts to help the Rangers win 38-31 over Jonesville.

HILLSDALE COUNTY — Rival Big 8 girls basketball squads went head-to-head at Jonesville high school on Friday night. Pittsford prep girls hoops took on rival Camden-Frontier in a defensive battle.

The Hillsdale Academy boys basketball team took on the one-loss Bellevue Broncos in a Saturday night matchup. Here is a recap of some of the big contests that prep hoops teams faced this weekend and scores from the rest of the county's contests.

Comet senior Brooklyn Lauwers takes the ball up court against the Ranger defense.
Comet senior Brooklyn Lauwers takes the ball up court against the Ranger defense.

Reading prep girls hoops takes down Jonesville on the road

Head coach Kevin Bailey and the Rangers looked for revenge as they headed to their Big 8 and county rivals in Jonesville. The Rangers fell 29-37 in the Pat Paterson Pool A finals to the Comets. However, the Rangers have been true road warriors this season, having won every game on the road going into their Friday night matchup with the Comets. A low scoring first half would lead to the Rangers leaning on their confident shooters at the free throw line to pull away from the Comets for a 38-31 victory.

Jonesville congratulates Reading after their 38-31 victory over the Comets.
Jonesville congratulates Reading after their 38-31 victory over the Comets.

Both teams combined for more than 50 free throw attempts during the game. The defensive struggle started in the first quarter, where Jonesville hit three free throws to help take an early 7-5 lead. Ranger Alexis Engel hit a three-pointer in the second quarter, and Ariana McDowell had four points to help the Rangers take the lead 16-13 at the half.

Alexis Trine and Lyra Nichols each had four points in the third quarter to help the Comets stay within one score of the Rangers who led 26-24. In the third, Jenna Londeau hit a three-pointer, her second of the game for the Rangers. As both teams struggled for each point in the four quarter, the Rangers had to rely on their skill and poise at the free throw line to seal the game. Sophomore Aubree Ervans, who scored her first points in the third quarter, hit three free throws and scored two points to help the Rangers build their lead point-by-point.

Comet basketball players Reese Stanton (2) and Kierstyn Keller (11) wait for the game to resume in the fourth quarter.
Comet basketball players Reese Stanton (2) and Kierstyn Keller (11) wait for the game to resume in the fourth quarter.

Senior Serenity Trott had three points from the free throw line and ran the offense with confidence that helped set up her teammates for success. The Ranger went 5-for-9 from the line during the game. "It was a gutty performance from a really gutty kid," said Bailey. "We ask her to run the offense and she usually has a big impact on defense, too. Tonight, we needed her to make some free throws and handle the pressure, and it was probably one of her best performances."

Ariana McDowell added another four points for the Rangers in the fourth quarter, totaling eight for the game.

Reading head coach Kevin Bailey instructs the offense during the fourth quarter of their game at Jonesville.
Reading head coach Kevin Bailey instructs the offense during the fourth quarter of their game at Jonesville.

The Comets had their opportunities from the free throw line, as well, in the fourth. They were only able to connect on three of their 10 attempts. The Comets got an additional four points in the quarter, but time ran out for the Comet comeback attempt. Lyra Nichols led the way for the Comet scoring effort with nine points and 15 rebounds. Alexis Trine had eight points, 10 rebounds and seven steals. Brooke Owen had four points. Graven Hager had three points. Reese Stanton had two points and three steals. Morgan Baker had two points and two steals. Korra Estel had two points and two steals. Brooklyn Lauwers had one point. Kierstyn Keller had three rebounds.

Ariana McDowell had eight points for the Rangers. McDowell also had one rebound and two steals. Alexis Engel had three points, one rebound and three steals. Maggie Santure had three points, five rebounds, one block and three steals. Jenna Londeau had six points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals. Aubree Ervans had seven points, eight rebounds and four assists. Serenity Trott had seven points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals. Blakeleigh Cornstubble had one rebound, three blocks and two steals. Abby Affholter had four points and nine rebounds.

Reading junior Taylor Engel looks to sink a 3-poitner against the Jonesville Comets.
Reading junior Taylor Engel looks to sink a 3-poitner against the Jonesville Comets.

Head coach Kevin Bailey credited his team's confidence in getting the team in the right mindset to play Friday night, and playing with the belief they could get it done on the road in a tough environment.

"The biggest thing tonight for us was confidence," said Bailey. "Jonesville is good at what they do. You get off the bus and they start guarding you. We had stretches in that Christmas tournament where we played well against it, and that gave us confidence to know that we could handle the pressure. We just had to make some buckets and not turn it over, and we did that tonight. The credit goes to our girls for truly having that belief and getting it done because this (Jonesville) is a tough place to win."

Jonesville falls to 5-8 on the season. Head coach Tom Dunn said that free throws made the difference during the game. Jonesville hit 11-for-34 overall with their free throw attempts. The Comets look to rebound at home against Homer on Thursday, Jan. 26. Coach Dunn believes it will be another quality battle between the two future Cascade teams. The Comets earned their first victory of the season in week three at Homer.

Comet head coach Tom Dunn and Reading head coach Kevin Bailey shake hands and discuss the game after Reading's 38-31 victory.
Comet head coach Tom Dunn and Reading head coach Kevin Bailey shake hands and discuss the game after Reading's 38-31 victory.

Reading is 10-4 overall and still undefeated on the road. The Rangers will have a tough home matchup with the Quincy Orioles on Thursday, Jan. 26. The Springport Spartans await them for another tough road contest on Jan. 31.

Hillsdale girls basketball takes down Dundee

Head coach Moonie Dillard and the Hornet girls basketball team have been looking to add to their win column since week one when they defeated Union City. The Hornets have had their fair share of heartbreakers this season, including close losses to Ida, Hudson, Jonesville and Hillsdale Academy.

The Hornets went to Dundee looking for win number two and their first LCAA victory of the season. Hillsdale was able to get the road win in a gritty 44-40 final. Amelia Dietz had nine points for the Hornets. Rylee Miller had 11 points. Shae Arnold had five points. Megan Rufenacht had six points. Grace Terpening had six points, including a 3-pointer. Rakell Brown had four points. Karsyn Stebbins had three points.

The Hornets look to earn back-to-back league wins when they host the Clinton Redwolves on Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 7:00 p.m.

Pittsford defeats Camden-Frontier 37-18

The Pittsford girls basketball team continued their recent win streak and SCAA win streak with a 37-18 win over Camden-Frontier. Ava Mallar had another double-digit scoring effort for the Wildcats, earning 10 points, five rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks.

Riley McCumber had eight points, three rebounds and two assists for the Wildcats. Halle Clark had five points, three rebounds and three steals.

The Camden-Frontier varsity girls basketball team falls to 5-5 on the season. The team is 2-2 since January started. Camden-Frontier looks to rebound with a home matchup against Climax-Scotts on Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m. They travel to Hillsdale Academy on the 26th. Game time starts at 6:30 p.m.

Pittsford improves their record to 10-2 overall. The Wildcats will open their next week of game action with a tough home matchup against Jackson Christian (9-4 overall) on the 24th. They travel to Colon on the 26th. The Magi are currently 7-4 overall.

Waldron defeats Burr Oak 50-38

The Waldron girls basketball team earned their fourth win of the season with a home victory against Burr Oak. The Spartans and head coach Jon Burk have now won two games in a row on their home court. Waldron has been impressive at home this season, with their two losses to the Academy and Jackson Christian coming down to single digit deficits.

Emma Wines led the way for the Spartans, earning 13 points and six rebounds. Kailie Kurtz had 11 points and six rebounds for the Spartans. Kurtz also had three steals. Jenna Fellabaum had 10 points and six rebounds.

The Spartans look to start their week off with another victory on the road against Tekonsha. The Jan. 24 matchup could be the Spartans' first road win of the season. They end the week with a home battle against Climax-Scotts on the 27th.

Colts girls hoops win against Tekonsha and boys hoops falls to Bellevue

The Colts girls varsity basketball team earned their ninth win of the season, second in a row, against Tekonsha on Friday, Jan. 20. The 59-10 final saw several Colts contribute to the high scoring contest. Megan Roberts had 13 points. Lydia Jackson had 11 points. Ava Postula had nine points. Angela Alvarez had eight points.

The Colts boys basketball team had a tough trip to the (now) 9-1 Bellevue Broncos on a Saturday, Jan. 21 matchup. The Broncos won their sixth game in a row in a 61-29 final against the Colts. The Academy scoring effort was led by Mikey Plemmons with 12 and Dominic Scharer with seven.

The Colts girls basketball team is 9-2 overall. They North Adams-Jerome on the road on Jan. 24 and then host rival Camden-Frontier on Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m. The Colts boys basketball team falls to 7-3 overall. The Colts prep boys hoops squad faces the same two teams, hosting the Rams on the 25th and visiting Camden-Frontier on the 27th at 7:30 p.m.

Scores from around the County

The Litchfield girls basketball team took on Jackson Christian after winning two games in a row. The Terriers were unable to score more than 30 on JC, falling in a 29-36 final. The Terriers take on Bellevue on the road on Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Will Carleton Academy girls basketball went to overtime with Battle Creek Academy. They won 49-46. This is the Cougars' second win in a row. They are now 5-5 on the season and take on Factoryville Christian on Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m.

The North Adams-Jerome girls basketball team fell to Battle Creek St. Phillip 21-52. The Rams are now 1-8 overall on the season. They take on Hillsdale Academy at home on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Stats were unavailable at the writing of this article

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Ranger girls basketball takes down Jonesville and Pittsford defeats Camden-Frontier