Girls Basketball: East Aurora gets past Metea Valley

Desiree Rhodes picked a good time to score her first points of the game.

The East Aurora senior forward connected on a baseline jumper in the final two minutes that turned into the game-winner in the Tomcats’ 44-39 victory over intracity rival Metea Valley.

Tyshee Towner led the way with 20 points as East Aurora improved to 9-13 overall and 2-5 in the Upstate Eight Valley.

“I challenge our players all the time, not to be content with mediocrity,” said East Aurora coach Bill Anderson. “Tonight was a quality win against a good team.”

After struggling from long range most of the game, the Tomcats used long range marksmanship to wrest the lead from the Mustangs. Towner and Myrine Reyes knocked down three-pointers a minute apart to offset two Mustang free throws by Anna Petersen. But with 2:19 remaining, Lori Obendorf (14 points) took a pretty bounce pass from Metea Valley point guard Megan Geldernick and tied the score at 39-39.

That’s when Rhodes put up a 6-foot shot that caromed in from a tough angle on the baseline to give East Aurora the lead for good. Following a Mustang turnover, only their third of the second half, Towner hit one of two free throws and Marta Medina sealed the verdict with two foul shots.

Medina (eight points) was key in the third quarter after going scoreless in the first half. She found a soft spot in the energized Metea Valley zone and hit three 12-footers from virtually the same position in the third period.

“Marta really stepped up in the second half,” said Anderson. “She’s been working on that shot at the elbow in practice, and trying not to force anything.”

After Medina’s final field goal, the Mustangs reeled of seven straight points to pull within 29-28 heading into the tightly-contested final period. Amira Turner had a pair of baskets during that surge.

Towner was the East Aurora offense in the first half, scoring 14 of its 21 points to lead the Tomcats to a 21-15 halftime lead. But she was content to be a playmaker in the third quarter before asserting herself down the stretch.

Metea Valley (8-10 overall, 3-4 conference) only dressed seven players for the game, but what they lack in numbers they make up for in size. Petersen (eight points) and Obendorf are both 6-foot-2, and Turner is listed at 5-11. But the Tomcats held their own on the boards, and the Mustangs missed a number of short shots during the course of the game that were crucial in the close contest.

“We turned the ball over in the first half, we didn’t finish anything whether it was inside or outside, and we didn’t box out,” said Metea Valley coach Kris Kalivas. “Fundamentally, we got beat in every aspect of the game. Consistency has been our issue. Sometimes we finish everything, but when we don’t we start to hang our heads and lose confidence.”

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