Commodores hold off visiting Avella

Three players hit double figures as Frazier outlasted the Eagles in non-section play.

After facing some stiff competition to start the 2024-25 season, the Frazier girls’ basketball squad has ‘ridden the ship’ and has come out the other side as a better team.

The Commodores were down by as many as 10 points in the second half, but they rallied around their balanced scoring and ended the game on a 10-2 spree to capture its second straight victory with a thrilling 61-58 win over visiting Avella Tuesday night in non-section action.

“We are a veteran team now, and the core of this team is mostly seniors and juniors,” Frazier coach Jonathan Bass said. “I think we would have lost a game like this last season. But tonight, we showed a lot of composure and grit to pull out this win. We now know how to finish games.”

Malana Burton scored 13 of her team-high 15 points in the final 16 minutes and added 12 rebounds, while Allie Yauch (13) and Chloe Harger (11) were also in double-figures for the Commodores (2-4).

“It was a team effort tonight,” Yauch said. “I think this year we are a better passing team, and we are sharing the ball more on offense. Our offense just hit a spark in that fourth quarter, and we were not afraid of working for points in the final quarter.”

Taryn Bateman and Allie Monack rounded out Frazier’s top scorers with nine and eight points, respectively.

“Down the stretch, I liked how we slowed down and executed our offense,” Bass said. “Most of the time, our game plan is to play fast and to use our pressure to get points. Sometimes you have to slow down the game and run your sets. You can’t always be up and down the court.”

Ava Frank led all scorers in the game with 20 points for the Eagles (3-2) but was held scoreless in the final quarter. Sydney Strope was the other double-digit scorer for Avella with 19 points.

Trailing 48-41 at the end of three quarters, Frazier started the final period with a 6-1 spree, four points of which came from Burton.

“We are working together,” Burton said. “We are so focused on winning games and making a run at the section title. My offensive game opened for me in that second half, and I just took the shots the defense was giving me.”

After the visitors countered with three straight points to push their advantage to 52-47, the Commodores stormed back with baskets from Monack and Bateman.

The Eagles once again had a response, as they regrouped with back-to-back hoops and held a 5651 edge with about two minutes left.

On Frazier’s next possession, Bateman nailed a huge 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game. After the home team got a defensive stop, they made it 56-56 with a midrange jumper by Harger.

Avella went up 58-56 after two free throws by Mariah Stritzinger with 1:04 left in regulation, but Frazier rallied back as Yauch took a drive to the hoop and was fouled. After the whistle, the Eagles were called for a technical foul as one of their players slammed the ball down.

After Yauch and Burton made 1-of-2 foul shots to tie the game up, the Commodores still had the ball, and Burton was fouled on a shot attempt. With 24 seconds left, Burton calmly sank two free throws to make it 60-58.

“I just take it all away and try not to think about the moment,” Burton said of the late game foul shots. “I practice my foul shooting every practice. I just have that singular focus on the foul shots and try not to think about the pressure.”

Avella failed to score on their next time at the offensive end, as Burton was fouled once again and hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to secure the non-section triumph.

“With our defense, it’s always about ball pressure,” Bass said. “We were aggressive and in their face in that second half. We did a good job of denying the ball to their top scorer and we were able to hold her down. I am very pleased and proud of our overall effort tonight.”

After the Eagles scored four of the first six points of the game, the Commodores bounced back with a 9-1 rally . The visitors battled through the deficit and ended the opening eight minutes with a 6-0 spree for a 13-11 lead.

The squads exchanged points to start the second frame, but Frazier was able to get separation with a 10-4 spurt to close out the first half. In the run, Harger and Clea Bozek hit shots from beyond the arc. The home team was up 29-26 at halftime.

The Commodores held a 36-32 lead midway through the third quarter, but the Eagles grabbed the momentum with 12 unanswered points. Frazier scored five of the final seven points of the third to bring the deficit down to 48-41.

“I worked on my game over the summer for games like this,” Yauch said. “You just had to dig deep and make plays for your team. We were motivated for this game and we never put our heads down when we were down late. We are taking it game by game, one step at a time.”

Frazier continues non-section play Thursday with a road matchup against Carmichaels.

“We are exactly where we need to be,” Bass said. “We faced a gauntlet to open the season, and I knew it would be tough on the girls. But they hung together and battled through it. Allie is our point guard, and she makes us go. Malana came up with some big plays at the end, too. But overall, I think we get key contributions from everyone on our team.”