Cornell steals game from Raiders, falls to Warriors

By Ginna Young

Cornell’s girls basketball program saw two back-to-back home games, splitting the matches between their opponents.

Jan. 16 vs. Bruce conference (W 69-22)

First up, was Bruce, with the Chiefs dominating the scoreboard. Cornell took a 14-point lead into halftime, then went on to outscore the Raiders by double digits in the second half, to claim a 66-29 victory.

“Offensively, things went well for us and the girls played a tough defense,” said coach Stacy Schroeder.

Senior Lauren Samardzich led for the Chiefs, with 20 points including six shots from long-range, 9 blocks and 9 rebounds. Junior Alyssa Bowe followed that up with 13 points and 5 steals, while junior Bralee Schroeder ended with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

Freshman Haylee Ellis came next, with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Senior Teryn Close added 6 points to the mix, as well as 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Freshman Emma Murphy contributed 3 points and junior Richelle Raether chipped in with 1 point.

“It was a good game, all around for us,” said S. Schroeder. “Everyone played well. All the girls got a lot of playing time.”

Jan. 18 vs. Clear Lake non-conference (L 79-24)

Two nights later, Clear Lake came to call, for an out-of-conference match-up. However, this time around, the shoe was on the other foot with scoring.

“We had several girls out and another sick,” said S. Schroeder. “Clear Lake had a deep bench and largely outsized us, as well. They took advantage of that and pretty much ran us ragged that night.”

With a 30-point lead for the Warriors at halftime, Cornell tried to fight their way back, but it wasn’t enough and Clear Lake went home with a 79-24 win.

“Overall, it just wasn’t our night,” said S. Schroeder. The girls never gave up and kept pushing the best they could, and we were proud of them for that. It was a good learning experience for them in several aspects.”

Ellis led in points for the Chiefs, 7, while Samardzich and Bowe each notched 6, and B. Schroeder had 5. Ellis also ended with 8 rebounds, with Samardzich adding 5 blocks.

Cornell now sits at 3-10 on the year, and are 3-4 in the league.