Bair-ry Good. Bair Helps Moniteau Top Shorthanded Keystone

| December 20, 2017


KNOX, Pa. (D9Sports – Emma Bair is one of the few Moniteau players with experience, and that experience was on full display in the second half of the Lady Warriors 51-44 KSAC South win at Keystone Tuesday night.

(Photo of Emma Bair. Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)

Bair, the 6-foot senior guard/forward who sat out the entire second quarter after picking up her second foul with 4.2 seconds left in the first quarter, was the difference maker for Moniteau after halftime scoring 15 of her team-high 20 points after the break while hauling in nine of her 13 rebounds in the second half with five of the second-half caroms coming on the offensive end.

“I think Emma came up big in the fourth quarter,” Moniteau head coach Dee Arblaster said. “I told her she needs to be the leader.”

For her part, Bair created her teammates for her success.

“My teammates were the ones that had really great looks,” Bair said. “All I had to do was cut back, and they were throwing it. They have really good arms.”

Listen to more of Bair’s thoughts.

Thanks in part to eight third-quarter point from Bair, Moniteau built a 19-17 halftime lead into a 33-21 advantage on a Bair basket with 1:48 to go in the third quarter.

But Keystone, playing without leading scorer Taylor Geer due to a concussion, responded with a flurry of three 3-pointers – two from Makenzie Byerley who had a game-high 21 points, to claw back within five, 35-30, before going to the fourth quarter down seven, 37-30.

Moniteau was able to get the lead back to double digits, 43-32 and 44-34, twice in the fourth quarter before Keystone went on a 10-1 run fueled by five points from Byerley and a 3-pointer from Danae Hurrelbrink with the Hurrelbrink triple cutting the lead to 45-44 with 2:31 to play.

Following the three by Hurrelbrink, the Keystone defense then forced a five-second violation against Moniteau.

But the Panthers ended up trying to force a pass inside with just under a minute-and-a-half to play, and Izzy Bair, who finished with 16 points, stole the pass and went the other way for a layup to make it 47-44.

Keystone had one last chance, but a 3-pointer from the corner with just under a minute left was short, and Moniteau blocked a shot on the rebound. The Lady Warriors then went down and hit four straight free throws to seal the win.

“There are a lot of teaching moments at the end of the game,” Foust said. “But, all in all, you want to keep their confidence. I’m just proud of them. They played hard. They were in the game the whole time.”

CHRIS’ THOUGHTS

1. Give Keystone a lot of credit for making it a game. Without Geer, the team’s leading scorer at 19.2 points per game while accounting for 48 percent of the team’s offense coming into the game, the Lady Panthers, who featured six underclassmen among the eight players who played including three freshmen, could have easily hung their heads, especially when they got down double digits. But they didn’t and because of that, they had a chance to win the game at the end. Foust was rightfully happy despite the loss.

“Anytime you get a bunch of young kids who perform like that, you have to ecstatic,” Foust said. “The more they play the more confident I see them becoming. It’s getting better every game.”

2. Moniteau, which led 11-8 at the end of the first quarter, being able to hold that lead at halftime, 19-17, despite not having the services of Bair was the key point in the game. Mia Loos came on in place of Bair, and the 6-foot junior netted her first three points of the season in the process.

“Mia doesn’t see a lot of action,” Arblaster said. “But when we need a big girl in there with some arms and height, that is who we put in there.I thought she did an admirable job.”

3. Another key factor in Moniteau’s win was beating Keystone’s full-court pressure defense, especially in the second half. The Lady Warriors netted 18 points off fast breaks – some were on free throws that resulted from the breaks.

“We just went and got the basketball and took care of it,” Arblaster said. “Our girls like to run. If you give them the opportunity, they do.”

For his part, Foust said he never considered taking the press off despite the ease at which the Lady Warriors were beating it at times.

“Not at all,” Foust said when I asked him if he thought about taking it off. “As you can see, we have trouble sometimes scoring in the halfcourt. That (the press) is our only chance. We need to score in transition.”

4. The Lady Panthers took too many 3-pointers. Sure, Keystone hit seven threes but the Lady Panthers also took 30 3-point shots, which was more than half of the 57 totals shots they attempted. Going 7 of 30 from beyond the arc was a big reason Keystone was just 15 of 57 (26.3 percent from the floor). Foust said some of the 3-pointers were by design but he also credited Moniteau’s defense with forcing the issue.

“Moniteau, they play that 3-2 (zone),” Foust said. “It’s hard because they have Bair in the middle. It’s hard to get inside because of her size. I actually wanted us to do a quick ball reversal and penetrate. But they are young. They will figure it out.”

5. Arblaster knew that even without Geer in the lineup her team was going to have its hands full with Keystone.

“Coming up here, you know you are going to get a tough game,” Arblaster said.

THE OUTCOME

Moniteau improved to 2-3 on the year and 2-1 in the KSAC South. Keystone dropped to 0-6 overall and 0-3 in the South.

THE ROAD AHEAD

Moniteau is at Karns City Friday before going to the Punxsutawney’s Carl Truance Holiday Tournament Dec. 27 and Dec. 28 and then returning to KSAC play Jan. 3 when it hosts Moniteau.

Keystone is at Redbank Valley Friday before going to the Don Hall Memorial Tournament at Cranberry Dec. 27-28 and returning to KSAC play when it hosts Union Jan. 3.

MONITEAU 51, KEYSTONE 44

Score by Quarter

Moniteau 11 8 18 14 – 51
Keystone 8 9 13 14 – 44

MONITEAU – 51

Emma Bair 8 4-7 20, Alex Harle 2 0-0 4, Andie Arblaster 1 2-2 4, Izzy Bair 5 6-14 16, Mia Loss 1 1-2 3, Kristin Auvil 1 2-2 4. Totals 18 15-27 51.

KEYSTONE – 44

Makenzie Byerley 6 4-4 21, Emily Lauer 4 2-2 10, Danica Hurrelbrink 0 0-0 0, Maddie Dunlap 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Dunlap 1 0-0 2, McKenzie Hovis 0 1-2 1, Danae Hurrelbrink 2 0-0 6, Tessa Weaver 2 0-4 4. Totals 15 7-10 44.

Three-pointers: Keystone 7 (Byerley 5, Daae Hurrelbrink 2).


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