Lady Devils win ICC for third straight season
ICC championship: Bellwood-Antis 68-, Everett 48; February 15, 2020. (BluePrint photography)
February 18, 2020
A 68-48 win over Everett solidified the B-A Lady Blue Devils as the best team in the ICC for the third consecutive year, and the seventh time in the last nine years.
The teams met Saturday at Claysburg-Kimmel High School in the ICC championship game.
Alli Campbell and Sakeria Haralson came out hot for the Lady Blue Devils, scoring every single point in the first half of what was shaping up to be a close game. Alli was driving to the hoop relentlessly, and found her deep shot when she needed it, scoring 24 points on the game.
Haralson was dominating the glass and the game, putting in 21 points, many off of put-backs, and offensive second chance points, while collecting 21 rebounds.
“She is the best post player in Central Pennsylvania. And I don’t think its close,” said Jim Swaney, head coach of the Lady Blue Devils when asked about Sakeria. “She was just terrific.”
The difference in the game was the scoring outburst in the third quarter when some players other than Alli and Sakeria started to catch fire.
Despite being up 9 at the half, B-A felt like they weren’t playing their best game.
“I didn’t feel like we were running a consistent offense. Sometimes we were making 1 or 2 passes and then maybe forcing a shot. In the 2nd half I think we made a much more concentrated effort to move the ball a little bit, we moved the ball a little bit (in the 2nd half), both with Alli and Sakeria, and that opened up the outside,” said coach Swaney.
Macy Decker and Emilie Leidig combined for 20 points on 6 three pointers for the Lady Blue Devils, all coming in the second half, where B-A scored 39 of its points.
The win puts the Lady Blue Devils at 22-1 on the season.
“Its a great team win. We are proud of that, we don’t take it lightly and we know how hard it is to get here,” said Coach Swaney.
The Lady Blue Devils will play at home Wednesday in the first round of the District 6 2A playoffs, against the Glendale Lady Vikings, a team B-A beat by scores of 70-33, and 74-37.
