Indian Creek girls basketball shot to the top of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference in only its second year of membership by playing each game as if its the only win it was going to get.
The Eagles weren’t about to surrender their front-runner status when Severn tossed them against the ropes in the final two minutes of Monday’s all-important game. In a matchup between two high-scoring offenses, defense and rebounding kept each in check, but Indian Creek endured four ties, a late lead change and a physical melee for possessions to mentally to win, 48-47. It improves to 14-7, 7-0 in conference — but 1-0 mentally.
“We told them this game was probably not going to be one where we score in the 60s,” Eagles coach Casey Corkin said. “Defense was going to have to be the calling card today.”
Discipline, above all, is what Corkin believes is allowing his team to match up with conference mainstays like the Admirals (13-2, 5-2).
“Against Notre Dame Prep and Glenelg Country, too,” Corkin said. “We’ve also really executed our offense better than we did last year, so that’s really helped us rise to the top.”
Tied at 45 late, Indian Creek regained its lead when Ofundem Mbelem grabbed an offense rebound and fed a cutting Norah Young for the go-ahead basket.
Indian Creek clung to its 48-47 lead in the final seconds when Mbelem came up clutch defensively. Peach Wellschlager grabbed a loose ball near midcourt and raced toward the potential winning basket, but Mbelem chased her down from behind and blocked the shot away.
A missed Severn shot off the inbound sealed Indian Creek’s win.
If not for the ice storm that postponed the game five days, the Eagles might’ve faced a different Admirals dynamic. Instead, injury sidelined point guard Amyah Heyliger and, shortly before halftime, an untimely injury claimed Brynn Houghton and post presence.
Indian Creek took advantage behind sophomore Masara Magassouba, who plucked Severn’s passes like she were a defensive back covering a wide receiver and turned them into Eagles points. The Eagles also trusted the athletic guard to haunt Severn’s leading scorer, Kendall Austin, preventing the prolific sophomore from generating much from the field. Though sometimes aggressive guarding punishes Magassouba with fouls, Corkin admired how in control his own leading scorer remained to corral Austin.
“I was just trying to push her to her left,” Magassouba, who scored 12 points, said. “I know most guards aren’t as strong on their left hand.”
When the Eagles didn’t score immediately, junior center Mbelem put the rebounds back through the net. Before long, the visitors overtook Severn’s initial first quarter lead and soon cruised to a double-digit edge in the second quarter and a 24-16 halftime margin.
With so much resistance from Severn’s bigs under the net, Mbelem (12 points) quickly came up against foul trouble. She needed help.
Rebekah Young happily obliged.
The sophomore forward roared off the bench, yanking down boards, drawing fouls and sinking free throws as well as putbacks. She, too, accounted for 12 points in the end.
Balance is what’s separated Indian Creek this season, Corkin explained. There’s someone different to step up every game because of all the different assets his group brings to the potluck.
“You’re there to do your job,” Young said. “Coming off the bench or starting. Picking up where we’re slacking off. It’s about us helping each other.”
Compared to how hot-handed they were in the first half, the Indian Creek shooters fell as cold as the ice that’s still piled outside the gym doors. With a few foul shots and occasional baskets, the Admirals crept closer with nothing but a pair of free throws to shield the Eagles through the first four minutes of the third.
Severn senior Val Waugh landed a 3-pointer midway through the third to make it 29-28.
When Eagles freshman Katelyn Bowen struck back with a steal and score, she seemed to trigger the offensive tug-of-war to come. Waugh drained her second 3-pointer early in the fourth to make it 40-33.
Admirals senior Layla Epps stepped into her spotlight soon after, jamming six points in quick succession to tie the game at 43 with 3:15 to play.
Mbelem hunted after the ball like she didn’t have four fouls dogging her heels. She and Wellschlager sparred for control in the final seconds, but in the end, it was Mbelem who hit the free throws to lift the Eagles.
“We went back to what works for us, getting to the basket and getting a lot of foul shots,” Corkin said. “We didn’t shoot free throws particularly well today, but we got a lot and that’s what we want – we get more attempts, they get into foul trouble and we have opportunities for easy buckets.”
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INDIAN CREEK – 13 11 14 10 – 48
SEVERN – 10 6 17 14 – 47