The first chapter in the 2024 Delta (4-3) and Yorktown (3-2) rivalry was written on Tuesday evening. During the offseason an extra wrinkle was added to the rivalry with ex-Yorktown guard Addison Barnes transferring to play for the Eagles this year. Both sides came off of a loss in their previous game and needed to rebound and get back in the win column. The Tigers came out on top defeating the Eagles 47-46.
In the early going the matchup went as expected as a back and forth affair. Bodies were hitting the floor early and often fighting for loose balls.
The Tigers were confidently working an inside out game that proved effective to begin the contest getting their points from everywhere on the court.
“Our bigs have been playing well,” Yorktown head coach Leigh Ann Barga said. “We have to get points on the inside cause it opens up the outside and we’ve been preaching it for years and we’re starting to get it.”
A large part of the early offensive contribution for Yorktown came from sophomore guard Olivia Conklin who ended the half with 11 points.
“[Being a scorer] has been a little different,” Conklin said. “AAU has helped me get to that point and be able to step up and be a leader.”
Delta on the other hand was able to take advantage of some defensive miscues from the green and white to earn their baskets. The Eagles primarily scored from range in the opening quarter taking advantage of some defensive miscues from the home squad.
Despite the three-pointers from the navy and gold, Yorktown was able to open an eight point lead to end the first quarter 22-14.
The Eagles interior defense was on point in the opening half blocking a plethora of Tiger shot attempts, and not allowing many on target shots.
The second quarter in particular, the road team stifled the offensive momentum that the green and white had in the opening quarter. The Eagles did not allow a score until the 3:21 mark after the Tigers put up 22 in the first.
“We needed to slow down and set up our offense,” Conklin said. “We weren’t running anything and needed to take care of the ball and slow down.”
That defensive prowess that Delta showed allowed for them to claw their way back and tie the contest at 27 heading into the locker room, holding the Tigers to five points in the second period.
The second half did not open up with nearly as much scoring as the first half. Both sides were struggling with maintaining the ball resulting in a multitude of turnovers for each squad.
There seemed to be some frustration boiling over for Yorktown with not being able to find any offense. The body language of some of the players on the court was more negative than previously.
With offense being at a premium in the second half, the green and white had to rely on their defense but were unable to get consistent stops leading them to trail by four at the end of the third 34-38.
“It was about mental toughness,” Barga said. “At the end of the game things are crazy but I thought our girls handled the pressure well.”
Some of that luck changed quickly to start the final quarter. After a quick couple baskets things were knotted up again at 38 with much more energy coming from Yorktown. After that it was back to a pendulum swing of momentum down the final stretch.
Neither side was giving an inch in the closing minutes with multiple lead changes late. It came down to free throws and defense.
“They knew it was crunch time,” Barga said. “We fought back, tied it up and were right back in it. We had to play better defense and rebound and focus on fundamentals to get to the point where we’re in it at the end.”
Yorktown was able to gain the edge after a couple of free throws from sophomore center Alexis Fields gave the Tigers a one point edge. The defense for Yorktown came up big late and was able to seal the victory for the green and white.
Delta will host Winchester (x-x) in their next matchup Wednesday, Dec. 4. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Yorktown will hit the hardwood next at home against Lapel (x-x) Tuesday, Dec. 3. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Contact David Moore with comments at david.moore@bsu.edu or on X @gingninj63
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