Carter, Johnson combine for 50 in win over Frazier

The Commodores couldn’t catch up after Monessen took an early 15-2 lead.

Monessen secured a much-needed victory over Frazier on Saturday, pulling away late for a 55-40 win in a non-section game.

The Greyhounds set the tone early, jumping out to a commanding 15-2 lead in the first five minutes by capitalizing on Frazier mistakes. The Commodores committed 10 turnovers in the opening quarter, which allowed Monessen to control the pace from the start. By the quarter break, Monessen led 15-5.

Frazier clawed its way back in the second quarter by focusing on containing Monessen’s main scorer, Madison Johnson. Teammate Na’Jaziah Carter stepped up, scoring 11 first-half points, including seven from the free-throw line. Together, Johnson and Carter accounted for 25 of Monessen’s 28 first-half points.

Frazier found its own bright spot in Malana Burton, who put together a strong first half with 10 points and seven rebounds. Her presence in the paint helped keep the Commodores in the game, as they trailed just 28-23 at halftime.

“I thought we played well,” said Frazier head coach Jonathan Bass. “We didn’t start out good, falling behind 152, but we won the game from that point on. You take away that rough start, and we’re right there with them. That’s been our Achilles heel all year. I’m pleased with the effort. We’re growing, and we’ll be back.”

The third quarter saw both teams struggle offensively, with points coming primarily from the line.

Monessen managed to extend its lead, ending the quarter with a 40-29 advantage.

“Early in the year, we seemed to fall behind early and try fighting back in the end,” Monessen head coach Jason Schmidt said. “Now we fight the whole time. We come out swinging, trying to be the hammer, not the nail.

It’s been fun to see us grow as a team.”

Frazier showed signs of life early in the fourth, starting with a three-point play by Allie Yauch and a 3-pointer from Chloe Harger to cut the deficit to 42-36.

Monessen wasted no time responding as Carter drained a clutch 3-pointer to push the lead back to nine with three minutes to play.

Frazier had one last push left as Addison Day hit a mid-range jumper to cut the lead to 47-40 with 1:46 left, prompting a Commodores timeout.

Carter put the game away with a deep three, followed by Johnson forcing a turnover and getting fouled once more and hitting one of two from the line to seal the win.

“We’re absolutely building, and that’s all you can ask for,” said Schmidt. “Our competitiveness has been stellar and just continues to grow every time they get to play. These girls really rely on each other. It’s been a grind, but I feel like we’re finally coming together, just a little too late.”

Bass saw plenty of positives in his team’s performance, particularly in its ability to handle Monessen’s scorers for stretches.

“They’re good players, but I thought we contained them as well as we could—just let them get to the free throw line too many times,” he said. “We gave Maddy some special attention, which opened things up away from her.”

Johnson finished the game with 24 points and six rebounds. Carter led all players with 26 points, 13 rebounds and five steals. Burton led the way for Frazier with a double- double, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Harger added 12 points.

Monessen (5-12) will hit the road Tuesday to face Geibel, while Frazier (5-14) takes on Apollo-Ridge that same night.