JEFFERSON—Jefferson overcame a slow start to defeat visiting Harvey in a Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division showdown on Friday, 38-34.
The Falcons trailed 13-4 after the first quarter and 17-12 at halftime before rallying in the second half to outscore the Red Raiders, 26-17.
“I give Harvey a lot of credit for how hard they played,” said Jefferson head coach Terry Furman. “We weren’t aggressive in the first half. We finally moved the ball and found open players and got quality shots.”
Kennidie Rodgers kept the Falcons in the game in the second quarter as she scored six of her 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds in the frame and Riley Franklin took over in the third quarter by scoring 10 of her team-high 14 points in the frame.
“She did a nice job running the floor,” Furman said. “I have to give her credit for that.
The fourth quarter belonged to Mia Contenza, who scored all nine of her points in the final eight minutes. She also scored the go-ahead layup that gave the Falcons a 36-34 lead and drained a pair of free throws to close out the scoring. Contenza also recorded 10 rebounds and seven steals.
“Those are things we expect out of her,” Furman said. “She’s our leader, we expect her to do the little things and she stepped up tonight.”
Jefferson put the pressure on Harvey in the second half and turned up the heat defensively.
“We always talk about keeping the defense on their heels, but we were the ones on our heels defensively,” Furman said. “We needed to play a lot harder and play more aggressively and they stepped up to the challenge.
The win over Harvey also served as a teaching moment for the Falcons, who returned to .500 at 5-5 after not playing for 17 days.
“Our growth in this game showed,” Furman said. “I thought we broke the press well at the end; we took care of the ball. Close games like this build a lot of character.”
Danielle Furman contributed to the win with three points and Tatum Bordeaux pitched in with two points.
Harvey got off to a fast start in the first quarter but couldn’t maintain that same production throughout the game.
“Our games are up and down, we’re a young team,” said Harvey head coach Jerimie Acree. “As long as we stick together, we’re going to continue to fight no matter who we play.”
Haleigh Lewis sparked the Red Raiders with 11 of her game-high 18 points in the first half.
Alyssia Franklin finished with seven points and Dionjanae Jackson pitched in four. Janel Montgomery and De’Yonna Jackson both scored two points.
After dropping to 4-9 on the season, Harvey knows what it must do to right the ship.
“Our transition needs to be better,” Acree said. “Anytime we’re in transition and we have numbers we need to convert. We’re inexperienced and sometimes it comes to the surface. If we stick together for the rest of the year we won’t have as many mistakes or mental lapses.”
Jefferson hosts St. John on Saturday while Harvey visits Madison on Jan. 10.
