Sunday, December 15, 2024

Baylie Busby Scores Career High 32, Skyler Florea Boards 11 in Bluejay Victory

Northeast Nodaway continued their hot streak, winning their third straight and fifth out of their last six Friday, beating Stanberry 56-36. Baylie Busby, who has saved some of her best games for Stanberry, got a career high 32 points. Her previous career high of 26 was also set last year against Stanberry. Skyler Florea was strong on the defensive end, grabbing 11 boards and blocking 3 shots. The Bluejays are forming into a rejection row on defense; Hayley Yost blocked four shots to lead the team.

The game didn't look to be a high scoring affair at first. Busby hit Hadley DeFreece for back to back jacks to start the game, but Stanberry, working the high post to death, got a pair of drives from Trista Lager and a putback from Kynzee Adcock, one of several promising freshmen for the Bulldog squad. That tied it up at 6-6 before Busby got on the board with a free throw to make it 7-6 after one. 

Busby had 4 steals at that point, and Hayley Yost blocked three shots in the first few minutes to keep the ball out of the paint. Northeast was aggressive early on defense, getting 11 tipped balls and tieups, with Hadley DeFreece getting 4. But Stanberry stayed in the game with their rebounding, enjoying an 11-5 rebounding advantage.

Baylie hit two free throws to start the second quarter and Busby hit Skyler Florea inside and she flung up a prayer that went in to make it 13-6. Ellie Dias scored off a steal to cut it to 13-8, but Northeast was able to cut into Stanberry's rebounding advantage, Kynder Florea scored four straight to make it 15-8. Dias continued to have the hot hand for Stanberry, cutting it to 15-10 after a baseline drive, but Busby went coast to coast and Hadley DeFreece hit her third 3-pointer to make it 20-10 before Dias stole and scored at the buzzer to make it 20-12. 

There were a lot of turnovers as both teams have shown the ability to take the ball away. Northeast turned it over 9 times by the half, but Stanberry turned it over 13 times. Busby was up to 5 points, 6 steals, 7 tips, 3 assists, and 4 boards. 

Hayley Yost scored from inside and Baylie Busby scored off a steal to make it 24-12, but then Dias struck again with a putback and Courtney Merrigan knocked one down from the high post. Busby scored off a Hayley Yost screen, but Kynzee Adcock scored off a drive, as did Eva Cameron to cut the Bulldog deficit to 26-19.

Stanberry was working the boards early and often in the third quarter and they were in the bonus at that point, with Northeast overextending on defense and allowing them into the paint. Busby drove past a Florea ball screen, Skyler scored from inside, and Busby knocked one down from the high post to make it 32-19, but Stanberry kept working the boards and capitalized off a steal to get the margin down. For the second time in a row, Stanberry beat the buzzer as Trista Lager hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 34-25. 

Hadley DeFreece was up to 7 tips and Busby was up to 8 tips and 7 steals. But Stanberry had a 28-20 rebounding advantage and their depth was starting to tell. The only thing keeping Northeast afloat was 10 points from Busby in the third quarter.

But then a costly foul from Stanberry backfired on them at the start of the fourth. Busby was driving into the paint when Trista Lager had a hard foul on her, sending her crashing head first into the wall. But far from discouraging her, Busby suddenly got into one of her zones and could do no wrong in the fourth quarter. Busby bounced right back up and made both of her free throws and then proceeded to put together a scoring burst that put Stanberry away. Busby knocked down a corner three from Hadley DeFreece and then got a putback as Stanberry was pressing, trying to get the ball back. That made it 41-25. Skyler Florea added a free throw to make it 42-25 at the 4:11 mark. 

Meanwhile, on the other end, Skyler Florea got much more active on the boards, grabbing several despite the gold shirts grabbing and tearing at the ball. By the 4:11 mark, Stanberry's rebounding advantage was gone and the rebounds were even at 29. Kynder Florea inbounded it to Busby, who hit two free throws to make it 44-25.

Stanberry's press started to tell as Tasha Stoll scored off a drive. Hadley DeFreece inbounded to Skyler Florea, but Olivia McQuinn scored from backdoor and Stoll scored again to cut it to 46-31. Northeast was airing it out against the press, playing right into Stanberry's hands, instead of slowing it down and bringing it up the floor.

But time was running out for the Bulldogs, and Northeast was in the bonus; they settled down and Busby drew a foul and hit both free throws to break the run. Busby added a steal to make it 50-31 with 2:30 left. Adcock scored from inside and Stoll hit a free throw to cut it to 50-34, but Busby hit four more free throws and fed Hayley Yost down the stretch to get the margin up to 20 at the end.

Baylie Busby had 32 points. Hadley DeFreece had 9, Skyler Florea 7, and Kynder Florea and Hayley Yost 4 each.

Hayley Yost had 4 blocks. Skyler Florea had 3 and Hadley DeFreece 1.

Skyler Florea had 11 boards. Baylie Busby had 6, Hayley Yost 5, Kynder Florea 4, Blair Nelson 3, and Hadley DeFreece, Sasha Deardorff, and Mylee Wilmes 1.

Baylie Busby and Hadley DeFreece had 5 assists. Skyler Florea had 3, Kynder Florea 2, and Bristol Hicks, who gave the Bluejays some quality minutes as a freshman, had 1.

Baylie Busby had 9 tips. Hadley DeFreece had 8, Skyler Florea 3, Sasha Deardorff and Kynder Florea 2, and Blair Nelson, Mylee Wilmes, and Hayley Yost 1.

Baylie Busby had 9 steals. Hadley DeFreece had 4, Skyler Florea 3, Kynder Florea 2, and Hayley Yost and Sasha Deardorff 1.

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