IR girls' hoops defeats Laurel to go 3-1 in Henlopen South
The Lady Indians’ varsity basketball team will have to continue the stride they have once again found if they are to pick up a third consecutive Henlopen South title this year. And a much-needed victory on Tuesday evening, Jan. 3, hosting Laurel, may have been the spark they were looking for.
Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark
Chanel Handy goes up for two against the Lady Bulldogs this week. Handy scored 12 points on the evening, helping Indian River go on to win 60-35.
After beginning their season with two victories, the Lady Indians saw an uncommon skid, giving up three games in a row, something the team hasn’t done since January 2011. But an unwavered Indian River team pulled things together over the holiday break, advancing past Hodgson in the Pat Borowski Tournament at Lake Forest, before falling to Dover in the tournament championship. The momentum reverberated this week, as they picked up the season with a win, heading into a five-game stretch of divisional play.
“We split our games at the Lake Forest tournament,” said head coach John Frye, “but I think we played a really nice game against Hodgson. They were undefeated coming into the tournament, so getting that game really brought some confidence to the team. Hopefully, it helped us turn that corner.”
By halftime on Tuesday, the Lady Indians seemed to be finding their swing once again. After trailing early in the first quarter, Indian River began battling back with a stingy defense and a capable offense. They held Laurel to only three points in the third quarter and turned it on, once more, in the fourth.
“This was definitely a good win for us,” Frye said, after the team’s victory. “We have a lot of talent on our side, and our intensity in the second half was a big change from what we brought in the first half. We were missing too many lay-ups and uncontested shots, but I think our passing was really starting to come together in this game.
“Keiosha Shelton was really moving well without the ball, and Destiny [Blake] was picking up the open player and making great passes,” he noted. “Keeonya Shelton was active underneath the net with Chanel [Handy], and the entire team was running the court with a purpose. Girls were getting ready for the passes when Laurel came back down the court, and our execution was there.”
Keeonya Shelton finished the evening on top with 14 points, while Handy marked 12 on the evening and Blake racked up 11. The Lady Indians didn’t let down, as both Handy and Francesca Lanuza each accumulated six points apiece in the fourth quarter.
Despite the three-game losing streak that the Lady Indians suffered earlier in the season, their wins are coming against crucial opponents. Overall, the Lady Indians are sitting at a 4-4 record, but within the Henlopen South, Indian River is in the hunt, with a 3-1 division record. But Frye said he knows that his team can’t afford to slow down, as the schedule boasts eight Southern Division match-ups over the next 10 games.
“It all keeps coming with a big game coming up against Delmar,” Frye noted. “We need some good practices, because Delmar’s a strong team. We need our girls to be mentally prepared. We worked a little on our full-court pressure [against Laurel] in preparation for Delmar. They’re a tall team, and we’re going to have to run the floor, force turnovers and put the pressure on when playing defense in order to beat them. Our transition game is going to play a big factor.”
The Lady Indians are on the road at Delmar, this Friday, Jan. 6, then head to Polytech next Thursday, Jan 12.
“This year’s schedule is kind of flip-flopped,” Frye said. “We usually see a tough stretch in the middle of the season, but some of our biggest competition of this year came at the beginning of the season. Hopefully, we can continue with wins through the division. I like to think we’re turning that corner.”
