WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – At the beginning of the game, it was senior Kaitlyn Ober (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) that paced the Lycoming College women's basketball team with 10 points in the first four minutes. At the end of the game, it was Ober again, scoring the Warriors' final four points to ensure Lycoming a 54-53 win over Ramapo College on Wednesday, Dec. 29, in the opening round of the sixth annual Hoops for Hounds Classic at Lamade Gym.
In the Hoops for Hounds Classic's nightcap, No. 19 Lebanon Valley (9-1 overall) defeated Richard Stockton (7-4 overall), 64-34. The Commonwealth Conference schools will look for a clean sweep over the New Jersey Athletic Conference schools on Thursday afternoon, as Lebanon Valley faces Ramapo at 1 p.m. and Lycoming faces Richard Stockton at 3 p.m.
Ober, who finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, hit her last bucket of the night with 34 seconds left to give Lycoming (5-5 overall) a 54-51 lead. Ramapo (7-3 overall) cut the lead to a point with 11 seconds left after a second-chance bucket from Danielle Beam, and a missed Warrior free throw helped Ramapo get a closing chance, but a last second layup fell short.
"We executed a lot," Ober, who scored eight of the team's 12 fastbreak points, said. "We ran the floor very well. We ran the floor very well. In the second half, we were a little off, but we came back by playing together."
Ober was dominant in the game's opening moments, and the Warriors' run-and-gun style was evident, as Ober caught two long passes for open layups, as she put up 10 points during an opening 14-8 run by the Warriors that took up the first five minutes.
"Kaitlyn Ober got some good looks in the open court," Lycoming head coach Christen Ditzler said. "In the second half, obviously, they wanted to shut her down and not give her those easy touches."
The Roadrunners cut the lead to two points at 16-14 with 12:46 left, but a 3-pointer from freshman Jenna Morgan (Tyrone, Pa./Juniata Valley) ignited the Warriors helped keep Lycoming in control. Ramapo cut the lead back to two points at 21-19 halfway through the first period before an Ober layup ignited the Warriors on a 14-4 run that occupied 7:32 and gave the Warriors a 35-23 lead with 2:28 left in the half after a 3-pointer by freshman Jessica Knott (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area).
"In the first half, I thought we played well," Ditzler said. "We've been off for so long and we were playing a very good team."
The Roadrunners cut the lead in half by halftime, though, with Alexa Ryan hitting three free throws to help the Roadrunners head into the half down 37-31.
The Roadrunners kept the pressure on, taking a 41-40 lead eight minutes into the second half thanks to a 10-3 run before a third fastbreak layup from Ober stopped the run. The Warriors struggled in the through the first 14 minutes of the second half, hitting just two field goals. However, the team also kept Ramapo in check, as a layup by Lindsey Gripenburg with 6:35 left gave the Roadrunners a two-point lead, their largest of the game.
The Warriors immediately responded, with a 3-pointer from sophomore Leeann Randall (Audobon, Pa./Methacton) and two free throws from freshman Julia Antonelli (Hanover, Pa./New Oxford) and three more from Ober in the next four minutes helped the Warriors' regain a five-point cushion at 46-41 with 2:27 left.
A 3-pointer from Gripenburg cut the lead to three points, but Ober hit a layup with 1:44 left to respond. Gripenburg hit a layup with 1:03 left and a steal by Faith Flannery led to a fastbreak bucket for the Roadrunners with 50 seconds left, setting up Ober's final layup, making the score 54-51 and setting up the dramatic end.
Antonelli posted eight points, six rebounds, a career-high four steals and three assists and sophomore Rachael Scheller (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) added seven points, six rebounds and four assists for the Warriors. Senior Rebecca Spencer (Granville Summitt, Pa./Troy) added two points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Ramapo was led by Gripenburg with 12 points and Micaela Moore added 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Flannery added 10 points and three steals and Danielle Beam posted eight points, eight rebounds and two blocks.