GILMAN GIRLS BASKETBALL - Pirates tripped up at Holcombe; Mann goes off for 42 at Colby

GILMAN GIRLS BASKETBALL

A chance to build a little momentum before a tough stretch of conference games escaped the Gilman Pirates Monday when Emma Lechleitner poured in 39 points to lead host Lake Holcombe to a 55-52 girls basketball win.

The Pirates got out to an early fivepoint lead but then went cold offensively late in the first half and into the early part of the second. Once the shots started to fall again from the field, fouls, turnovers and lackluster defense and rebounding, according to head coach Tammy Weir, prevented Gilman from taking control.

Also, Gilman went just 14 for 29 from the free throw line, which also stood out in this close contest.

The Pirates fell to 4-4 overall, while Lake Holcombe went to 2-3, breaking a three-game losing streak.

After giving up the game’s first four points, Gilman went on a 13-4 run to grab a 13-8 lead. Danielle Mann had 11 of those points on her way to a 26-point night. Claire Drier, Kayleigh James and Aubrey Steinbach all had assists in that early run. A James assist to Drier and an Allie Olynick score from the left baseline put Gilman up 18-14, but that’s when foul trouble and turnovers started to kick in, cooling off the offense. Lechleitner got a score off a turnover with five seconds left to give the home team a 24-22 halftime lead.

Mann took the ball after a Jaylyn Orth block and scored, plus Olynick and Mann added baskets to give Gilman a 2826 lead when Lake Holcombe went on a 12-2 surge to go up 38-30. The Pirates tried their 1-3-1 and 2-3 zones as well as their man-to-man to try to find something to rely on defensively. Five minutes into the half, they went to a box and one with Drier or James face-guarding Lechleitner to try to slow her down.

The foul trouble caught up to Gilman with Orth and James fouling out with nine and five minutes to go. The Pirates grabbed their last lead at 43-42 on an Olynick steal and score, but Lechleitner led an 8-0 run that put the Chieftains up 50-43 and in the lead for good. The Pirates got within 51-49 on a Mann 3 with 34 sec- onds left and 53-52 with 15 seconds left on two Mann free throws. But Lechleitner’s free throws in the final seconds, which came after Mann’s fifth foul, created the final margin.

Olynick finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Mann had 11 rebounds to complete a double-double. Drier had seven points, four rebounds and four assists. Aubrey Steinbach had three points and two steals. Addy Vick, James and Orth scored two points each. James had seven rebounds and five assists. Orth had four steals and two blocked shots.

The Pirates made 19 of 45 field goal attempts but missed all eight of their 3-point tries. Lake Holcombe made 15 of 24 free throws, missed all four of its 3s and made 20 of 47 two-point shots.

Gilman’s 31 turnovers against Lake Holcombe’s manto- man defense were a key factor in the loss. Gilman got 26 turnovers back from the Chieftains.

Next up for Gilman is an Eastern Cloverbelt Conference matchup tonight, Thursday, with Greenwood at home. The Indians, so far, are one of the league’s most improved teams, sporting a 4-1 overall record. Gilman hosts perennial power Neillsville Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. before finishing the pre-holiday portion of its schedule at Loyal on Dec. 22.

A fast start propelled Mann to a career-high 42 points Friday in Gilman’s 61-48 ECC win at Colby.

Offensive flow was a bit hard for either team to find in a game that had its fair share of fouls and turnovers. But Mann connected on three quick 3s and scored 13 points and Orth got a hoop as well in Gilman’s gameopening 15-2 run.

Colby chipped away and got within 16-15, but another 3 from Mann and a three-point play by James got Gilman going again. The Pirates bolted from there to a 3623 halftime lead and the lead never dipped below double digits in the second half.

Gilman improved to 1-1 in league play with the win. Colby fell to 0-2 and is 2-3 overall after beating Stanley-Boyd on Monday.

“We had way too many turnovers here (27),” coach Weir said. “And we allowed way too many offensive boards (18). In our 1-3-1, we were out of place and Colby broke it pretty quickly. But, our man-to-man was great. We moved our feet, had nice pressure and great help defense. We need to continue to improve our rebounding and boxing out.” Mann made 16 of 31 shots from the field, including four of 10 3s. She made six of 12 free throws, grabbed nine rebounds and had five steals and a blocked shot.

Orth had seven points and 13 rebounds in the win. James had five points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Olynick added four points, six rebounds and six assists. Drier had three points, six rebounds and two assists. Addy Vick had two rebounds and an assist and Steinbach had an assist and a steal.

Alexix Vandrhoof led Colby with 18 points, while Lilly Brzezinski added 10.