After a close game, the Cortland girls varsity basketball team defeated Oswego (31-23) at home to improve their overall record to 2-0.
At the beginning of the game, both teams came out with defense on their minds, forcing the game to become a low scoring affair.
The Purple Tigers started off the game struggling offensively, with a low field goal and free throw percentage. They would finish the first quarter being down 6-7.
However, Cortland's defense excelled throughout the whole second quarter and the rest of the game, as they held Oswego to 2-points in the quarter. The Tigers ended the first half with an 8-point lead (17-9).
"When you miss short shots and free throws, it can dwell on you a little bit; but we got energy from our defensive of play," said Cortland head coach Nolan Sinclair. "It kept us going, because we knew that if we got stops, we were then going to stay in the game. So we kind of relied on our defense tonight; but I'm pleased because it shows that we can win a high scoring game if we need to or we can also dig in defensively."
Going into the second half, the Tigers kept their defense of intensity up, as they were able to get many stops.
Cortland finished the game with a total of 44 rebounds and 13 steals.
Senior point guard Shyanne Lewis led the Tigers in scoring, as she had a total of 11-points throughout the game. She also contributed with six rebounds, two assists and four steals.
Senior forward, Kaitlyn Pratt ended the game with 10 rebounds, while fellow senior forward, Lyndsie Babcock had nine rebounds, six points and two steals.
"I loved the effort tonight," stated coach Sinclair. "The effort was top notch. The girls worked relentlessly hard, which is great to see. Unfortunately, we struggled a little bit offensively, but they didn't give up and they started digging in. I couldn't be happier with that effort."
The Cortland varsity girls basketball team will be back at home tomorrow, Monday, December 9th, as they face off against Dryden. Tip off is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.
Here are some more photos pf last night's game:
