By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
It looked as though Brandywine could hang with Eau Claire Tuesday in the first quarter of the Bobcats 73-47 loss. But looks can be deceiving.
Despite the blowout in the second round of its district tournament, Brandywine had a 19-16 lead heading into the second quarter.
Eau Claire, however, was playing the first period without two of its starters. Sisters Anna and Jessie Glassman were benched to start the game because they missed practice last week.
After the Beavers put in its starting five in the second quarter, their defense hounded Brandywine into 15 second quarter turnovers, as Eau Claire took a 37-27 lead into halftime.
Eau Claire played a zone defense in the first quarter that the Bobcats were able to break. Kalie Newman, specifically, was able to manuever through the defense, scoring 10 points in the period.
Beaver head coach Mike Claeys said his team started in the zone defense without a full-court press because the Glassmans were on the bench. The replacement starters aren't as fast, so Eau Claire couldn't run its normal defense.
But once the starters returned in the second period, the Beavers were able to press Brandywine and trap the Bobcats, who turned the ball over six times in their first six possessions of the quarter.
The Beavers' defense continued to give Brandywine fits in the second half. The Bobcats turned the ball over 35 times in the game. Brandywine head coach Dave Roeder said Eau Claire's press was clearly the difference between the first quarter and the rest of the game.
Brandywine had won four of its past six games heading into its district matchup. It had done so on the strength of its defense.
The Bobcats forced Eau Claire into 18 turnovers Tuesday, but the Beavers were able to put up 59 shots and hit 24.
Eau Claire's Jacquel Rogers hurt Brandywine the most, scoring 24 points in the game. She was able to penetrate the Bobcats' defense and draw fouls most the night, hitting all 14 of her free throws.
In all, the Beavers shot 27 free throws, hitting 23.
Newman was Brandywine's leading scorer, finishing with 12 points. Only two came after the first quarter, however. She didn't score in the second half. The next leading scorer was Kelli Zache with seven.
Although the Bobcats' season ended on a sour note, Roeder said he was proud of the way his team rebounded after a slow start to the year.
The Bobcats played their first 11 games on the road because of a damaged gym floor. Their play improved once they returned home, Roeder said.
Eau Claire………..73
Brandywine……..47
Eau Claire (73) - Brandi Bowen 0 0-0 0, Anna Glassman 3 0-2 6, Courtney Moore 2 0-0 4, Joi Allen 0 1-2 1, Jessie Glassman 2 0-0 4, Jordan Wright 6 1-1 16, Jacquel Rogers 5 14-14 24, Brittany Phillips 6 5-6 18. Totals: 24 23-27 73.
Brandywine (47) - Kalie Newman 3 5-8 12, Ashley Antus 0 4-4 4, Kendra Zache 0 0-0 0, Rachel Batman 2 1-1 5, Brooke Allen 0 0-0 0, Kelli Konopka 0 0-2 0, Katie Smallwood 3 0-0 6, Kelli Zache 1 5-8 7, Nikki Martyniuk 2 0-2 4, Kari Konopka 1 1-2 3, Heather Knuckles 6 0-2 6. Totals: 15 16-29 47.
3-point shooting - Eau Claire 4 (Wright 3, Phillips); Brandywine 1 (Newman). Rebounds - Eau Claire 41; Brandywine 44 (Dreher 10). Fouls (fouled out) - Eau Claire 19 (Ollie); Brandywine 9 (none). Records - Eau Claire 2-1; Brandywine 2-0.