Loyal, Gilman duke it out on basketball court

The Loyal Greyhounds faced a challenging foe on the basketball court Friday, in a game close enough to leave crowd members on the edge of their seats, wondering who would score next. Although the visiting Gilman Pirates ultimately brought home the W, it did not come without a fight.

Loyal started the game with a basket by freshman Addysen Wolf. Gilman responded with a 3-pointer by junior Danielle Mann, who proved to be a key player in the matchup. In the opening stretch, Gilman put up 14 points compared to Loyal’s seven, leaving the score a bit lopsided halfway through the first half. However, the Greyhounds rallied together and went on a seven-point streak, with baskets from Autumn Zvolena, Sheila Tellock, Courtney Rakovec and Alyssia Zvolena. Gilman tried to put a dent in things with a layup with 3:44 remaining, but Loyal held on to its momentum and got two more baskets, from Rakovec and Alyssia Zvolena.

Gilman also ran into foul trouble, having committed nine fouls compared to Loyal’s four with two minutes remaining in the half. Alyssia Zvolena capitalized on that, scoring two free throws for the Hounds with 26 seconds remaining, and Olivia Nikolai wrapped up the half with a 3-pointer. That left the Greyhounds with a slight lead, 30-22, at halftime.

In the second, the Pirates came out with their guns blazing. It all started with a 3-pointer by Weir less than a minute in. Shortly after that, she made a 2-pointer. Those baskets were the beginning of a 14-point scoring streak for the Pirates, including additional 3-pointers by Tatum Weir and Ava Warner. When the dust had settled, the Pirates were up 36-30 with 11:05 left in the half. Understandably, Loyal called a timeout.

Right after the break, Loyal senior Anna Lindner got a two-point jumper. Then Alyssia Zvolena stole the ball and raced down the court to score two. On the next play, the Greyhounds got their own rebound and Autumn Zvolena put it back in for two. That left the score tied at 36. However, Gilman surged ahead again for a short time. Then Loyal took the lead briefly after Lindner picked up an offensive rebound and put it in with 3:19 remaining to put Loyal up 45-44. However, that would be the last time Loyal went ahead.

Starting at 3:05, Mann made two shots from the charity stripe. Then she put in a layup, making the score 48-45 in Gilman’s favor. Loyal stole the ball but it didn’t result in a basket; then Gilman stole it back. With less than a minute left, the Greyhounds implemented a full-court press to pressure the Pirates. Eventually Mann was fouled and went to the line for the Pirates. She sunk both baskets to make it a five-point game, 50-45. Wolf provided some hope for the Greyhounds when she hit a three with only 17 seconds remaining. However, Gilman got the ball back and the Greyhounds ran out of time to score any more. Gilman got one more basket before the buzzer sounded, leaving the final score at 52-48.

In one sense, it was a tale of two halves, with the Greyhounds scoring 30 in the first half to the Pirates’ 22; while in the second, the Pirates scored 30 and the Greyhounds had 18. The teams were fairly evenly matched in several statistical categories; however, the Pirates had a better field goal percentage, at 39.2 percent compared to Loyal’s 31.6 percent, which made a difference in a game like this where every shot mattered.

Loyal was scrappy on defense, with nine steals compared to Gilman’s three. The Greyhounds also out-rebounded the Pirates, with 24 boards compared to the Pirates’ 22.

Alyssia Zvolena was her team’s leading scorer, with 17 points. Tellock had 11, including three 3-pointers. Wolf and Nikolai each had five. Lindner and Rakovec had four. Autumn Zvolena had two, and also showed up in a big way on the inside, pulling down seven rebounds.

Weir, a senior, once again proved herself a force to be reckoned with. Averaging 21.3 points per game this season, the Loyal game was no exception. She scored 21 points, including six 2-pointers and three 3-pointers.

Mann served as Weir’s sidekick. She is another leading scorer in the Cloverbelt- East, averaging 13.9 points per game according to WisSports.net data. True to form, Mann scored 14 points at Loyal. A good portion of those came from free throws, with Mann making five of her seven attempts.

The other Gilman scorers were Warner with 11 points and Claire Drier with six.

Editor Valorie Brecht contributed to this report.

At left, Alyssia Zvolena puts in a three-point basket for the Loyal Greyhounds during their game against Gilman Jan. 13. At right, Courtney Rakovec, a senior, finishes a 2-point shot. The Greyhounds ultimately fell to the Pirates 52-48.

VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTOS