In a close game at the half and missing several key players, the Elma Eagles took off.
Elma used its fast break to outpace Aberdeen for a 64-51 non-league victory on Tuesday at Elma High School.
The Eagles (6-3 overall) had eight-point leads in both the first and second quarters, but saw the Bobcats (3-6) trim the deficit to two buckets at 30-26 by halftime.
In the third quarter, Elma extended its lead to double digits at 36-26 on a step-back three by senior guard Cason Seaberg at the 4:38 mark.
Aberdeen responded with six straight points by center Charlie Ancich to cut the Eagles’ lead to 36-32 and force an Elma timeout.
But the Eagles responded with an 11-2 run highlighted by four fast-break baskets, two each by seniors Carter Studer and Grant Vessey, to close the quarter up 47-34.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma senior Grant Vessey (4) scores on a fast break while Aberdeen’s Manny Garcia defends during the Eagles’ 64-51 win on Tuesday in Elma.
Seaberg and company took over in the fourth quarter. The athletic standout guard buried a three followed by a fast-break bucket off an assist from Vessey to put Elma up 52-34 at the 6:36 mark.
A few minutes later, Studer hit a three then fed sophomore Isaac McGaffey on the break for a 57-38 lead, its largest of the game.
“Our conditioning level is going to be top-notch,” Elma head coach Matt Ferrier said. “In the first half, we noticed (fast-break chances) and we just wanted to lead in transition.”
Aberdeen would bring the score to within 13 points late in the game, led by Quezada’s 11 points in the final frame.
“They did a good job of getting to the free-throw line and leaking out for fast breaks and just catching us down the court for easy layups,” Aberdeen head coach Brandyn Brooks said of Elma. “They got a lot of points on free runs to the basket without anybody being there. It was a lot of us not recognizing the leak-out and them getting a lot of easy shots at the basket.”
Elma was led by seniors Studer (21 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists), Seaberg (18 points, 7 assists) and Vessey (13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists).
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen’s Charlie Ancich (11) and Elma’s Carter Studer compete for a rebound during the Eagles’ 64-51 win over Aberdeen on Tuesday in Elma.
“Those three seniors put us on their shoulders,” Ferrier said. “Studer and Seaberg had tremendous games and Vessey has a career night on the offensive end. They stepped up and put us on their shoulders when we needed it most.”
“We knew with the injuries that we had to step up and not foul. Unfortunately, I had four fouls in the third quarter,” quipped Studer, who avoided fouling out of the game and led all scorers. “Our bench guys played great, which is awesome, and that experience is going to help us down the road.”
Elma started the game without one of its leading scorers in senior post AJ Holmes, who was unable to go due to a slight ankle sprain, and sixth-man guard Theo Flores, who was out due to an illness.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma senior guard Cason Seaberg (22) buries a 3-pointer during the second half of Elma’s 64-51 win over Aberdeen on Tuesday in Elma.
Further compounding matters was junior starting point guard Traden Carter went down with a sprained right ankle in the second quarter and was unable to return.
“If we fight adversity like that every single night and deliver like that, then our team is incredibly deep,” Ferrier said. “Obviously, we don’t like that we are out three starters, but for other kids to get in there, have an opportunity to play, contribute and deliver, it means they showed up with the right mentality.”
“We had three guys play about 20 minutes and in Seaside, total they played about five,” Studer said. “That was awesome.”
Elma went 26-for-64 from the field (50%) – with 19 assists – and 6-of-14 from the free-throw line (43%).
The Eagles had 39 rebounds and committed 10 turnovers in the game.
Aberdeen also had 10 turnovers in the game and played near even with Elma in the rebounding department with 32.
But the Bobcats went 21-of-62 from the floor (34%), including 7-for-32 from beyond the arc (22%).
Aberdeen was led by Quezada, who had 22 points and hit 9-of-14 from 3-point range (64%), to go along with six rebounds.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen’s Jhacob Quezada (23) dishes out an assist to teammate Baylor Ainsworth (3) during a 64-51 loss to Elma on Tuesday at Elma High School.
Brooks said he saw some improvements in his team compared to the last time it faced the Eagles, a 59-30 loss back on Nov. 29.
“We’re doing a much better job of being consistent offensively,” he said, citing the rebounding efforts of Ancich (7 rebounds) and senior Patrick Walsh (2 points, 3 rebounds, steal) off the bench. “And we rebounded a lot better than we did against them at the beginning of the season. Now that we got our guys all humming, they’re playing a lot better and being more aggressive.”
Aberdeen 12 14 8 17 – 51
Elma 15 15 17 17 – 64
Scoring: Aberdeen – Quezada 22, M. Garcia 9, Ancich 8, I. Garcia 4, Scott 3, Walsh 2, LaRocque 2, Brooks 2. Elma – Studer 21, Seaberg 18, Vessey 13, McGaffey 9, Murray 2, Schneider 1.
