MOUNT CARMEL - In Mount Carmel's game against Loyalsock Tuesday night, there was a noticeable size difference.
The Lancers featured seven players above 5-foot-7; the Red Tornadoes, just three.
But Mount Carmel played the bigger game, earning most of the rebounds and causing a ton of turnovers, on its way to a 59-37 win in the Heartland Conference Division II match-up.
"I think that's going to be a theme this season as far as size," Red Tornadoes coach Lisa Varano said. "The girls need to work harder because they are probably going to be undersized."
The team had no issue with that against the Lancers. Led by Allison Parker, the Tornadoes' tallest player at 5-foot-8, they were able to control most of the rebounds - offensively and defensively.
Then there were also turnovers. Mount Carmel forced 26, including 16 in the first half.
"They really work hard defensively," Varano said. "That led to offense from defense, which gets everyone involved."
Loyalsock made most of its turnovers in the first quarter and it had a direct effect on the score. Mount Carmel burst out to a 19-3 lead by the end of the first quarter.
But the Lancers started to control more of
the game in the second quarter. They put up 12 points to the Red Tornadoes' seven.
"We pulled off our pressure a little bit," Varano said. "We were a little flat and we couldn't let a good team back in it."
The third quarter swung back in favor of the Red Tornadoes. Mount Carmel's Maura Fiamoncini led all players with 18 points, eight of which came in the second half.
"She's just developing so much as a player," Varano said on Fiamoncini. "She's a leader on the court."
Behind Fiamoncini, Nicole Varano scored 10 points and three other Red Tornadoes had over seven points. Loyalsock's Celina Salvatori led the team with 17 points.
Game Summary
LOYALSOCK (37) - Hill 0 0-0 0; Sullivan 0 0-0 0; Cardillo 1 0-0 0; Salvatori 7 3-4 17; Watkins 2 5-7 10; Kuhns 1 0-0 2; Fox 1 2-2 4; Rude 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 10-13 37.
MOUNT CARMEL (59) - Bolick 3 1-2 7; Stellar 1 1-2 3; Winhofer 2 0-0 4; Parker 3 1-2 7; Lyden 0 0-0 0; Fiamoncini 8 1-2 18; Kleman 1 0-0 2; Varano 5 0-0 10; Arellano 4 0-2 8; Miriello 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 4-10 59.
3-point field goals: Loyalsock - Watkins. Mount Carmel - Fiamoncini.
JV Game: MC 32-22.