Fenton gets shots to drop in second half
Fenton junior guard Ashley Milano forgot one of the core tenets regarding coach Dave Mello's frenetic system: Shoot the ball.
After attempting only 3 first-half shots Thursday, Milano buried three 3-pointers early in the third quarter to spark the Bison to a 57-27 win over Elmwood Park in Metro Suburban Red play in Bensenville.
Milano finished with 12 points - four 3s - but her third-quarter shooting fired up her teammates. The Bison (6-6, 3-3) shot 3 for 31 on 3s in the first half to cling to a 23-20 lead.
"I didn't shoot hardly at all in the first half," Milano said. "I don't know why I didn't shoot. I just didn't feel ready to shoot and I thought it would've been better if I passed to my teammates. After Coach Mello was talking to us at halftime to take our shots or move it, I decided to try and it worked. Everybody fed off the energy of the 3s in the second half."
Isa Lozada scored 8 of her 13 points in the second half, while Alyssa Hoffing made two 3s for 7 points and Sophia Haska finished with 6 points. The Bison shot 1 for 16 on 3s in the first quarter but led 9-0 following a 3 by Lozada. The Tigers didn't notch their first field goal until 51 seconds were left in the quarter.
With the Bison struggling to shoot from outside, Elmwood Park managed to slowly chip away at the deficit. The Tigers briefly took a 17-15 lead before the Bison hit three of their next six shots to seize a 23-17 edge after a basket by Teagan Hausen.
Although she did not score a basket during Fenton's second-half revival, Haska helped keep the Bison in the game during the first half with her scoring and defense.
"We moved the ball around and eventually made it work after halftime," Haska said.
Five seconds into the third quarter, Lozada buried a 3-pointer that energized the Bison. Milano hit two 3s in a three-possession span. Her third 3 of the quarter gave the Bison a 44-22 lead. The Bison made six of their first eight 3s in the third, while the Tigers committed 15 third-quarter turnovers.
"The second half was much more realistic for us," Mello said. "That's what we do. We shoot the 3 a lot, and eventually it will go in. We have about four to six volume shooters, which is perfectly what we want. Ashley shot really well in the second half. All 18 played tonight and had a chance to shoot."