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Linsly Takes It To River

Orth had 12 points and 22 rebounds

HANNIBAL — With River and Linsly entering their girls’ basketball showdown Thursday evening with a combined 9-0 record, a dandy was forecast for the R.L. Potts Gymnasium.

It didn’t happen.

The Cadets started the second quarter on a 16-0 run and turned a one-point lead into a 52-36 triumph to improve to 6-0.

”They played hard,” first-year Linsly coach Rebecca Upton said of her girls. ”I was having a little (celebratory) moment with them (in the locker room). These first six games have been unbelievably fun for me, and they have made it that way.

”They’re a really special group. They’re not selfish. They take care of each other. They work with each other. They fight for each other. They’re competitive as heck.

”They’re just a special group and I’m just very lucky to be here. I can’t say enough about them.”

River coach Rick Isaly, too, had plenty of praise for the Cadets.

”I knew they were a veteran club with good ballplayers,” he said following the Pilots’ first loss of the season.

”I knew it’d be a tough game. We’d played four good games and I’ve been very happy with the girls

”But this was the first game against a team that I knew would have more size than us. I knew we’d have to play an almost perfect game.”

The Pilots (4-1) stood toe-to-toe with the taller and more experienced Cadets for a quarter. But when the second-quarter whistle blew, Linsly started to show its might — inside and out.

Jazzie Orth took center stage for the Cadets during their game-altering surge, scoring six points.

More importantly, though, she was a force defensively and on the boards. Her blocked shot early in the quarter led to a layup for Makenzie Manukin, who scored five points in the quarter.

Later, with Vivian Allison at the line attempting to complete a 3-point play, Orth snared Allison’s missed free throw and put it back up and in, giving Linsly a 24-10 lead.

The rebound was one of 22 on the night for Orth, and she outrebounded the Pilots by six herself. Linsly snared 22 as a team.

”We fell into what River wanted to do early and turned the ball over a little bit,” Upton said. ”But, we settled ourselves down. That was a big thing. We talked about controlling tempo and not playing into the franticness that River likes to create on defense.”

River’s press worked early on, but in the second Linsly was able to get the ball inside at will, allowing Orth and fellow big, Mary Bedway (six points, nine rebounds, five blocks), to get good looks.

”We got nothing out of our press,” Isaly said. ”I told the girls (in the locker room) we have got to be able to press to score points.”

Linsly stuck to its successful formula in the third quarter, jumping out to a 13-2 run to start the period, this time spurred by Allison.

The Mercyhurst signee scored 11 of her team-high 19 points during the quarter as the Cadets built a 44-20 advantage. She also grabbed eight boards.

”Viv and Jazz are unbelievable leaders,” Upton said. ”They always seem to come up with big plays.”

Lauren Flannery led River, which welcomes Parkersburg South on Monday, with 18 points.

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