Brianna Riley had the game of her life against the undefeated Mercer Cardinals, giving as good as she got against the physical Cardinal squad and getting 11 points. Unfortunately, it was not enough against the powerhouse team, which simply reloaded after graduating Sierra Michaelis and Courtney Owens from last year. The Cardinals rained nine 3-pointers against Northeast; it was just as though Sierra and Courtney had never left as Northeast struggled against their swarming press on the other end. The Bluejays did well to avoid the running clock and go the distance, falling 54-34 and dropping to 6-4.
But that is not enough for Coach Vance Proffitt, who promised changes for next week's games. The focus of the team will be on better communication, doing a better job of getting through screens, taking better care of the ball, and boxing out. But the Cardinals are difficult to guard, able to put four different shooters on the floor and able to win in many different ways.
Proffitt has been preaching throughout his tenure about not being scared to go up against the top teams in the area and Brianna started her night by grabbing an offensive board and stepping through two taller players for a putback at the end of the first as Northeast was very much a part of the game down 15-12. After falling behind early, Northeast was able to get back on their feet and Brianna was a steadying hand for them, taking good care of the ball against the pressure. Jill Spire scored off a shot in the high post and off a steal, the latter play prompting an angry timeout from Mercer coach Dan Owens, who accused his charges of playing in slow motion. Taryn Farnan took a charge on defense and hit Dallis Coffelt for a shot in the high post. Dallis blocked five shots for the night; Holly Redden, Claudia Wiederholt, Taryn Farnan, and Bailey Judd each had one.
But after Brianna converted a 3-point play off a drive early in the second, Northeast did not score another point, giving up the last 12 of the half as they fell behind 32-15. Lindsay Wyatt and Bailey Owens did the main damage for Mercer, getting 23 points and 13 respectively, getting open through setting hard screens, not the blow-by screens that are frequent even at the college level. But Nicole Kost was the heart and soul of the Mercer squad; she collected around 10 steals for the Cardinals and helped fuel everything else that they did.
Proffitt switched from his usual 1-2-2 zone to a man to man; although Mercer kept hitting 3's, it slowed them down enough to stop the bleeding. However, Northeast had dug themselves into too big of a hole to get out of. Brianna Riley went to the basket and got a layup and Taryn Farnan ran the floor and beat the press to finally get Northeast untracked on the offensive end. Dallis scored off a cut to the basket and Jill Spire added a free throw for Northeast.
Bailey Judd earned herself some more playing time for the new year as she had two assists, a high post shot off a Farnan steal, and an offensive board that set up a Holly Redden 3-pointer. Bailey's other assist was to a cutting Kerrigan Adwell. Brianna got into double figures off a pair of free throws and posted up the taller Cardinal players inside for another bucket and Jill Spire scored off a steal.
Besides Brianna, Jill Spire had 6, Holly Redden had 5, Dallis Coffelt had 4, and Taryn Farnan, Bailey Judd, and Kerrigan Adwell had 2 each. Northeast struggled at the line, going 5 for 14 for the night.
With Shaun Burns out indefinitely, the chemistry of the boys team changed as they had to find another scoring option to go with Steve Schulte and Joel Scroggie. Garet Jackson stepped up and played his best game of the year for the boys, getting 15 points and draining shots with a defender all over him to keep Northeast in the game against a reloaded Mercer boys squad. Joel Scroggie, battling the flu, had 10 points. Steve, who was blanketed by the Cardinals after the first quarter, had 5.
Max Giesken returned for the boys and played a steady floor game while collecting four points. Andrew Freemeyer and Dalton Auffert had 2 each. The Mercer boys threatened to follow the lead of the girls and blow Northeast out of the gym. But after Northeast had dug themselves into a 27-13 hole at the half, they played strong defensively in the second half as Garet had the hot hand and started hitting his shots. Garet has been absolutely fearless in taking shots this year and his confidence paid off as Northeast was able to get to with nine at a couple of points in the second half. Unfortunately, it was not enough against the stingy Cardinal squad as the Bluejays came up short 49-38.
"We had a lot of good looks, but they didn't go in," said Coach Chaim Jenkins. "Mercer is a good young group that plays basketball the right way."
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