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Stoney Creek runs by Brandon

Dan Stickradt | November 30, 2011 | Comments (0)

BY DAN STICKRADT
ORTONVILLE — Nine months ago, Rochester Stoney Creek saw its season come to an abrupt end with a lopsided loss to Romeo in a Class A district finals. So when the Cougars returned to the court Tuesday for their 2011-12 season opener, they were eager to dispose of the bad taste on their tongues that has lingered for nearly a year. Stoney Creek did so in a major way at Ortonville Brandon, topping the Blackhawks, 57-19, in a non-conference girls basketball game.
“I know the girls still talk about that loss to Romeo. It was a bad loss,” recalled Stoney Creek coach Brad Crighton. “It wasn’t that we lost that game, it’s how we lost that game. I think the returning girls were quite ready to make up for that tonight.”
Stoney Creek showed no mercy on the Brandon. The Cougars shot over 60 percent from the floor in the first quarter and built a commanding 21-4 lead by the end of the frame.
Stoney Creek cooled in the second half and finished 19-for-53 from the floor for the game, including 7-for-21 from outside the three-point arc, and were 10-for-14 from the charity stripe. The Cougars never allowed the Blackhawks to even post a threat.
“We lost Kara Kovack and she was a spot-up shooter, but I think we might be a better team. We rebound better and we are very athletic. We do a good job crashing the boards and going after the ball and being long and athletic allows us to do that.
“That being said I was very pleased being our season opener,” added Crighton. “We came out and we didn’t miss much early. We missed some shots in the second half, but we still played aggressive and moved the ball around very well.”
Stoney Creek out-rebounded the Blackhawks 51-24 and had 28 offensive rebounds, consistently getting to the ball over the smaller Blackhawks.
“Our goal was to get 15 offensive boards, and being able to get that many (28) shows how hard we played,” added Crighton.
The Cougars expanded their lead to 31-4 with 3:14 left in the second quarter. When Brandon’s Maggie Stewart converted a shot-range jumper with 2:49 left in the second quarter, which cut the deficit 31-6, that bucket ended a 7:30 scoring drought by the Blackhawks.
Stoney Creek led 34-10 at the half and 43-14 through three quarters, eventually setting off the running clock in the fourth quarter. The Cougars’ biggest lead was 53-14 midway through the fourth period.
Senior guard Gabby Yurik had 17 points to pace a balanced effort for Stoney Creek. Junior Amanda Johnson added 10 points, sophomore center Lauren Voss had nine points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots and sophomore forward Natalie Voss chipped in with five points and seven rebounds for Stoney Creek.
Brandon was held to a 6-for-42 shooting night, making only one three-pointer and was forced into 20 turnover freshman Katelyn Hendershot finished with eight points for Brandon, which sent only four players into the scoring column.
“We had five players that started tonight that never started a high school game before, and we had four underclassmen start the game,” noted second-year Brandon coach Andrew Teberian. “We are young, but that’s no excuse. Stoney Creek is just one of the top teams in the county and Gabby Yurik is as good as advertised. Even when she missed seven in a row, she kept on shooting and it didn’t really fase her. But they are more than a one-player team. They are very long and athletic. We would break the press and bring the ball down the court, and then one of their 6-foot-1 girls would reach out and knock the ball away. They are a good team that can beat you in many ways.”