COAL TOWNSHIP — Lourdes girls basketball coach Mike Klembara has made a point that his team runs through his two guards — Carmella Bickel and Bailey Trell — dubbed by the Red Raiders as “The Killer Bs.”
During the Knights of Columbus Tournament championship game Sunday night against Shamokin, the two guards had a break.
Instead, freshman Selina Albert controlled the play for Lourdes and helped the Raiders to a 36-21 win over the Indians and a Shamokin Knights of Columbus Holiday Tournament championship.
“It was a nice coming-out party for Selina,” Klembara said. “We knew she could hit treys and that she was a great ball-handling four.”
Albert’s play was even noticed by Shamokin coach Jordan Rickert.
“Albert was all over the court,” Rickert said. “She wanted it more and was aggressive on the ball.”
The forward finished with two 3-pointers, two more field goals and shot 4-for-4 from
the foul line for 14 points.
Trell ended up with one more point than her, but it wasn’t how much Albert scored, it was when.
The second quarter started with the Red Raiders leading 7-5. Albert scored her team’s first points of the game and added a trey later in the first to build the lead.
The Indians tied the game early in the second quarter, but Lourdes started to pull away after Bickel hit a 3-pointer. Then, with a 16-7 lead, Albert nailed her second trey to put the Raiders up by 11 heading into halftime.
Albert added another field goal in the second half before Trell started to come alive for Lourdes.
It wasn’t just offense, however, that led the Red Raiders to the victory. Their defense allowed only 21 points and slowed down the Indians’ Gabby Lahr.
“Collapse on Lahr,” Klembara said as for the game plan. “Don’t let her beat us. Give help to Katie (Funk) on the inside.”
After scoring 21 points by herself in Shamokin’s opening game against Southern Columbia, Lahr was held by Lourdes to nine points Sunday.
Shooting as a whole was an issue for the Indians. Normally a high 3-point converting team, Shamokin only hit two, and eight field goals total.
“Sometimes we look really good and sometimes we look like we’re in a drought,” Rickert said. “I don’t think it was anything Lourdes did, we just couldn’t make our shots.”
After leading by 11 heading into the second half, Lourdes cruised for the rest of the game scoring 17 points to Shamokin’s 13.
Consolation Game
Southern Columbia 36
Hamburg 32
COAL TOWNSHIP — Facing a two-point deficit going into the second half, the Tigers back to defeat the Hawks.
Mackenzie Chaundy scored 11 points for the Tigers, while Madison Klock added seven.
Hamburg’s Hinata Yoshida hit three 3-pointers for nine points.
Game Summaries
Shamokin K of C Tournament
Championship Game
LOURDES (36) — Bickel 1 2-2 5, Trell 5 1-2 15, K. Komara 0 0-0 0, Albert 4 4-4 14, Funk 1 0-0 2, Krebs 0 0-0 0, Khanna 0 0-0 0, Dobson 0 0-0 0, M. Komara 0 0-0 0, Connor 0 0-0 0, Milewski 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 7-8 36.
SHAMOKIN (21) — Erdman 0 2-2 2, Erb 0 0-0 0, Pesarchick 2 0-0 5, Lahr 4 1-3 9, Zimmerman 0 0-0 0, Aurand 1 0-0 3, Bonshock 1 1-2 3, Shoff 0 0-0 0, Popewczak 0 0-0 0, Nazih 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 4-7 21.
Lourdes (8-1) 7 12 12 5 — 36 Shamokin 5 2 8 5 — 21
3-point FGs: Trell 4, Albert 2, Bickel, Pesarchick, Aurand.
Consolation game
HAMBURG (32) — Essig 0 0-0 0, Kissinger 2 2-4 7, Ruiz 1 0-0 2, Caruso 1 0-0 2, Kurtz 2 1-2 5, Pursell 2 0-2 4, Lutz 0 3-4 3, Lesner 0 0-0 0, Yoshida 3 0-0 9, Klahr 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 6-12 32.
SOUTHERN COLUMBIA (36) — Jankowski 0 0-0 0, Hager 2 0-0 4, Podpora 1 3-3 5, Klock 2 2-4 7, Oley 0 0-1 0, Chaundy 4 1-4 11, Hoffman 0 0-0 0, Levan 3 3-4 9. Totals 12 9-16 36.
Ham. (3-7) 12 10 6 4 — 32 Southern 13 7 9 7 — 36
3-point FGs: Yoshida 3, Kissinger, Chaundy 2, Klock