Skyview girls topple Homer
Mariners take boys game
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Skyview's Shelly Heffner jumps for a rebound against Homers Claire Siekaniec, Katie Arno and Reba Temple (34) Saturday at Skyview High School.
Photo by M. Scott Moon
The Skyview High School girls basketball team put together its best team effort of the season Saturday to beat Homer 53-49 in a Northern Lights Conference game at Skyview.
Also Saturday, the Skyview boys stayed with Homer for much of the game, but the Mariners hit their foul shots to pull out a 63-52 victory.
“We thought we played a real great game — probably our best all-around game so far. We played how we do in practice, and it turned out good,” said Skyview’s Anna Blake of the Panthers’ win.
Indeed, the Panthers had a very good night shooting the ball as three players scored in double digits — Shelly Heffner and Nicole VanRyzin each scored 13 points and Blake finished with 12. Skyview controlled the glass defensively, transitioning well from offense to defense, and the Panthers even threw in a press to keep the Mariners off-balance.
“All week we were working on our press. We knew we could use it against them. It worked out well — we got a lot of steals,” Blake said. “... Rebounding was something we were worried about since (Homer is) such a tall team,” Blake said.
Pushing the ball quickly up the floor also worked to Skyview’s advantage.
Homer's Claire Siekaniec grabs for a loose ball against Skyview's Melissa Fay and Nicole VanRyzin at the beginning of the third quarter Saturday at Skyview.
Photo by M. Scott Moon
“We seem to do better when, as a team, we push the ball and force them to play our style of basketball,” Blake said.
Skyview and Homer swapped leads through the first half, with the Mariners ahead by two, 30-28, heading into the locker room at the half.
The Panthers opened the second half with a 12-3 run — VanRyzin netted seven of those points — to build a lead they would not surrender. Homer’s Reba Temple completed a three-point play to cut the Skyview lead to four, 40-36, with three minutes to play in the third quarter, but the Panthers lead swelled to as much as 10 during the fourth quarter.
Temple and Allison Horazdovsky each scored 12 to lead the Mariners while Rachel Bornheimer netted 10 points.
“Sometimes you lose focus. I think that was the case there,” Homer coach Tim Daugharty said of Skyview’s third-quarter run. “You’ve got to hand it to Wade (Marcuson, Sky-view’s coach). He coached a great game, and Skyview played well.”
Homer boys 63, Skyview 52
The Panthers were within a point of the Mariners late in the fourth quarter, but Homer was 7-of-8 from the foul line in the closing minutes to secure the win.
“I’m really pleased with the effort. Skyview had a wonderful game plan for us, and they played a wonderful game,” said Homer coach Mark Casseri. “It was tight the whole time, but the difference came down to the free-throw line.”
Indeed, while the Mariners were 12-for-22 overall and 7-for-9 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, the Panthers went 7-for-22 for the game and were 3-for-10 in the final frame.
“We know what we’re not doing right — making free throws,” said Skyview coach Shaun O’Shea.
Skyview led 13-12 after the first quarter but trailed by nine, 32-23, at the half as Homer’s fast-paced offense got going.
“That’s all I know how to play. I don’t know how to slow it down. Get up the floor and make them play defense on us,” Casseri said.
The up-tempo style certainly suits Homer’s lightning-quick guards. Justin Smith finished the game with 18 points and Luke Gilbert netted 19.
Jeff Dolifka scored 19 points for the Panthers and Rich Shirnberg scored 23, including 10 of Skyview’s 16 points as the Panthers were able to work the ball into the big sophomore in the post. Skyview knotted the game at 35 with less than two minutes to play in the third quarter before the Mariners were able to crank up the pace again.
“Every day, we’re trying to grow and get better,” O’Shea said. “Every day, we’re talking about our ultimate goal, which is to be playing well, at our highest level, during the region tournament.”
Girls
PANTHERS 53, MARINERS 49
Homer 13 17 9 10 — 49
Skyview 18 10 15 10 — 53
HOMER (49) — Bornheimer 3 4-8 10, McCarron 0 0-0 0, Creamer 2 0-1 4, Gavenus 0 0-0 0, Arno 0 0-0 0, Horazdovsky 6 0-0 12, Gruber 0 0-0 0, Siekaniec 5 0-1 10, 5 0-1 10, McKinstry 0 1-2 1, Temple 5 2-3 12. Totals — 21 7-15 49.
SKYVIEW (53) — Heffner 4 5-8 13, Martin 0 0-0 0, Myer 0 0-0 0, M. Fay 0 1-2 1, VanRyzin 6 0-1 13, Mercier 0 0-0 0, Blake 4 2-4 12, A. Fay 3 3-4 9, Massey 2 0-0 5. Totals — 19 11-19 53.
3-point goals — Skyview 4 (Blake 2, VanRyzin, Massey). Total fouls — Homer 17, Skyview 16. Fouled out — Creamer, A. Fay.
Boys
MARINERS 63, PANTHERS 52
Homer 12 20 10 23 — 63
Skyview 13 10 16 13 — 52
HOMER (63) — Smith 8 2-2 18, Szymoniak 0 0-0 0, Andrews 2 0-1 4, Gilbert 6 5-6 19, McKinstry 0 1-2 1, Isenhour 1 0-0 2, Logan 3 2-3 7, Layland 1 1-2 3, Thompson 1 0-0 2, McWilliams 2 1-6 5. Totals — 24 12-22 63.
SKYVIEW (52) — West 0 0-0 0, Merritt 0 0-0 0, Dolifka 8 3-7 19, Rodgers 0 0-0 0, McMilin 4 0-1 8, Duke 1 0-0 2, Bosick 0 0-0 0, Blossom 0 0-1 0, Bellinger 0 0-0 0, Shirnberg 9 4-13 23. Totals — 22 7-22 52.
3-point goals — Homer 3 (Gilbert 2, Logan), Skyview 1 (Dolifka). Total fouls — Homer 25, Skyview 20. Fouled out — Bosick.