Moniteau runs out of steam late against Lakeview
CHERRY TWP — The effort was there. As was needed ball distribution.
Unfortunately for Moniteau’s girls hoops team, the combination didn’t yield a positive result in Friday’s opening-round PIAA Class 2A playoff game against District 10’s Lakeview.
The Warriors climbed out of a 10-point first-half hole to take their only lead of the night in the fourth frame. They would only make two baskets in the last six minutes of a 47-40 defeat.
It was the first home state playoff game that Moniteau’s program had ever hosted.
“We missed the front end of a one-and-one, we missed a rebound, we missed some foul shots down the stretch, and that’s a good team,” Warriors coach Dee Arblaster said. “That’s a good team. We knew they were going to be physical.”
The Sailors (19-7) were spot-on in the early going, as well, sinking nearly half of their shots from the floor (11-of-23) in the first 16 minutes. They scored on five possessions in a row in the second quarter, opening up a double-digit gap with 3:17 to go before halftime.
Moniteau’s Catherine Kelly and Davina Pry bucketed each of their side’s dozen points in the third quarter, pulling the hosts within one by the outset of the fourth. Sophia Fleeger’s trey 15 seconds into the final period gave Moniteau (19-8) a short-lived 34-32 edge.
“We were focusing so much on where the basketball was and not really jumping into our gaps and taking away some back-door cutters,” Lakeview coach Gary Burke said. “Once we got that settled down and the girls knew exactly how to play it, we really tightened up defensively.”
Kyndra Seddon evened matters on the possession that followed. She was fouled in the process, but missed the and-one free throw. The Warriors gathered the rebound, turned it over, then fouled Liegha Marsteller, who knocked down one of two from the line to permanently take the lead back.
“Our girls were really patient with the basketball down the stretch,” Burke said. “Kelsey Seddon was really big. We were running kind of a high motion and she got down to the rim. It was just strong physical plays by Kelsey Seddon, by Kyndra Seddon that were able to give us some separation when it was a two-, three-point ball game there.”
Allie Pry’s traditional three-point play just over a minute later was bookended by makes by Kelsey Seddon, but kept Moniteau within striking distance. When the Sailors began to take their time on the offensive end, the Warriors defense forced a backcourt violation and another turnover after that.
But the aforementioned mistakes that Arblaster highlighted quieted the offense the rest of the way.
“I’m pleased with how we played,” Arblaster said. “We didn’t win. Am I disappointed? Absolutely, but I thought we fought them well ... Our defense, I told them, ‘We’re a small team. We have to be able to play that kind of defense to be successful.’”
Lakeview, in turn, totaled 15 points in the final eight minutes and survived a party-like atmosphere.
“Playing a first-round state playoff game at somebody else’s home court is not an easy task,” said Burke, whose team beat Avonworth in the same situation in the Class 3A state bracket last go-round. “Moniteau came out and played hard and I guess it’s just discipline and fundamentals at the right time that got us this win tonight.”
As for Moniteau, the team will return multiple key components next winter that can build on this season.
“These girls, they compete every day in practice,” Arblaster said. “They want to get better. I told them that we’ve got girls coming and we’re going to fight for position ... This was big for them. I told them, ‘Let’s make history.’ They get tired of hearing about all the banners on the wall. I said, ‘This is your team. This is history right here.’”
LAKEVIEW 47
Kelsey Seddon 5 0-1 12, Kyndra Seddon 5 1-4 11, Emma Marsteller 3 2-4 10, Alaina Peltonen 1 4-5 6, Delaney Kepner 2 0-1 5, Jordan Olson 1 0-0 2, Liegha Marsteller 0 1-2 1. Totals: 17 8-17 47.
MONITEAU 40
Catherine Kelly 4 3-5 11, Davina Pry 3 5-7 11, Sophia Fleeger 2 1-2 7, Autumn Stewart 2 1-3 5, Allie Pry 1 1-3 3, Kendall Sankey 1 1-2 3. Totals: 13 12-22 40.
Lakeview 14 14 4 15 — 47
Moniteau 11 8 12 9 —40
3-point goals: Lakeview 5 (E. Marsteller 2, Ke. Seddon 2, Kepner); Moniteau 2 (Fleeger 2)
