The Lindbergh and Oakville girls basketball squads met for a midseason matchup on Jan. 2.
The game was a back-and-forth affair with Lindbergh coming out on top, 41-37.
The win improved the Flyers’ record to 8-3 on the season, while Oakville dropped to 3-3.
The Flyers are now 8-5 as of The Call’s press time, while OHS is 4-3.
Lindbergh head coach Michelle Spencer said her team played well in the win against the Tigers.
“Overall, I think we had great energy all game,” Spencer said. “We played as a team and didn’t get down on ourselves when Oakville went on an 18-1 run in the first half. We were able to climb back a little before half and I think that was a big momentum swing going into halftime.”
The Tigers took control early, leading 13-9 after the first quarter and 34-29 at halftime. However, the offense went cold for Oakville in the second half, as the Flyers rallied to take the lead.
Oakville head coach Laura Bishop said her team played a strong first half but tried to rush things in the second half, resulting in the blown lead.
“Overall, I thought we played a strong first half, but in the second half our defense was still good we just didn’t capitalize much on offense,” Bishop said. “We weren’t taking our time on offense and (were) trying to force too much.”
Bishop also pointed out the struggles her squad had with rebounding.
“The main thing that hurt us was our rebounding. We have never given that many second chances,” she said. “In some cases, we were giving up three shots. Lindbergh has too many scorers for us to give up all those opportunities.”
Addie Czuppon finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort, while teammate Sami Simokaitis finished with 13 points and 11 boards.
“Addie and Sami both played well, having double-doubles in scoring and rebounding,” Bishop said. “Addie did a great job on finding open shots, and Sami does well guarding the post for us and with putbacks under the basket. Both of these players work hard every day and strive to be successful for this team, and both have high standards for themselves.”
Lindbergh was led by MJ Abercrombie, who finished with 12 points in the win. Elizabeth Mertzlufft added nine points for the Flyers.
“MJ has been a solid player for us all year,” Spencer said. “She runs the show at point guard and has become a consistent scorer. She hit two clutch shots with under two minutes left.”
Despite the loss, Bishop said her team continues to make positive strides every day.
“I feel we have made some great strides offensively and we get better every game,” she said. “Defensively, these kids always work hard, and on offense, we just still have to work to figure our roles out and ensure all players on the floor are contributing. They are playing really well together as a team and are fun to watch when they are clicking.”
Meanwhile, Lindbergh continues to grind out wins while working on getting better each day.
“The team has been getting better each day at the little things,” Spencer said. “We’ve had to grind out some tough wins. I feel our defensive presence has improved since the start of the season. Moving forward, we’d like just overall more consistent play, and become more efficient on offense.”
