DELAWARE – Junior post Lyssi Snouffer draws a lot of attention from opposing defenses. So, it’s nice when Delaware Christian has someone on the perimeter making shots.
Someone like Abbi Maurer.
The junior hit a pair of 3-pointers to pace a 17-5 run to start and Delaware Christian notched a 56-48 win over visiting Morral Ridgedale in non-league play Thursday night.
“We’ve been working on handling pressure a lot more and I think we handled that well,” Maurer said. “The shots were just falling tonight.”
Maurer knocked down a trifecta from behind the arc, finished with 11 points and dished out five assists to lead the Eagles.
“Abbi just has to have the ball,” DCS coach Jackie Boggs said. “Abbi and Lyssi – honestly – are our best two shooters, ball-handlers and they’ve gotta defend good (players). Abbi and Lyssi really do a lot for us.”
But her eight first-quarter points came as the Ridgedale defense focused primarily on Snouffer underneath.
Maurer’s first-quarter barrage freed up Snouffer underneath in the second quarter. Snouffer scored all nine points of a 9-0 run before Maurer closed the half with her third 3-pointer to give the Eagles a 36-21 lead at the break.
“It’s hard to get it into her sometimes,” Maurer said. “We’ve been working on in and out, relocating and just being ready for the shot … that was working better tonight.”
Snouffer finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds, four steals and three blocks. She’s had a double-double in all nine of her games this season.
“You’re going to have moments where you stop Lyssi,” Boggs said. “But you can’t stay with her for 32 minutes – you just can’t. She just goes non-stop.”
Freshmen Katie Neuhart and Emma Rindfuss finished with eight points apiece for the Eagles (8-2). Neuhart pulled down 10 rebounds.
“We played those freshmen a (lot) of time and they did a really nice job,” Boggs said.
Raylynn Mullins scored five points to lead the way in an 8-2 run to close the game for Ridgedale.
Madison Staton had 14 points and four steals; McKinley Britton added 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals and Mullins closed with nine points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals to lead the Rockets (3-7).
“We’re not real good communicators – just getting them to talk,” Boggs said. “We are working on it and we will get better at it.”
Next up, DCS hosts Shekinah Christian in MOCAL play Saturday at 6 p.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Troy Scowden finished with 12 points and Dylan Herbert added 11, but it wasn’t quite enough as Buckeye Valley dropped Thursday’s MOAC showdown against host Marion Harding 53-52 in a game that was close from start to finish.
The Presidents led 15-14 after the first quarter and 24-22 at halftime. Both teams scored 11 points in the third and the Barons won the fourth 19-18 to smooth out the scoring summary.
Jevin Beard added nine points and Max Stokey chipped in eight for BV.
Harding’s Tobias Thompson-Reece led all scorers with 13 points.
