Red Raiders, Panthers deal Abby girls pair of losses
By Nathaniel Underwood
The Abbotsford girls basketball team dropped to 4-14 this season after suffering two home losses to Pittsville and Marathon last week.
Marathon, 56-38
Riley Podevels scored 15 points and was one rebound away from a double-double, Celia Schindler added another 11 points, but the Falcons couldn’t come out with the win last Friday evening as the visiting Marathon Red Raiders pulled away in the second half to defeat Abbotsford 56-38.
A 23-5 run for Marathon across the end of the first period through the first 11 minutes of the second allowed the Red Raiders to turn a once close game into a blowout. While Marathon shot only a little over their average for the game over this stretch, making nine of their 21 field goal attempts, the Falcons struggled to find consistency when in possession of the ball. They went 1-for-16 from the field and committed nine turnovers, a layup from Podevels their sole field goal during the run.
The push from the Red Raiders closed the door on an Abbotsford rally that had them come back from a double-digit deficit in the first half.
After falling behind 24-12, the Falcons went on a 13-4 run to pull back within a basket of the visiting Marathon squad. Schindler started things off with a jumper in the lane and then went on to score eight unanswered points for Abbotsford over the next two minutes. A three for Campbell Brodhagen brought the home team back within three and a pair of free throws for Schindler kept them in that range with just over a minute to play in the half.
They could never fully close that gap, however, and the lack of offense to start the second half allowed Marathon to distance themselves.
While Abbotsford shot slightly better from three point range, going 3-for-14 to the Red Raiders’ 1-for-16 mark, the visitors were much more efficient from inside the arc, shooting 48.6 percent compared to the Falcons’ 29.6 percent.
In addition to her team-high 15 points, Podevels had nine rebounds and one block, leading Abbotsford in both categories as well. Schindler added five rebounds and a team-high three assists to her 11-point performance and Brodhagen hit two threepoint shots for six points. Azul Diaz put up two points, collected six rebounds and had four steals, Nevaeh Treankler had two points and two steals and Marilyn Hammock also had two points.
Pittsville, 67-29
The Falcons hosted Pittsville last Thursday evening for a non-conference game against the Panthers. After slow offensive starts for both teams, Abbotsford found themselves unable to keep up with their guests once the Pittsville squad found their footing, ultimately falling 67-29.
Despite a tough opening for the visitors, the Panthers ended up holding significant statistical advantages over Abbotsford by the time the game concluded. Pittsville attempted 21 more shots than the Falcons, thanks in part to grabbing 19 offensive rebounds to the home team’s seven and having 10 fewer turnovers. This, coupled with the fact that the Panthers were able to shoot 40.4 percent from the field and make 18 of their 20 free throw attempts, allowed them to pull away from Abbotsford.
However, both offenses struggled in the game’s opening sequences. Over the first six minutes of the game, Pittsville shot just 1-for-10 from the field, getting five of their seven points over that stretch from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Abbotsford only had one shot attempt over that same time period. Riley Podevels converted on that one attempt, but seven of the Falcons’ first nine possessions ended in a turnover, with the other resulting in free throw attempts for Podevels.
A basket from Lauryn Harris broke a four minute scoring drought for the Falcons, but the visitors were beginning to find some consistency on offense. By the time Harris had scored again, the Panthers had doubled up Abbotsford, a trend that would continue throughout the game.
After building up a 21-10 lead, the Panthers pulled away further by scoring 10 unanswered points. While three free throws from Podevels gave the Falcons the final points of the period, they still found themselves down 31-13 at halftime.
A short range jump shot off the glass for Jackie Soto gave Abbotsford the first points of the second, but the 16 point deficit was all the closer the home team would manage to get. Pittsville notched 11 straight points as the Falcons failed to score for the next four minutes, going up 42-15.
Asia Atkinson hit a three to stem the bleeding momentarily, but the Panthers continued to be aggressive, going on to outscore the home team 25-11 over the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Podevels scored a team high 12 points on Thursday, making eight of her 11 free throw attempts and going 2-for-4 from the field. She also led Abbotsford in assists with three and steals with five.
Harris was the second leading scorer with four points, Atkinson, Celia Schindler, and Azul Diaz all had three points and Soto and Campbell Brodhagen had two points apiece. Schindler had the most rebounds for the Falcons, pulling down four, while also recording four steals and three blocks. Diaz also had four steals for Abbotsford.
