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Blue Devils Firing on all 8 cylinders.
J. C. Tilton
Coming into the game the Lady Blue Devils were sporting a 3-3 record. But the three losses were all against quality teams - Troy, Northmont, and Waynesville. In the league, Brookville has a winning record. On the other hand, injury has been a problem, 2 Brookville starters, Andrea Shellabarger and Erika Peters, have not played significantly in the early season. Both of these girls would make appearances in the game. For the first time this season, the team would be intact. Dixie has been trying to right their ship. They had some success early, but have hit the midwinter doldrums. After winning their first two games, they are having a hard time getting back into the ‘W' column. Unfortunately they would run into Brookville at full strength.
Brookville can hurt you from the inside and the outside. This one - two combination was damaging in the first quarter. Six footer Joy Maxel scored early and often from the inside. She scored the first basket of the game and Jaime Mitrisin scored the second - dropping a three point shot to put Brookville up 5-0. From there they controlled the game, scoring furiously in the first quarter while holding Dixie to just 3 points. Brookville started with a man to man defense, falling into a zone later in the game. Dixie tried a combination of defenses and even pressed in an effort to generate some turnovers but couldn't seem to be able to slow the Blue Devils down in the first half. It was 37-7 at the break.
Dixie couldn't seem to hit their outside shots. Turnovers were a problem. Starting guard Sarah Kellhoffer injured her ankle during the Holiday Tournament and has not returned to the line up yet. This reduces the number of ball handlers on an already slim team. One thing I noticed about the Brookville half court offense - the ball rarely touches the floor. The team passed very well during the game I saw. They rely on ball movement to work the ball to an open player. To their credit Dixie was able to outscore Brookville in the final quarter, but they would fall 21-59.
Brookville coach Chuck Gross was asked to comment after the game. “We've had two starters out most of the season. We've used two freshman in the line up - only one senior. This is the first time we had all our kids at a game, suited up. We think we're going to be pretty good, things are starting to fall into place. We didn't play for two weeks it was nice to play against someone else.”
Dixie's Coach May, “We don't have anyone who can consistently bring the ball down the court without turning the ball over. We can't catch the ball.” When asked about guard Sarah Kelhoffer who is out injured, she stated that it would be at least week until her next appointment with the doctor. So the team will have to compensate. Coach May did like to see the girls continuing to play hard even against such a strong opponent.
Scoring for Brookville: Deisher 2, Hawkins 4, Maxel 17, Mitrisin 8, Peters 4, Petit(15), Shellabarger 2, Wolfe 3. Dixie: Bargo 9, Bertke 2, Kirby 1, Millikin 3, Ruppert 2, Witt 4. Comments email: Chris Tilton <mailto:email: Chris Tilton>
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