COAL TOWNSHIP - The way the second half between Shamokin and Danville went Wednesday night, it figures that the game was decided by a single point.
The teams scored a combined 55 points in the final 16 minutes, but the Ironmen (1-1) scored one more to defeat the Indians (1-2) 42-41, in a Heartland Conference Division I contest at Shamokin.
Danville scored 16 in the third quarter, when the lead changed three times. Danville's Lauren Campbell scored a last minute field goal in the quarter to give the Ironmen a lead they wouldn't lose.
Shamokin was able to keep pace in the second-half shootout, but scoring wasn't the problem for Indians' coach Jordan Rickert.
"The hardest thing right now is that we only gave up 11 points in the first half, but then 31 in the second," Rickert said. "Danville pretty much scored whenever they wanted to."
The Ironmen had plenty of contributors. All but one player that saw minutes scored and four players had six or more points.
The first half was nearly opposite from the second. The first quarter ended with Danville on top 6-5. The second quarter began in a similar slow fashion, but the game started to pick up with about two minutes left in the first half.
The Indians' Shaylee Pesarchick hit a three, the first of her three, tying the game at 11, then Gabby Lahr added two 2-pointers and Abigail Aurand scored a buzzer-beater to put Shamokin up 17-11.
The beginning of the third quarter was all Danville. The Ironmen erased the Indians' lead, and built a three-point lead themselves.
"We fell asleep a little bit," Rickert said. "They were attacking us, but we weren't attacking them. It was the little things that made us fall apart."
Shamokin played catch-up basketball the rest of the game. The Indians managed to get within three with less than a minute left, but Kiara Bonshock missed a 3-pointer. She scored a field goal in the last second to bring the score to 42-41.
While Shamokin almost made a comeback, Rickert believes more players need to step up.
"We're a young team," Rickert said. "They just have to be ready to play. We need some players to step up and have some leadership."
Game Summary
DANVILLE (42) - Berg 1 0-0 2; Harris 6 0-0 12; Naessig 0 2-5 2; Campbell 2 2-5 6; Moro 5 2-2 12; Keister 4 0-0 8; Knight 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 6-12 42.
SHAMOKIN (41) - Lahr 4 2-4 10; Pesarchick 6 3-4 15; Erb 0 0-0 0; Eby 0 0-0 0; Bonshock 1 1-2 3; Erdman 0 2-2 2; Zimmerman 0 1-2 1; Shoff 0 0-0 0; Nazih 0 1-2 1; Aurand 2 1-2 3; Popewczak 0 0-0 0; Hasuga 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 11-18 41.
3-point FGs: Pesarchick (3).
JV Game: Shamokin 40-35.