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Parkway's Brittyn Bruns (3) runs the fast break in front of a pair of St. Marys defenders during Tuesday's non-conference game at Grand Lake Health Systems Court.
ST. MARYS - A week ago, Parkway head coach Dan Williamson and his Panthers opened the season with a 30-plus point loss to the Crestview Knights. With a seven-day break to work out the residual kinks from that setback, the Panthers got themselves back on track last night on Grand Lake Health Systems Court by defeating the St. Marys Roughriders by a final of 35-23.
"To come over here and play a really good St. Marys is good for us in getting our first win of the season," said Williamson. "We had a few injuries coming into the season, so a big part of tonight was having everyone healthy. We've only had about three practices so far with a full squad."
St. Marys' Audrey Reineke (20) shoots over a Parkway defender during Tuesday's game.
The Panthers fired out of the block on all cylinders, as they opened the contest by racing to a 7-0 command in the first 1 1/2 minutes thanks to a stingy defense and a 3-pointer from senior guard Cali Bollenbacher. Not to be outdone, the Roughriders responded with a blend of timely shots and a full-court pressure which forced five turnovers in six possessions. After knotting things up at nine points a piece following a bucket from St. Marys junior Sophia Menker, the home team took their first lead when junior Lauren Jacobs drained a three-pointer to give her team a 12-9 edge at the end of the first period.
"Claire Turner did a good job of coming in early and getting tips which got us some easy baskets," St. Marys coach Scott Jordan said. "They (Parkway) made some adjustments though in the second half and we didn't have as much success."
Parkway's scoring drought ended at the onset of the second stanza when sophomore Megan Hughes dumped in the first four points to give the visitors a one-point lead. The two teams punched back-and-forth over the course of the next few minutes until a two-point St. Marys' lead was erased following a 3-pointer from Hughes and a 10-foot jumper by junior Bryn Schoenleben which awarded the Panthers a 20-17 favor. A long ball from Roughrider senior Cadence Hirschfeld with 1.5 seconds left in the half tangled everything up at 20 as the two squads hit the locker room for intermission.
The third quarter picked up right where the second left off as each team traded buckets, however a pair of free throws by Parkway freshman KJae Stover and another jumper from Hughes, put Williamson's crew up 26-22 with one quarter left to play. St. Marys pulled to within three points following a free throw by senior Reese Rable, but a quick long ball by Schoenleben gave the visitors a 29-23 edge, and they never looked back. The Roughriders failed to score the remainder of the game, while the Panthers sealed it at the free throw line by hitting 6-of-8 to leave with the 12-point triumph.
Parkway's Bryn Schoenleben (13) shoots over St. Marys' Lauren Jacobs.
"I felt our girls handled their pressure much better later in the game," Williamson said. "They were able to rattle us early, but once we talked about where we needed to get the ball, the girls did a good job executing in that regard and making free throws down the stretch. I'm very happy for the girls in getting our first win tonight."
On the evening, the Black and Gold were paced by Hughes, who finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. She was joined in the scoring department by Schoenleben and junior Brittyn Bruns with seven points apiece. St. Marys, who was hampered by shooting 4-for-24 from beyond the arc and being out-rebounded 23-17, was led by five points apiece by Claire Turner and Lauren Jacobs, while Reese Rable added a team-high five rebounds.
"Our offensive rebounding wasn't strong tonight. We gave up a lot of second-chance shots," Jordan remarked. "I felt Parkway was quicker and more physical and obviously we didn't shoot well. We just have to be stronger, win those 50/50 loose balls, and get better at that overall as a team."
Both teams are on the road Thursday for league play as Parkway (1-1) opens Midwest Athletic Conference play against St. John's and St. Marys travels to Bath for Western Buckeye League action.
