Evans, Bloomsburg hold off Mount Carmel

Feb. 24—MOUNT CARMEL — Bloomsburg sophomore Madeline Evans will likely inherit the label of best post player in her division — if not the entire Heartland Athletic Conference — when Mount Carmel senior Dani Rae Renno finishes her high school career.

On Tuesday, Evans played as though she couldn't wait one more month.

Evans more than held her own against the Red Tornadoes' all-state standout, and she made several key plays down the stretch to help the Panthers avenge their only loss of the season, 54-50, in a HAC-Division II showdown. Mount Carmel won the teams' Feb. 5 meeting in Bloomsburg, 48-47, in the early part of a seven-game win streak that ended Saturday against Hazleton Area.

"We didn't like the outcome of the first game," said Panthers coach John Wittman. "We believed we had the opportunity to seal the deal, that we had control of the game. So we went into practice that very next day and we talked a lot about that, and we worked on those types of things. Then when we had the opportunity today to be strong, take control, and hang on to the ball, the girls stepped up and did just that. I'm very proud of them."

Bloomsburg (15-1 overall, 9-1 HAC-II) went ahead for good in the see-saw game with just more than two minutes remaining. Mount Carmel had five possessions in the final 1:48 that resulted in three turnovers and 1-of-4 shooting from the free-throw line.

"I think we had some people ... at the end there who were trying to make some things happen, and Bloomsburg made some big plays," said Red Tornadoes coach Lisa Varano. "So I've got to give the credit to them. Against a good team, you've got to be careful."

With the score knotted at 47, Evans passed the ball out of traffic in the middle to Ellen Hull for a tie-breaking 3-pointer. Evans then perfectly played Lauren Shedleski's attempt to drive and dish to Renno on the low left block, preserving a two-point edge. In the final 33 seconds, the 5-foot-11 Evans made the first of two free throws for a 52-50 lead, rebounded a missed Mount Carmel foul shot, and intercepted a Red Tornadoes pass just before time expired.

Evans finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds, four steals, two blocked shots and an assist, never adding to the three fouls she collected before halftime.

"Dani Rae is a very good basketball player, for those who don't know, and for Madeline to play — both offensively and defensively — the way she played ..." Wittman said, his voice trailing off as he searched for words. "Dani gets her points and has some great moves, but Madeline just keeps coming back and fighting. What a competitor. It was a pleasure to watch both of them play."

The 6-2 Renno, a two-time all-state honoree with a Class 2A second-team nod last season, scored a game-high 26 points despite being shut out in the first quarter. She picked up her second foul after just two minutes of play and was forced to sit the final 5:55 of the period while the Red Tornadoes erased an early 5-0 deficit and pulled within 11-9.

Renno started the second quarter and delivered 13 points as Mount Carmel surged to the lead. She had seven consecutive points in the middle of the period after the Panthers went up 17-11, then had another string of six points while trading buckets to forge a 26-all tie.

Red Tornadoes sophomore post Alyssa Reisinger hit a basket at the end of each Renno run in the quarter, the latter of which pulled them even at 28 at the half. She finished with six points and a team-best seven boards.

"We had to be conservative with Dani at times, and I thought Alyssa did a nice job coming in," said Varano. "It's a pretty good trade-off."

Both teams struggled through a poor-shooting third quarter with three makes apiece. Though Mount Carmel had a tougher go of it — shooting 3-for-16 with many misses deep in the paint — Renno's hoop with 1:44 to play was good for a 36-32 lead.

Bloomsburg's Bryn Zenter, who scored all nine of her points in the fourth quarter, converted a three-point play for a 37-36 lead to open the period. In the middle of the fourth, Renno turned a Shedleski pass into a three-point play and a 43-all tie. She then scored on back-to-back trips for a 47-45 lead with just less than four minutes to play, Mount Carmel's last advantage.

"It was a back-and-forth game," said Varano. "There were times we got down and came back and took the lead. Then they came back. I'm not taking anything away from Bloomsburg, but I think if we play them 10 times it could go 5-and-5. They're a good team, and I thought we played well."

BLOOMSBURG 54, MOUNT CARMEL 50

Bloomsburg (15-1, 9-1) 54

Ellen Hull 2 2-2 7, Rylee Klinger 6 0-0 13, Kelsey Widom 2 3-4 7, Madeline Evans 5 2-3 12, Olivia Hull 2 2-2 6, Bryn Zentner 3 3-3 9. Totals 20 12-14 54.

3-point goals: E. Hull.

Did not score: Paige Temple.

Mount Carmel (12-5, 8-3) 50

Lauren Ayres 1 1-2 3, Mia Chapman 3 2-4 8, Lauren Shedleski 1 4-4 7, Dani Rae Renno 8 6-6 26, Alyssa Reisinger 3 0-1 6. Totals 16 13-17 50.

3-point goals: Shedleski.

Did not score: Caroline Fletcher, Jenna Pizzoli, Rachel Witkoski, Katie Witkoski.

Score by quarters

Bloomsburg'15'13'6'20 — 54

Mount Carmel'11'17'8'14 — 50

JV score: Mount Carmel 53-32.