Too many missed shots and turnovers cost the O’Brien Tech girls basketball team on Monday. Despite having a solid chance of pulling off the win, O’Brien lost 41 – 40 at home to Bullard Haven.
Bullard Haven raised its record to 6 – 9. The Lady Condors dropped to 3 – 10.
“It was a good ball game and the kids played hard,” O’Brien coach Mark Belade said. “We missed some big shots and I always tell the kids they need to make their free throws. It came down to the wire and the effort was there but we just didn’t get the breaks at the end.”
The Lady Condors led 10 – 7 after one quarter and extended its lead to five, 12 – 7, on sophomore Alyssa Long-Jeffrey’s layup. Things took a bad turn for them afterward as the Lady Tigers went on an 8 – 0 run to take a 15 – 12 lead.
O’Brien broke the surge on senior captain Sasha Quinones’ layup from Long-Jeffrey. The Lady Condors regained the lead, 16 – 15, with Long-Jeffrey (21 points, six rebounds, four assists, five steals) rimming in a 15-foot shot from the paint with 4:31 remaining in the half.
Bullard Haven was lethal from outside and regained the lead, 18 – 16 with Lady Tiger freshman Tiana Sheldon swishing a 3‑pointer. Sheldon’s trey started a 7 – 0 spurt which gave Bullard Haven a 22 – 16 lead and the Lady Tigers ended the half with a 22 – 18 lead.
Long-Jeffrey was feisty all game and made things happen by getting past Bullard Haven defenders. She helped O’Brien claw back into it and eventually tie the game at 24 – 24.
Senior tri-captain Dezirae Maldonado (six points, 10 rebounds) was an inside force for the Lady Condors and hit a layup to give them a 26 – 24 lead with 2:35 left in the third quarter.
O’Brien had many chances to increase its lead but missed shots and turnovers prevented it from breaking it open. Following a Maldonado defensive rebound, Long-Jeffery hit two free throws to put the Lady Condors up by two, 28 – 26 with 1:03 to go, which was the score after three quarters.
What hurt O’Brien in the fourth quarter was the long ball, which sophomore Armanie Sneed (18 points) did well for the Lady Tigers. Sneed hit her second of three treys to give Bullard Haven a 29 – 28 lead early in the fourth quarter. This advantaged hovered between one and three points after the trifecta.
Junior Sarah Wright (three points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals) kept the Lady Condors in the game by snagging a couple of rebounds and forcing Lady Tiger 6 – 1 sophomore center Keisha Rynie to miss a layup. Senior tri-captain Vickie Camilo grabbed a few rebounds down the stretch for O’Brien.
Long-Jeffrey was the main fuel behind the comeback and used her speed and court savvy into making things happen. She went coast-to-coast for a layup after an interception to make it 35 – 34 with 2:22 left in the game.
“I do a lot of sports and it helps my speed,” Long-Jeffrey said.
Quinones (10 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals) also made things happen and forced big turnovers. She tied it with a free throw, 35 – 35, with 1:56 remaining.
“You have to read their eyes and know when they shoot or pass,” Quinones said.
Only 12 seconds after Quinones tied it, Sneed swished a 3‑pointer to give Bullard Haven the lead for good, 38 – 35. Sneed added two free throws with 1:30 to go to make it 40 – 35.
The Lady Condors weren’t out of it and had a chance to come back. Long-Jeffrey hit a layup and drew the foul but missed the free throw for a three-point play. She can’t be faulted for it because she was 7‑for-11 (64 percent) from the foul line.
Overall, O’Brien was 9‑for-22 (41 percent) from the charity stripe. Conversely, the Lady Tigers were 3‑for‑9 (33 percent) shooting free throws. The Lady Condors missed four free throws and three layups in the last 80 seconds of the game.
With six seconds left, Quinones was fouled and Bullard Haven was leading 41 – 38. She needed to make the first and miss the second free throw but missed both.
Although she grabbed her own rebound and hit a jumper, it only made it 41 – 40 and time ran out.
“We just failed to make shots,” Quinones said. “It’s a tough loss because I live in Bridgeport and I play with them.”
