Boys' Sports
Girls' Sports
For: September 09, 2010
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Huskies Top Bears
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BYNICK CAMMUSO TIMES WEST VIRGINIAN
FAIRMONT — Whether it be foul trouble or overcoming the injury of a key starter, North Marion’s girls’ basketball team hasn’t had an issue dealing with adversity.
This week’s schedule, though, presented another kind of challenge— for players, coaches and those Husky supporters looking to limit their winter driving.
A conference game Tuesday at Elkins was followed with a trip Beckley for the Big Atlantic Classic on Wednesday, then North had to turn around and return to Marion County the next day for a matchup with Fairmont Senior.
“About eight or nine hours all together of driving,” North coach Mike Parrish said.
Once out of the car and back on the court, the Huskies kept motoring Thursday night, rolling to a 76-53 victory over the host Polar Bears.
In the process, North (16-1, 11-0 NCAC), the top-ranked team in Class AAA and winners of 10 straight, swept the regular season series with Fairmont Senior.
Thursday’s game mirrored the previous matchup between the teams Jan. 14, as the Polar Bears hung tight to start, working an 8-8 tie at one point and trailing 18-8 after the first period.
But instead of the hosts drawing closer, the Huskies’ long-range shooting all but put the game away.
North hit six 3-pointers in the second quarter alone, including four from junior guard Mariah Byard. Her final three from the right wing capped a 10-0 run and gave North a 19-point lead with a little more than two minutes left in the half.
The Huskies would later add a Kaitlyn Antolock jumper and an Alexis Steele 3-pointer to bump their advantage to 21 points, 39-18, by intermission.
“They play so well as team,” Fairmont Senior coach Ashley Reed said. “We played them zone, we played them man, and anything we went to they were beating it. It’s tough when they’re knocking down shots.”
In all, North was a scorching 8 of 12 (66.6 percent) on threes in the first half.
“Every now and then we catch a hot spell and knock a bunch of them down,” Parrish said. “It was good to hit some tonight. We started off a little slow and got some shots falling. “We take what we can get. If we get layups, if we get threes, we have to work with it. First open shot, that’s our philosophy.”
North didn’t cool much in the third — getting another three from Kelsi Wright on its very first shot — and led by 30 by the end of the period. Courtney Swiger had seven in the frame, five coming from the free-throw line after she was fouled on back-to-back 3point attempts.
The Huskies would empty their bench to start the fourth, where Steele scored eight of her 14 points.
Byard led all scorers with 21 points, while Wright added 12.
Fairmont Senior (9-7, 5-5) got 15 points from Katie Nunan and 13 from Kaitlinn O’Neal.
“They’re the number one team in the state for a reason,” Reed said of North. “I thought we played a decent first quarter but against the number one team in the state you have to play almost perfect. We had spurts where we looked good, but we also had spurts where we didn’t box out or find the shooters.
“They have so many weapons. You have to pick your poison.”
North hosts East Fairmont Tuesday, while Fairmont Senior visits Morgantown the same night.
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