Tioga County Sports ReportCANDOR - Candor battled state-ranked Watkins Glen for four quarters, coming away with a hard-fought 51-40 loss here Friday night.
The Senecas (11-1) ranked eighth in Class C, put Candor to the test early with a 20-6 first-quarter run. The Indians came back strong, taking the second quarter 10-7 and entered the half down 11.
The teams played even basketball for the second half, which saw Candor down by as much as 15 and as close as 10.
For the third game in a row, Candor was led in scoring by junior Jennah Kareem, who scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half. She added eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Joining Kareem in double digits was Kilie Streeter, who put in a career-high 11 points to go along with six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
The Indians also had two players amass double-digit rebounds. Searra Allen pulled down 10 boards while teammate Braelyn Hornick gathered a team-high 16. Allen scored six points and had five steals, while Hornick scored seven to go along with five assists.
"Watkins came out just like we knew they would - fast, strong, athletic - and really put it to us in that first quarter," Candor head coach Carl Kanoff said. "But instead of letting it unravel, we really dug in and had an outstanding defensive effort in the second. The girls started having really aggressive possessions on offense and we climbed back in.
"Once again, we missed a ton of shots at close range, but I give the kids credit for trying to get to the rim again and again. If some of those chip shots go in we could be talking about an upset, but as it is just playing even with a quality team for a half feels like an accomplishment. Watkins may be the best team that we've played - I was really impressed with their athleticism and ball movement. And again, credit to our girls for hanging on and giving it their all. It's a great sign going forward, I'm really proud of tonight's effort."
Candor (3-6) travels to Moravia Tuesday.
