Sullivan Withstands Late Charge By Salem

For one half Monday, Sullivan was making a mockery of the seeding for the Peoples Bank Holiday Classic.

From defending champions to fifth seed, the Lady Eagles came out of the gates strong against Salem, leading 29-8 midway through the second period.

But the Tigers heated up in a hurry. Taylor Norris and Bella Jadwin led a third quarter barrage that culminated with Salem overtaking Sullivan early in the fourth quarter.

Mallory Shetley and Katie Creek got Sullivan back on course. Kya Harbour drained a dagger 3 and the Lady Eagles held on for a 61-56 victory in the tournament’s first round.

Shetley scored a career-high 29 points, swatted six shots, collected six rebounds, dished five assists and had three steals. Hanna Johanning provided 10 points and eight rebounds.

Riley Lock added nine points and eight rebounds to go along with five assists and two steals.

Harbour had eight points and seven rebounds. Creek finished with five points and three steals. 

Sullivan ended the first quarter on a 13-0 run and seized a 21-5 lead.

Shetley posted up the Tigers inside and ran the fast break, finding Harbour in the corner for a 3-pointer. Johanning had a putback with 22 seconds left and Lock scored with just three seconds to close out the period.

Shetley had a pair of bonus free throws and a drive to put Sullivan ahead 29-8 with 4:16 left in the quarter. 

Salem regrouped, with Norris draining a 3-pointer, Jadwin working her way inside for a bucket and Norris scoring on a turnover. Sullivan, which turned the ball over 21 times, began to wilt under Salem’s pressure. Sullivan turned the ball over on five straight possessions, but still led 31-15 at the half after Shetley backed her defender to the ground on a drive from the high post, scoring with five ticks left.

Ballhandling issues continued to plague the Lady Eagles in the second half. Norris scored 14 points during a 17-3 run. She hit a pull-up 3 with 3:18 left, then came down on the next possession and knocked down a corner triple. Salem cut the deficit to 34-32 with 2:49 remaining, forcing Sullivan into a timeout.

The Lady Eagles bounced back with a three-point play by Shetley and a turnaround from Creek in the paint. Norris responded with a three-point play at the 46 second mark. Sullivan led 39-35 going into the fourth quarter.

Jadwin’s three-point play and Tatum Hatridge’s 3-pointer from the corner put Salem on top within the first 50 seconds. 

Shetley and Creek led the response that put Sullivan back on top. Shetley had two three-point plays, restoring a 48-42 lead. Norris drove through the defense for a layup, but Harbour answered with a 3-pointer.

Sullivan went up 57-48 with 1:56 remaining on a fast break by Shetley. Salem refused to go down quietly. With 38 seconds left, Madison Woolf hit a 3-pointer to make it 59-53. Jadwin stole the ball near half-court and pulled up for a trey, bringing the game to a single possession with 30 seconds to go. 

Shetley converted two free throws and Salem came up empty on the next possession.