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HEBRON – Alden-Hebron slowed things down on offense to stick close to Harvest Christian at the start of Tuesday's Alden-Hebron Christmas Tournament girls basketball game.
And, for the first eight minutes, the Giants' strategy worked.
But when Harvest Christian switched from a zone press to a full-court, man-to-man pressure defense in the second quarter, A-H's game plan went out the window.
A rushed – and at times, frantic – offense for the Giants could not keep up with the Lions, who scored 29 points in the second quarter en route to a 65-37 victory in the tournament opener.
"We decided to start the game out slow, keep it under control to help keep our turnovers down," said A-H assistant coach Fred Shepston, taking over for Marty Hammond (prior commitment).
"We wanted a low-scoring game, and it was working. The zone press was pretty easy to beat, but when they applied man-to-man, our girls felt like they needed to run with them."
Junior guard Alyssa Iverson did most of the scoring for Harvest Christian (8-3), beating the Giants to the right over and over again. The shifty guard finished with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting.
Iverson had 18 points by halftime, while A-H had only 12 as a team.
"We ended up going to a 3-2 defense, but against a good team like that, you have to play man-to-man," said Giants guard Eden Wanderer, who had nine points and 10 rebounds and played most of the game against Iverson.
"We needed No. 20 (Iverson) to stay away from the basket at all costs. We tried, but she had that breakaway. She had a move where she would hesitate and then go to the basket. It got me every time."
The Giants went on a 7-0 run in the first quarter to take the early lead, 7-5, but Harvest ended it on an 8-2 run, including three straight layups by Iverson, for a 13-9 lead heading into the second.
Harvest Christian scored 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting in the second and led 42-12 at half.
"We had a game plan for her (Iverson)," Shepston said. "Everyone was in a help defense, but we put one girl on her solely to deny her of keep her left. Every time we kept her left, she either gave up the ball, lost the ball or missed. Every time we let her go right, she scored.
"She would dribble, hesitate and make our girl stop, and then blow right by her."
The Giants (6-5) outscored the Lions, 25-23, in the second half, led by three 3s from senior guard Tally Lalor. She ended with a team-high 13 points on four 3s and added four assists.
Emily Webber finished with six points and 10 rebounds, and freshman Rachel Pahl added four points and six rebounds.
"We have a lot of young kids on the team, so the pressure can get to them sometimes," Lalor said. "But they definitely handled it better in the second half. We're used to a quick game, but they (Harvest) were quicker than us."
The Giants, who are off to a 2-1 start in the Northeastern Athletic Conference, likely will have to knock off Harvest Christian later in the season for any realistic chance at the conference title.
They also would like to get another regional title after winning their first in 2015 and coming one win away from repeating last season. Almost half of A-H's roster is underclassmen, but Webber and Lalor both were named all-conference as juniors.
"Coach (Hammond) says we have a good chance at regionals this year," Wanderer said. "I think we have a good chance."
UNSUNG HERO
Eden Wanderer, Alden-Hebron, so., G
Wanderer was second on the team with nine points, but what really stood out for the undersized guard was her physical play on the glass. The 5-foot-4 sophomore grabbed 10 rebounds for the Giants.
THE NUMBER
29: Points by Harvest Christian's Alyssa Iverson on 10-of-19 shooting
AND ANOTHER THING...
Alden-Hebron freshman Rachel Pahl, a 5-foot-5 guard, entered in the fourth quarter and made the most of her time, scoring four points and hauling in six rebounds in limited action.
AGATE
Harvest Christian 65, Alden-Hebron 37
Harvest Christian 13 29 11 12 – 65
Alden-Hebron 9 3 9 16 – 37
HARVEST CHRISTIAN (65)
Iverson 10 8-8 29, Pollard 1 2-2 4, Kasper 3 3-5 12, Garcia 2 0-0 5, Kaldenberger 2 0-0 5, Martin 0 2-4 2, Ozburn 3 2-7 8. Totals: 21 17-26 65.
ALDEN-HEBRON (37)
Lalor 4 1-2 13, Wanderer 4 1-2 9, E. Webber 3 0-2 6, A. Webber 1 0-0 2, Winter 0 2-2 2, Rosio 0 0-1 0, Knoll 0 1-2 1, Pahl 2 0-2 4. Totals: 14 5-13 37.
3-point goals: Harvest Christian 6 (Kasper 3, Iverson, Garcia, Kaldenberger), Alden-Hebron 4 (Lalor 4).