Chiefs fall to league foes
By Ginna Young
A trio of East Lakeland Conference opponents was ontap for Cornell’s girls basketball program, with the Chiefs ready to face any challenges that came their way.
Jan. 30 vs. Winter conference (L 75-59)
Winter was the first team Cornell had to get through, as they made the trek to play the Warriors.
“Coming in, I knew it was going to be a tough game,” said coach Stacy Schroeder.
The Chiefs were only nine down at halftime and kept pace with Winter throughout the second half, but it just wasn’t enough and the game went to the home team, 7559.
“We allowed too many points and we needed to play better on defense,” said Schroeder.
Leading for Cornell, was junior Bralee Schroeder, with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 steals, while junior Lauren Samardzich had 16 points and 9 blocks. Freshman Haylee Ellis followed that with 12 points and 10 rebounds, with junior Alyssa Bowe adding 3 points.
Feb. 2 vs. Prairie Farm conference (L 58-52)
A few days later, Prairie Farm came to call, giving the Chiefs a fight for the victory. Despite a good first half, Cornell couldn’t hold onto the lead and the Panthers claimed a 58-52 win.
“We played well for the first 32 minutes of the game, leading the entire time,” said S. Schroeder. “In the last four minutes, Prairie Farm was able to take the lead. Prairie Farm is a good team, so, overall, the girls played well, for the most part.”
Samardzich led, with 23 points, 3 blocks and 6 rebounds, followed by Bowe, 11 points and 4 rebounds, with Ellis right behind, with 10 points and 8 rebounds. B. Schroeder rounded out the scoring with 9 points and 4 rebounds.
“We need to work on finishing an entire game,” said S. Schroeder.
Feb. 5 vs. Clayton conference (L 52-32)
Coming off the weekend, the Chiefs then hosted Clayton, where scoring was not in Cornell’s favor. The Bears took the win, 52-32.
“Too many turnovers and a lot of missed opportunities cost us the game,” said S. Schroeder.
Again leading for Cornell, was B. Schroeder, with 18 points, while Ellis had 10, and Bowe and senior Grace Harycki each chipped in with 2 points.
Cornell’s record is now 4-14 overall and 3-8 in the league.
