The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Oneida comes back, beats VVS in opener
Skibitski scores 15 to lead come-from-behind victory
VERONA >> Lauren Skibitski came out firing for the Oneida girls basketball team on Tuesday, scoring the first two points of the season opener against Vernon-VeronaSherrill.
The freshman proved she can close a game as well.
Skibitski scored seven unanswered points late in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead basket for Oneida in a 43-32 victory to start the season 1-0.
“Starting 1-0 is a lot better than starting 0-1,” said Oneida coach Katie Nestler. “Get one under our belts and hopefully we can kind of get on a roll a little bit.”
Skibitski led all scorers with 15 points while teammate Sam Lusher added 10 in the victory while also tallying seven rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. Jillian Brodock secured a team-high 11 rebounds for
“I just wanted to get more confident and it just looked wide open so I took it.”
- Lauren Skibitski on the goahead basket
Oneida.
Therese Pitman scored 10 points to pace the Red Devils.
Both teams struggled to get in sync offensively at the start of the game, as did the clock operator. Pitman scored the first point with a free throw before a long Skibitski jump shot gave Oneida a 2-1 lead. The score would stay that way through several stoppages to adjust the game clock before Pitman scored four points to lead a 6-0 Red Devils run that made the score 7-2. Lusher closed the first quarter with a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to bring the visitors within two points.
VVS quickly regained momentum, scoring six straight points to start the second quarter. Sara Field capped the run with a basket off an offensive rebound, extending the lead to 13-5. Oneida went 4 of 6 at the free throw in the period and Skibitski added a 3-pointer to keep the team in the game, trailing 19-14 at halftime.
Nestler told her team that it had to be a secondhalf team at the break.
“We got a good talk in the locker room and we got more confident in ourselves,” said Skibitski. “And I know I did too.”
Claire Mancarella and Lusher made similar running shots at the elbow to start the third quarter, cutting the VVS lead to one point. Pitman helped her team stay in front with a steal that led to a 3-point play but picked up her fourth foul with less than three minutes to play in the period and was forced to the bench. Brodock made both free throws on the play and went 1 of 2 on her next trip to the line. Skibitski added a free throw late in the quarter as well, bringing the visitors within 2624 going into the final period.
Skibitski knotted the score with two free throws before Alexa Kiser scored after grabbing an offensive rebound to but VVS back in front 28-26. Lusher tied the score with a basket following an offensive rebound of her own and Zoe Olmsted made a long jump shot to give Oneida its first lead since the first quarter at 3028. Kiser scored once more to even the game at 30-30 before Skibitski went on her deciding run. The freshman first made a long jump shot to give Oneida the lead for good.
“I just wanted to get more confident and it just looked wide open so I took it,” she said.
Skibitski wasn’t done, however. She took a great pass from Olmsted and scored while drawing Pitman’s fifth foul, adding the free throw for a 3-point play. She scored Oneida’s next basket as well, extending the lead to 37-30 with less than two minutes to play.
“Lauren’s a young player and we said before the game ‘take the ball to the hole and then your shot will come,’” said Nestler. “She was playing with a lot of nerves but she settled down in the second half. The and-one was a big get for her. She’s only going to get better from here.”
VVS tried to make Oneida close out the game from the free throw line and although the visitors struggled, their hustle allowed them to hold on for the win. Mancarella and Lusher each missed a pair of free throws but both players rebounded the second miss. Mancarella was again fouled and made her next two while Lusher was fouled while scoring and added the free throw for a 3-point play and the game’s final point.
VVS will look for its first win on Saturday at Seton Catholic while Oneida returns to the court Friday with a road game at Homer.
“Hopefully in this quick turnaround in the early season we turn into a first- and secondhalf team,” said Nestler.