Lady Bears too strong for Lady Gators, 92-42
The Geibel girls basketball team played a strong first half against visiting Section 2-A rival Clairton Monday. It was the second half that proved to be the Lady Gators' downfall, as the Lady Bears outscored the home team 50-11 in the latter part of the game to take home a 92-42 win.
Kamela Gissendanner powered Clairton's victory, amassing 42 points to lead all scorers.
"She's a good player," Geibel coach Pat Klocek said. "They had 42 points in the first half, and she had 27. And we played pretty good defense."
Clairton coach Jes Hutson agreed that Geibel played well in the early part of the contest.
"Geibel played a heck of a first half," he said. "Give them a lot of credit. Obviously, we're the better team, and there's no way to sugarcoat that. But Geibel came out, they weren't intimidated, they played hard, and they gave us a close first half."
While Gissendanner carried the Lady Bears' offense, the Lady Gators looked to Meghan Barry, who scored 16 of her 20 points in the first half. Two 3-point shots helped Barry to that total, and Emily Pennington also went to the outside as Geibel stuck close, trailing just 19-16 after the first quarter.
Sparked by a couple of small runs, Clairton inched a little further ahead in the second quarter. Gissendanner got some help from Kanesa McBride, who tossed in four points in the period, and despite seven points from Barry, the Lady Bears grabbed a 42-31 lead at the half.
That's when things fell apart for the Lady Gators, as Clairton stepped up its defensive attack.
"When our press and our defense works, we're a pretty good team," Hutson said.
The Lady Bears proved the truth of that statement, as they successfully stifled Geibel's offense with a more aggressive defensive assault. The tactic also opened the door for Clairton's already explosive offense.
Gissendanner remained the center of the Lady Bears' offense, but Stasha Jackson was able to break through for five points, including a three, and Latisha Hine added a trey. Barry capped her night with two baskets, but she was the only scorer in the period for the Lady Gators as the team's deficit increased to 62-35.
Clairton didn't let up in the fourth quarter, with Gissendanner back for eight more points. The Lady Bears also kicked their outside game into high gear in the final period, with Rebecca Maksin sinking three 3-pointers and scoring 14 of her 16 total points in the quarter. Latisha Hine finished her 12-point game with four last-quarter points.
Jessica Vilella tallied a two and a three for Geibel, but the Lady Gators managed just seven points in the period as Clairton (7-0, 13-5) maintained its perfect section record.
"Clairton is one of the top Class A teams. They've got one of the top players in the nation," Klocek said, adding that considering their first-half performance, "our kids should be proud of themselves."
Geibel (4-3, 10-9) is still in position for the WPIAL playoffs. The team will take a break from section competition to host Beth-Center on Wednesday.
