Maiden High’s Zoe Huffman (44), who scored a game-high 23 points, goes up for a shot as Lacy Paul of Bandys defends on the low post. Maiden won 53-36 in a South Fork 2A game at Bandys, handing the Trojans their first loss of the season./MICHELLE THOMPSON PHOTO
By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
CATAWBA – Patience is a wonderful thing that brought Maiden High’s girls a great night on Tuesday.
The visiting Blue Devils easily handled archrival Bandys in a South Fork 2A basketball opener, winning 53-36 after opening a 10-point halftime lead, and they ran their win streak in the series to six straight games.
MAIDEN 53
BANDYS 36
That Maiden could win at Bandys wasn’t the biggest surprise, other than the Blue Devils were 1-5 going in and the Trojans were 4-0.
But that the Blue Devils played so well after last Friday’s 51-18 home loss to Forbush drew some attention.
Maiden head coach Frank Snider and his girls went back to the gym for some extended work in practice on Monday. Against Forbush, the Blue Devils took only 10 first-half shots, and by game’s end they had a whopping 40 turnovers.
“We just got a little more patient,” Snider said of winning at Bandys. “We came out, made some shots early and when they went man (man-to-man defense)… it’s very hard to defend (Zoe) Huffman.”
Huffman had a game-high 23 points and Gracie Arrowood scored 15 as Maiden won for the fifth time in Bost-Matheson Gym in a series (since 1970-71) that the Trojans still lead 101-12.
Huffman’s play inside, rebounding and blocking shots, played a key role in the win.
On Monday, Snider said he extended practice from its normal one hour, 45 minutes to about 2 ½ hours with a focus on being more patient with the ball.
He said he truthfully wasn’t sure what to expect at Bandys but saw marked improvement.
“That’s it,” Snider said of what he feels the Blue Devils can do in his first year back in his second tenure as their head coach. “We’re capable of playing like that.
“(I knew) if we played like we practiced, we had a chance to be in the ballgame.”
Bandys did not have a player in double figures – Emma Dutka and Logan Dutka each scored eight points to lead the Trojans – in its 94th loss in Bost-Matheson Gym since 1970-71.
Maiden’s win left it tied for first place with the South Fork 2A with East Lincoln, Newton-Conover and West Lincoln, all at 1-0 in league games.
West Lincoln beat visiting North Lincoln 66-56 on Tuesday night, snapping a 45-game conference losing streak and winning a South Fork 2A game for the first time.
Maiden plays a non-conference game Friday at Fred T. Foard with a 3:30 p.m. starting time.
Bandys goes on the road to play Patton on Friday night.
Maiden 14 15 15 9—53
Bandys 12 7 9 8—36
MAIDEN 53—Zoe Huffman 23, Gracie Arrowood 15, Hentschel 7, Glover 4, Andrews 2, Boheimer 2, Sigmon.
BANDYS 36—E. Dutka 8, L. Dutka 8, De La Canal 4, Paul 4, Mirman 4, Wilson 3, Little 3, McLean 2, Rummage, Culliver, McIntosh.
Records: Bandys 4-1, 0-1 South Fork 2A; Maiden 2-5, 1-0.