Seto’s 21 leads Lady Falcons to 44-24 win
Evan Sanders
Geibel Catholic’s Gabby Yourish (right) drives to the baseline while being heavily guarded by Brownsville’s Alie Seto in the first half Friday’s FalconFest Tip-Off Tournament game played at Brownsville Area High School.
Geibel Catholic's Piper Scarry (center) dribbles out of traffic past Brownsville's Sai Waqanivalu in the first half of Friday's FalconFest Tip-Off Tournament game played at Brownsville Area High School.
Geibel Catholic's Sydney Palya looks for an open teammate while being heavily guarded by Brownsville's Alie Seto in the first half of Friday's FalconFest Tip-Off Tournament game played at Brownsville Area High School.
HILLER — Brownsville’s Alie Seto nearly outscored Geibel Catholic by herself in the Falcons’ season opener Friday night.
Seto scored 21 points over a balanced four quarters, as Brownsville breezed past the Gators, 44-24, in the opening round of the Falcon Fest Tip-Off Tournament at Brownsville’s gymnasium.
Seto had two baskets in the first quarter, and nine points by halftime.
“From the time the game starts until the time the game ends, she is a fierce competitor,” Brownsville coach Penny Columbia.
The Lady Falcons raced out to a 9-2 lead after eight minutes, and increased their advantage to 24-11 at halftime.
Brownsville took control of the game from the outset, even as Seto and Keyonna McCrae were jettisoned to the bench in early foul trouble.
The Lady Falcons held a decided height advantage, and used that edge to score most of their points Friday night.
“We knew coming into the game that rebounding was one of our weak points, and we were hoping to see more discipline on defense,” Columbia said. “With Kiki and Alex on the bench in foul trouble, we didn’t have a very good first half with rebounding, but I was pleased with our effort in the second half.”
Gabby Yourish led Geibel with eight points, while Grace Nowicki chipped in seven.
The Lady Gators fell behind early thanks to seven first-quarter turnovers.
“We weren’t intimidated (by Brownsville’s height), but we had to alter our shooting and it was harder for our girls to defend,” Geibel coach Patrick Blackstone said.
Sai Waqanivala chipped in six points for Brownsville, while Alexis Carson added five, including a 3-pointer.
Leading by 13 points at halftime, Brownsville put the game out of reach with an 8-2 spurt to start the third quarter.
“I think we were a little bit nervous, but I think the girls came out and did a pretty good job,” Blackstone said. “It’s not so much about wins and losses at the start of the season, but seeing the girls show heart and being unselfish.
“We wanted to see the girls hustle and be able to go through their offense.”