By Ali Draves, For The Herald Bulletin
MIDDLETOWN — The Shenandoah Raiders defeated the Frankton Lady Eagles 48-45 in a nail-biter victory at home.
Forward Michelle Fites had an impressive start, shooting 2-for-3 from the arch to boost the Raiders to an early lead. Shenandoah would eventually shoot 3-for-6 overall from the 3-point mark, after Hannah Cooper made another sink shot. The Raiders, who virtually controlled the movement and the pace on the hardwood for the entire first quarter, strutted their biggest lead, 15-6, at the sound of the buzzer.
However, the second quarter was a different story. The Eagles’ defense, which was seemed dormant in the first quarter, kicked it up a notch and began full-court pressure.
“Their defense stifled us for most the game, “ said Shenandoah coach Todd Salkoski. “We panicked. We panicked for most of that game. I don’t even think we made more than five shots in the second.”
And he was right.
The Raiders, who had commanded the floor in the first, were only able to muster a lone-field goal from Fites against the Eagles' now-demanding defense. Frankton, who quietly snuck back into contention, willingly capitalized on Shenandoah’s 15 first-half turnovers and 10 fouls. The score was deadlocked at 17-17, and Salkoski knew he needed to pep his players up.
“I told them to do what they were good at,” he said, commenting on his halftime speech. “We moved the ball well and faced up and attacked them in their own zone in the first, and I knew we needed to get doing that. “
The teams traded buckets to open the third, and the game was literally a constant sprint between zones. Frankton also took advantage from the free-throw line and would eventually get 19 of its 45 points from the paint.
For the second time in the game, Fites had simultaneous 3-pointers to once again give the Raiders’ a much-needed lead. However, Frankton immediately tied the score again, and the teams remained neck-and-neck. The Eagles even threatened to take the lead, even after Fites' obvious attempt to give Shenandoah some breathing room. With Raiders center Brittany Lyons in foul-trouble, Salkoski seemed to be at his breaking point. In fact, he even took off his own shoe and threw it against the bench.
“I know we fouled,” he said. “But I had no idea we fouled that much.”
LeighAnn Pittsford was a solid defensive player for the Raiders and really outshined her latter performance in the fourth. She was able to outmuscle the Eagles under the hoop and regain the possession for the Raiders when they needed it the most. She finished with a team-high 10 rebounds on the night.
The cat-and-mouse game continued for the better part of the last half, with Frankton coming as close as a point after the Raiders threw the ball away. However, Pittsford’s final clutch free-throws sealed the deal for Shenandoah to finish 48-45.
But it wasn’t easy. And Salkoski said they have a lot to work on.
“We have to get better against pressure,” he said. “We’re also not terrifically athletic and need to focus more on our passing, cutting and movement.”
The Raiders, who are now 4-1, will play the Hagerstown Tigers this Tuesday at 7 p.m.
