Chiefs do close battle with Raiders, overcome Trojans

The Cornell girls basketball squad split their games this week, facing off against Bruce, then New Auburn.

Dec. 15 vs. Bruce conference (L 43-42)

“The girls came out and played hard,” said coach Courtney Yanko of the away game at Bruce. “We battled all the way through the game.”

The score remained fairly steady, with the biggest deficit the Chiefs faced only five points.

“Our girls played great defense and had plenty of steals the whole game,” said Yanko. “We were down three, with about 11 seconds left in the game and Kelsea Popp made a big layup, putting us down by only one. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to get in another shot opportunity.”

Bruce barely squeaked by with the win, 43-42, handing Cornell a conference loss.

The sophomore Popp ended the night with 13 points, while senior Michaiah Galster had 10 and senior Alyssa Helland finished with 9 points. Senior Izzy Clark recorded 6 points on the night, and junior Teaira Spaeth and senior Michya Flood each chipped in with 2 points.

“In the end, I am very proud of our girls and how much they have grown since just last week against Winter,” said Yanko.

Dec. 18 vs. New Auburn conference (L 60-46) A few days later, the Chiefs shook off the close loss to Bruce and hosted New Auburn, with the scoreboard looking much different in favor of Cornell.

It was a close first half, with the Chiefs only up by two points at halftime against New Auburn, but coming out in the second half, the girls stepped it up, outscoring their visiting opponents, 31-22.

“We were very focused and moved our feet well on defense,” said Yanko. “We also had many different scorers, as each girl was determined to make an impact on our game.”

That impact was felt, as Cornell claimed the 50-39 victory.

During the home match-up, Clark recorded 5 points and 6 steals, while Galster added 4 points. Helland notched 12 points and 4 steals, with freshman Teryn Close chipping in for 4 points.

Spaeth had 10 points and 4 steals on the night, Popp ended with 13 points and freshman Makya Heatherington rounded out the scoreboard with 2 points.

The Chiefs now sit at 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the East Lakeland Conference.

“I am so proud of our girls,” said Yanko. “They played a well-fought game and came out on top with the win. I can see that we continue to grow each game and I am excited for our season to continue, and for our big matchup against Cadott on Monday (Dec. 21).”