It’s not how the Birmingham Seaholm girls basketball team wanted to open the season on Dec. 8, but the Maples will take the 33-25 win at Harrison Twp. L’Anse Creuse.
For one, Addy Kitzman, their most experienced returner, wasn’t there. Her morning flight home from a soccer tournament was canceled.
For two, they couldn’t get much going offensively, scoring only 13 points in the opening half. And had Erin Sheckell not made a 3-pointer, they would’ve been held completely scoreless in the third quarter.
But, finally, veteran coach Chris Manchester came up with a plan for the final eight minutes — and a mix of his seniors and up-and-comers swung momentum in their favor.
“We went with a different press, just to see if that would mix it up,” Manchester said. “The pressure up top really got to their guards. No. 5 (Allison Tuladziecki) is a great player, and we kept her from getting the ball and put it into some of the other girls’ hands, and my girls made some plays and turned it around really quickly because they got energetic.”
They certainly did.
The Lancers could hardly get the ball across half-court, let alone to Tuladziecki — one of two L’Anse Creuse players to finish with nine points.
Pressure came from guard Jada Josifovski, while forwards Katie Droulliard and Hazel Guffey used their length to play just as aggressively. Finally, turnover after turnover led to easy buckets in transition.
Scheckell’s basket to open the fourth made it a 20-19 deficit.
Then, Guffey nabbed a steal and finished at the rim to give the Maples a two-point lead, their first since early in the opening quarter and one they wouldn’t relinquish.
Highlights from their 17-5 run included Josifovski taking a pair of rebounds the length of the floor for layups, Sheckell cashing in on an out-of-bounds play and five different Maples making free throws.
“I think we were just feeding off of each other,” said Josifovski, who scored seven points and spearheaded Seaholm’s defensive energy. “We lost a lot of girls (to graduation last year), so I think the younger girls are doing a good job stepping in, but we were a little nervous for the first couple of quarters. Once we regrouped, it was good.”
Scheckell led all scorers with 14 points, followed by Guffey and Shea Simpson with five points apiece and Lois Cortez and Sophia Lossia each making one free throw.
“Not having our starting point guard (Kitzman)? Yeah, that makes a big difference,” Manchester joked. “But we were a little nervous, finding our roles. … I think my seniors who have come back that didn’t get a ton of minutes last year really stepped up tonight.”
Josifovski, who was a rotational player a year ago but is now one of the team’s leaders, said the Maples missed having Kitzman out there, but they knew they could pull through down the stretch, especially with some of the newer contributors making clutch baskets in the fourth.
“There was no pressure,” the senior said. “The young girls did a good job of stepping up.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Canceled flights can’t stop Birmingham Seaholm girls basketball
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
