Lady Mikes dominate boards in win over West Greene
CARMICHAELS – Not many players gather this many rebounds in shoot-arounds at practice, but the Carmichaels girls basketball team had three players combine for 63 rebounds – yes, that’s right, 63 rebounds – in Monday night’s Section 2-A opener against West Greene. Freshman Megan Stuvek grabbed 32 boards, while seniors Dot Virgili and Holly Homistek had 16 and 15 rebounds in the Lady Mikes’ 57-42 win over the Lady Pioneers. Both teams shot rather poorly, but whereas the Lady Mikes had two, three and sometimes four shots in the paint compared to the Lady Pioneers’ one shot from 15 feet away, it made an astounding difference in the ball game.
“We hit the boards hard,” said Carmichaels head coach Jim Lane. “You could tell our size was a difference. We were getting second and third shot opportunities, and you could really tell it was taking its toll on them. Then we would go down and hold the team to one contested shot.”
West Greene (0-1, 0-3) went on a dry spell midway through the second quarter and never made a field goal until the opening minute of the fourth quarter. The Lady Mikes led 44-18 after third quarter, before the Lady Pioneers tacked on 24 points when the game was already out of reach.
“It’s tough,” said West Greene coach Ellen Hildebrand. “Whoever controls the boards, controls the game. We understood we had to make shots and not let them take advantage of their size, but we went cold from outside.”
Stuvek scored a team-high 21 points, while Virgili and senior Markee Batis had 13 points apiece. Homistek, with six points, fell four points shy of Carmichaels having three players with double-doubles.
Carmichaels (1-0, 2-2) had an 11-6 lead after the first quarter, but in the second quarter was when the Lady Mikes crashed the boards for a decisive lead. Twice in the second quarter Carmichaels players went to the foul line to convert a three-point play after making baskets, only to miss and have a teammate score on the putback. Stuvek gave the Lady Mikes a 19-12 lead on a Virgili miss, while in the final minute of the first half, Homistek gave Carmichaels a 30-14 lead off another Virgili miss.
Stuvek, who has scored over 20 points in the Lady Mikes first three games, has certainly adapted well inside playing alongside seniors.
“They all work together and have taken Megan in,” Lane said, “because they know Megan helps us win. It doesn’t matter what age she is.”
Another younger player led the way for West Greene in sophomore Rachel Phllips with a game-high 22 points. Unfortunately for the Lady Pioneers, Phillips did not find her stroke until the fourth quarter. She scored 18 of her 22 points in the final quarter, including a perfect 7 of 7 from the charity stripe, while finishing the game making 14 of 15 overall.
“(Phillips) is quite a player,” Lane said. “The plan was the keep the ball out of her hands and make the other four beat us.”
The other four starters combined for eight points, led by Allison Hildreth with six points, all of which in the fourth quarter. As a team, West Greene only made three field goals in the first three quarters. According to Hildebrand, many fouls in the game (21 for Carmichaels and 18 for West Greene) hurt her team.
“We weren’t able to run,” Hildebrand said. “We tried to press them, but with the foul situation we couldn’t do it.”
Carmichaels returns to action Thursday at Mapletown, while West Greene is back in action at Geibel Catholic on Monday.