43
Brookfield defense stymies Bristol
Panthers’ Ally Jones grabs 1,000th rebound
By Greg gulas
brookfield
Riding a seven-game win streak into their regular season finale at Brookfield High, the Bristol Panthers were anything but “happy” Thursday with their St. Valentine’s Day outcome.
Tori Thompson and Kayla Boyer each scored 11 points while a stingy Warriors defense held the Panthers to single-digit scoring all four quarters as Brookfield defeated Bristol, 50-27 on Senior Night at the Warriors’ gymnasium.
“Coach [Shawn] Hammond told us before the game to just go and play our hearts out. Our game is defense, but we started out slow and fell behind early,” Thompson said. “Once we got up and going everything just fell into place for us. To end our careers with a win at home sure is a great feeling.”
The win overshadowed Bristol’s Ally Jones, who hauled in a game-high 16 rebounds as she became just the second player in program history (Kelly Farrell was the first) with 1,000 career points and rebounds.
“We played together as a team and were able to keep pressure on them all game, resulting in quite a few scoring opportunities for us; especially in the first half,” Boyer noted. “We know as a team that we are better than our record indicates.”
Bristol (15-6) took the early 6-2 lead behind Laurin Elza’s three points, but the Warriors (11-10) reeled off the final 10 points of the quarter behind Boyer and Thompson’s four points.
Five points by Boyer and four points by Lauren Hawley — the only two Warriors to score in the period — staked Brookfield to a 21-13 halftime advantage.
“We did so many things wrong tonight, so credit Brookfield because they had a lot to do with that. With 19 turnovers in the first half and 29 in the game, you aren’t going to win many games with those numbers,” Bristol coach Lisa Gabrielson said. “Not making free throws also hurt. This is a game that you want to get out of your system and we’ll do that by getting back to practice in order to prepare for the upcoming tournament.”
Buckets by Hawley, Boyer and Danielle DiChristofaro keyed an 11-0 Brookfield run to start the third period, which gave the Warriors a 27-13 advantage at the 5:17 mark of the quarter.
When Ashley Kirila missed her second free throw attempt at the 3:43 mark, Jones stepped in to clear the boards for her milestone moment.
She had already notched her 1,000th point last month against Pymatuning Valley.
“Tonight we struggled offensively, which is incentive enough for us to get back into the gym and get ready for tournament play. Having a bye will also help,” Jones noted. “Reaching 1,000 rebounds is special, but winning the game would have made it that much more special. I’m just glad to be able to share this moment with my teammates.”
Four points by Delaney Saxton then helped the Warriors close the game with a 15-9 run and their fourth victory in the last five outings.
“We knew that we had to key on [Ally] Jones, knowing full well that she was going to get her share of rebounds. It’s very tough to defense her,” Brookfield coach Shawn Hammond said. “Our kids have been playing better and tonight we were able to put it all together at both ends of the court. We have five seniors that stuck together and never stopped believing. My daughter, Jordy, has been battling leukemia and this team has been there for me and my family the entire time. They are a very special group has been just awesome.”
The Panthers held a 36-29 rebound advantage with Saxton pulling down five caroms for the Warriors.