GIRLS’ BASKETBALL: Bulldogs can’t dig out of hole vs. North Harrison in 51-44 loss

By GREG BURTON

Special to Southern Indiana Preps

NEW ALBANY — The New Albany Lady Bulldogs got in a first-period hole on Thursday night at The Doghouse against visiting North Harrison. Although they worked hard at getting out, the hole ended up being just too deep.

North Harrison jumped out to a 16-4 first-quarter lead, and it kept New Albany at bay the remainder of the night before winning by a 51-44 score.

That first quarter determined the outcome to a great extent because New Albany outscored North Harrison the last three periods.

“We came out a little anxious,” said New Albany coach Tammy Geron. “I thought we had some critical turnovers. Overall, I thought we took care of the ball pretty well. But then we had critical turnovers that led to easy baskets. I think that’s the difference in the game.”

New Albany (4-3) showed determination early. The Lady Bulldogs took an early 2-1 lead — their only lead of the night — and trailed just 5-4 after a couple of minutes of play. However, North Harrison (8-1) closed out the quarter with an 11-0 run to build a safety cushion that lasted the rest of the contest.

New Albany opened the second quarter with a 4-0 run to cut the margin to eight points.

But then the Lady Cats responded. That scenario was a theme that played the entire night. North Harrison would stretch the lead to double digits, the Bulldogs would cut into it, and then the Lady Cats would stretch it out again.

“This group has fight in them,” said Geron about her players. “They want to be successful and they want to win, and that’s half the battle.”

Midway through the second period, New Albany cut the deficit to seven only to see North Harrison move the advantage to 11 points at the half.

Once again in the third quarter, New Albany trimmed the margin to seven, only to see North Harrison end the quarter with a nine-point lead.

Once again in the final frame, North Harrison ran the lead to 14 points. But the Lady Bulldogs reeled off seven consecutive points, and trailed by seven at 46-39 with 1:17 remaining in the game.

The Lady Cats withstood the charge and hit five free throws to end their scoring and get to the final score.

North Harrison’s Lilly Hatton inflicted a great deal of damage to New Albany. The junior finished with 19 points, and New Albany had difficulty defending her inside. Teammate Taylor Rennirt also chimed in with 13 points, hitting three 3-pointers. Emma Nokes chipped in nine. Nokes was the game’s leading rebounder with 11.

New Albany was paced by junior guard Alayasia Douglas with 17 points. Savanna Pinkston also reached double figures with 14. The Lady Bulldogs saw Kelsy Taylor pull down nine boards, Julyen Condra grab eight and Pinkston seven.

“We’re just not a great shooting team. So for us to win ballgames, we’ve got to find other ways to do it,” said Geron. “We’ve got to limit other people’s shots and get more opportunities, so rebounding has to be a focal point for us.”

North Harrison will not play again until Saturday, Dec. 9 at home against Floyd Central (2-5).

New Albany will turn around and play its first Hoosier Hills Conference game Saturday at home against Class 4A No. 6 Bedford North Lawrence (7-1), tipping off around 1:30 p.m.

Geron likes the effort she is getting from her squad, and she is hopeful about the prospects as the year progresses.

“Hopefully by the time the end of January rolls around, we’ll put it all together,” she said.

NORTH HARRISON 51, NEW ALBANY 44
North Harrison  16  12  11  12-51
New Albany          4  13  13  14-44

North Harrison (8-1): Taylor Rennirt 5-6 0-0 13, Lilly Hatton 8-16 3-3 19, Hallie Hinton 1-3 3-5 6, Cali Nolot 3-10 2-5 9, Emma Nokes 0-1 1-2 1, Shelby Kondovski 0-0 0-0 0, Jessicka Chiquito 1-2 1-2 3, Savana Rhodes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-38 10-17 51.

New Albany (4-3): Julyen Condra 3-8 0-0 6, Alayasia Douglas 7-13 1-3 17, Ally Willis 0-8 0-0 0, Savanna Pinkston 6-13 2-4 14, Kelsy Taylor 1-8 5-8 7, Mya Jackson 0-2 0-0 0, Layne Burke 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-53 8-15 44.

3-point field goals: North Harrison 5-9 (Rennirt 3-3, Hinton 1-2, Nolot 1-4); New Albany 2-12 (Condra 0-2, Douglas 2-5, Willis 0-3, Pinkston 0-1, Jackson 0-1).

Rebounds: North Harrison 32 (Nokes 11); New Albany 31 (Taylor 9).

Turnovers: North Harrison 17, New Albany 14.

Team fouls: North Harrison 16, New Albany 13.

Fouled out: New Albany – Taylor.

Junior varsity: New Albany 35, North Harrison 33.