Chiefs pick up first victory of the season
Cornell sophomore Annabelle King raced to grab a rebound, Jan. 3, on her home court, going up against non-conference opponent Thorp. Photo by Ginna Young
By Ginna Young
It was a good week for the Cornell girls basketball program, as they came up with their first win of the year.
Jan. 2 vs. Independence-Gilmanton non-conference (L 81-34)
The Chiefs began their back-to-back games by hosting Independence-Gilmanton, but offense wasn’t there for Cornell, along with other issues, and the match went to the visitors, 81-34.
“We struggled with turning the ball over once again and played poorly on defense,” said coach Stacy Schroeder.
Senior Bralee Schroeder led her team with 13 points, 2 steals and 7 rebounds, followed by sophomore Haylee Ellis, with 9 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. Senior Alyssa Bowe came next, with 8 points, while sophomore Annabelle King had 4.
Jan. 3 vs. Thorp non-conference (W 44-42)
The next night, Thorp came to call, with Cornell dominating the first half over the Cardinals. That continued into the second part of the game, with the Chiefs up as much as 18 points.
“Haylee ended up fouling out with most of the second half left, which was kind of a game changer and really threw us off,” said S. Schroeder. “Thorp turned it up and ended up taking the lead after that.”
B. Schroeder got Cornell back into the scoring, with six points in the final 41 seconds, to propel the Chiefs ahead to take a 44-42 win.
“The girls played hard and were up against the odds, with only five players eligible to play, at that point,” said S. Schroeder. “Several of the girls never got a break through the whole game, which is tough, but they pushed through and played hard, right until the last second.”
B. Schroeder finished the night with 23 points, 4 steals and 7 rebounds, while Ellis had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. Bowe followed that up with 5 points, 2 steals and 5 rebounds, and junior Kallee Dekarske added a block.
“It was exciting to get our first win,” said S. Schroeder.
