Girls' basketball no match for Blake

NELSON H. KOBREN GYMNASIUM, Jan. 29 –

The Blazers (3-9) dropped their fourth straight game in a one-sided loss to the Blake Bengals at home Tuesday night, 69-24.

Blake blew past Blair from the tip-off, establishing an early double-digit lead and putting up 25-points in the first quarter alone. The Blazers offered better resistance in the second half, but their lack of offensive chemistry prevented any change of momentum.

The Bengals, who sit at the top of their division with an undefeated record for league-play, are the defending state champions and show strong signs for a similar outcome this season. Blair's outing against Blake earlier this month, a similar 85-36 loss, affected Blazer play, according to the team. "We were intimidated and it really just frazzled us," senior co-captain and guard Meghan Cadigan said. "We couldn't focus and that hurt us."

Head coach Erin Conley echoed the remarks, saying the team lacked the enthusiasm they brought to the first match-up. "We needed a better attitude," Conley said. "We weren't ready to play."

In the first quarter, the Bengals used their speed to drive inside and draw Blazer fouls. Cadigan posted all six of Blair's points for the period off short jumpers. Blake turnovers kept both teams close through the first half of the quarter, but before long the Bengals moved the ball methodically and efficiently under the basket, where the shorter Blair team had difficulty defending shots. By the end of the first quarter, Blake had gathered a 19-point advantage, 25-6.

Senior guard Kalisha Holmes and junior guard Ashley Arnold led the ladies in the second quarter. Yet while the team mustered a slightly better defense, the Blazers continued to struggle with shooting. Desperation shots forced by the winding-down shot clock and poor looks at the basket resulting from swarming Blake arms prevented Blair from establishing any kind of rhythm for scoring. The Lady Blazers returned to the locker room with a halftime deficit of 41-11.

Though disheartened, Blair came out in the second half with much more intensity than the first. "The score was discouraging," Cadigan said, "but you can't allow yourself to give up."

Despite the numbers on the scoreboard, Blair kept up the pressure and even went to full press for some stretches. While the team failed to discover the formula for points, the defense held together in an effort slightly better than their previous match against Blake. The Bengals showed no signs of slowing down before reaching the final score, 69-24.

In addition, junior guard Jenny Williams, who leads the team in scoring, was unable to play in her fourth straight game for the Blazers. Williams will return for Friday's game at Magruder. Blair's win over Magruder Jan. 11 was Williams's last game and the team's most recent victory.

The Blazers' next home game is Monday, Feb. 4 against Sherwood at 7 p.m.