Blue Devils pick up pace

By Zack Bellerdine

Thursday, December 18, 2008 12:05 AM EST

The Citizen
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Southern Cayuga senior Lianna May goes in for a layup as Moravia sophomore Maria Heffernan defends during Tuesday's game at Moravia.
MORAVIA - The Moravia girls basketball team has had its problems with turnovers this season but things were different against Southern Cayuga.

The Blue Devils cleaned up their play, limited the turnovers and spread out the scoring in a 55-30 win over the Chiefs Tuesday.

Claire Hunsinger led the scoring assault with 15 points, while two other Blue Devils reached double digits. Deanna Drake finished with 11, while Hannah Mackey chipped in with 10.

“This was definitely the most balanced we've been all year,” Blue Devils coach John Crossgrove said. “We were just patient and spread the ball out. You can only stop one person so it's important to mix up the scoring.”

Haley Potter led the Moravia defense with four steals, while Drake had three and Hunsinger had one. Hunsinger came down with a team-high nine boards and Maria Heffernan had seven.

“Claire was very well-rounded for us tonight,” Crossgrove said.

Hunsinger was on fire in warm-ups and that translated to the game.

“Somedays I'm on target and others I'm not,” she said. “It's just team dynamics.“

The Chiefs kept things close early, tying the game 10-10 at the end of the first quarter. But the

Blue Devils took off, going on an 8-2 run.

Drake hit a 3-pointer while being fouled by Southern Cayuga's Felicia Allen to set up a four-point play to end the run.

The Blue Devils led 26-18, but it wasn't until the second half that their defense took over.

“We didn't have to make any real major adjustments,” Crossgrove said. “We just played with a great deal of intensity and some of the defensive play contributed to the lead. It was big enough that they had to press more, that caused them to make bad decisions.”

Heading into the contest, Moravia wanted to control Lianna May, the Chiefs' leading scorer. They held her to three points.

“She's a great player and very strong when she goes to the hole,” Crossgrove said. “We wanted to be aware of her presence on the court.”

Stephanie Morse led the Chiefs with 14 points and Beth Rocker contributed with seven. Moravia's offensive production was helped out by their fast-paced play. They turned the ball over a season-low 19 times.

“I keep the girls aware about the impact turnovers can have,” Crossgrove said. “I let them know the importance and to take responsibility of the ball.”

Moravia's fast pace has been something it's used to its advantage this season.

“We use our fast break to our advantage,” Hunsinger said. “We know the times too that we need to slow it down and let the opportunities come to us.”

Moravia (2-4 overall, 1-1 in IAC) travels to Newfield Friday.

“They are a very good team,” Crossgrove said. “They've been scoring around 20 (per game) and we just need to limit some of their scoring.”

Blue Devils 55

Chiefs 30

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