Tioga County Sports ReportMORAVIA — The Candor girls basketball team’s well-accomplished season ended Friday night at the hands of a red-hot shooting Moravia team, 69-49, in the Section IV Class C quarterfinals here.
The Coyotes fared well for the first half of the opening frame. Hazel Ray opened the game’s scoring with a layup in the opening minute. After a Moravia basket, Malley Heidl found the net to regain the lead. After two Blue Devil free throws, Ray scored again on another tough drive to the rim to put Candor up 6-4.
With four minutes remaining, Moravia would go on a 10-0 run that was ended by a Heidl 3-pointer. On the ensuing possession, Moravia answered with another trey. Two Shawna Conklin free throws rounded out Candor’s scoring as Moravia pulled away 21-11.
“From watching their scores and games over the course of the season we knew they could run hot and cold,” coach Carl Kanoff said. “We needed a cold night for it to work out for us, so we gave them a different look defensively to start the game, and that worked until they warmed up. After that it was just some unbelievable shooting. It didn’t really matter what we did, they were on fire.”
The second quarter was all Blue Devils. After Emmi Makie canned a three in the opening minute, Moravia went on a 20-0 run that included five consecutive 3-pointers. The Blue Devils made nine shots from behind the arc in the half and entered the break up 41-14.
“We had two choices in the locker room — give up, feel sorry about it, and let it get embarrassing, or dig in, fight, and make it respectable,” Kanoff said. “Of course this group wasn’t quitting.”
Candor doubled its first quarter scoring output in the third frame, pouring in 22 on the strength of 10 points from Makie, which included another three pointer and a traditional three point play. Megan Williamson and Heidl each scored 5, both hitting a trey and a field goal. Ray added two free throws. Unfortunately for the Coyotes, Moravia kept pace with 21 that included two more threes.
Williamson remained hot from long distance in the fourth as she added two more threes and a field goal. Heidl hit her third triple of the night and Makie added another bucket. Candor took the quarter 13-7.
Makie scored 15 and grabbed five rebounds. She moved past Jenny Strickland to third all-time on the program’s scoring list, finishing the season with 1,185 career points.
Williamson put in 13 which included three treys. Her 38 3-pointers were the sixth highest total in program history as only the seventh girl to surpass 30.
Heidl scored a career-high 13 which also included three from behind the arc. She hauled in seven boards. Ray scored six with six rebounds and Conklin put in two with six boards.
The Coyotes were a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
“I never have much to say to the girls after losses, especially when we are bested by a better team,” Kanoff said. “We didn’t do anything horribly wrong, we were just beat. I’m always proud of the effort and the heart. We improved slightly upon the last time we played them.”
Candor lost to Moravia to open the season at the Charlie Sibley Memorial Tournament in Owego, 73-48.
“With the personnel losses that we had, if anyone had told me in November that our season would turn out the way it did, I would’ve said that we must have worked incredibly hard and played incredibly well,” Kanoff said. “That’s exactly what the girls did. I want to say thank you to Hazel and Shawna for all of their contributions to the program. We will miss them immensely as they are irreplaceable individuals.”
Candor finishes 15-5, losing to only Union Springs, Moravia, and Owego.
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IN PHOTO: Emmi Makie.
