Cornell takes out Trojans in conference nail-biter

Cornell junior Kelsea Popp sets up the play for the Chiefs on their home court Jan. 28, against New Auburn. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

The Cornell girls basketball squad ended their week on a high note, with their first conference win.

Jan. 25 Prairie Farm conference (L 67-27)

Beginning the week against Prairie Farm, Cornell started off slow as the host team, going into halftime down 42-15.

“The girls knew this was going to be a tough game going in,” said coach Courtney Yanko. “The score unfortunately does not reflect how well we really came together as a team.”

The Chiefs’ offense lagged in the second half to the highscoring Panthers and the game went the way of Prairie Farm, 67-27.

“We set some big goals for ourselves and achieved almost every one,” said Yanko.

Freshman Bralee Schroeder led for Cornell, with 10 points and 4 rebounds, followed by freshman Alyssa Bowe, with 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist. Junior Kelsea Popp also came up with 5 points, along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

Senior Teaira Spaeth ended the night with 3 points and 3 rebounds, while sophomore Grace Harycki had 4 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist.

Sophomore Lauren Samardzich came away with 3 rebounds, as did sophomore Teryn Close, and sophomore Marcella Boehm had 1 rebound.

“I am seeing a lot of growth from the girls on both offense and defense,” said Yanko, “and I am hopeful we will be able to pull off some wins in the last few weeks of the season coming up, heading into Regionals.”

Jan. 27 vs. Thorp non-conference (L 45-25)

Two days later, Cornell headed to Thorp, for a non-conference clash. Again, the offensive points wouldn’t fall for the Chiefs. The game would go the way of Thorp, 45-25.

“The girls fought hard,” said Yanko. “Unfortunately, on the offensive end, we could not get our shots to fall. We had some fairly strong defense and took some great shots on offense, but just couldn’t put the ball in the basket.”

Popp led for the Chiefs, with 11 points and 4 rebounds, followed by Spaeth, with 7 points and 4 rebounds. Harycki added 3 points on the night, and 4 rebounds and 1 assist.

Schroeder and Bowe each ended with 2 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, with Close adding 1 rebound.

“I continue to see improvement and we know our losses are mainly from the growing pains of having such a young team,” said Yanko, “but we keep our heads high and continue to look forward to the next game.”

Jan. 28 vs. New Auburn conference (W 44-41)

With no chance for a rest, New Auburn came to call, where Cornell had an intense battle on their hands.

“We knew this was going to be a tough game after a long week of games,” said Yanko.

By halftime, the Chiefs led by a two-point margin, then fought throughout the second half to keep that lead. As seconds ran out, Cornell hung on to take a 44-41 victory and their first conference win of the season.

“The girls came out fighting hard,” said Yanko. “They knew they really needed to defend the post and help each other out on defense, and they did. On offense, they moved the ball very well, and were taking great shots and putting them in.”

Popp again led the Chiefs, with 17 and 4 rebounds. Schroeder came up with 7 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, followed by Bowe, with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Harycki recorded 4 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, while Samardzich added 4 points.

Close and Spaeth each notched 3 points, with Spaeth adding 4 rebounds and Close coming up with 1.

Cornell now sits at 2-15 overall and 1-8 in East Lakeland Conference standings.

“I could not be more proud of the girls,” said Yanko. “They took care of the ball the entire game and really showed what we are made of.”