IAC GIRLS BASKETBALL: DEPOSIT-HANCOCK KNOCKS OFF TIOGA, 62-48 (2019-02-07)

Valley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER - Deposit-Hancock closed the first half with a 17-4 run, and pulled away in the second half for a 62-48 win over Tioga here Thursday night in non-league girls basketball action.

Sophomore Olivia Ayres knocked down her first three 3-point field-goal attempts to give Tioga a 9-6 lead midway through the first quarter.

Sophomore Ari Manwaring and freshman Julia Bellis added buckets for the Lady Tigers, but Deposit-Hancock was up to the task and the first eight minutes ended in a 13-13 tie.

Ayres canned her fourth 3-pointer in the opening moments of the second quarter, then turned a steal near mid-court into a breakaway layup to give Tioga an 18-13 lead.

D-H scored five straight points to tie the game at 18-8, but sophomore Eve Wood made a pair of free throws to give Tioga a 20-18 lead with 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the half.

Laycee Drake, already a 1,000-point scorer as a sophomore, gave D-H the lead for good, at 23-20, with a three-point play on the offensive boards.

D-H extended its lead to 30-20, but Julia Bellis converted a steal at midcourt into an uncontested lay-up to trim the deficit to 30-22 at the half.

D-H's Kristen McNamara scored six points in the third quarter to offset six points by Wood, and the Lady Lumberjacks extended their lead to 10 points, at 44-34, entering the final eight minutes.

Ariel Kellam and Drake combined for 13 points in the fourth quarter, including five free throws that helped seal the victory.

Ayres led Tioga with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while Wood had eight points, four boards, four assists, and three steals, and Julia Bellis added six points.

Junior Giovanna Rossi had four points and a team-high 13 rebounds, while junior Chloe Bellis had four points, 10 rebounds, and three assists, and senior Rebekah Richter had four points, three steals, and two blocked shots.

Drake led D-H with 18 points, while Kellam added 13, and McNamara chipped in with 10.

Tioga, now 6-12, returns to action Saturday afternoon at Towanda.

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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga's Olivia Ayres. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.

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