Ithaca at Fulton – – Girls Basketball – – HindSIGHT Foundation Fund Raiser – – The Bleacher Denizen – – December 28, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft
Today, the Bleacher Denizen has made the drive to Fulton High School where Ithaca and Fulton are having a fund raising event for the HINDsight Foundation. The HINDsight Foundation is doing a lot of important work to prevent suicides by teens in crisis. It is a pleasure to help support this event!
Fulton’s Pirate Girls enter the game with a 4-2 record while Ithaca’s Yellowjackets enter the game at 1-4.
I’ve seen the Pirates play earlier this season; Coach Brandon Trefil provided me with some background information about his players.
Jaci Canfield is excellent slashing to the basket; she also is a tough rebounder and defender. Jaci’s twin, Kaya Canfield is a versatile offensive player who can slash to the basket, handle the ball, shoot the three; on defense she can harass opponents all over the court. Dayten Lambert drives to the basket and handles the ball well. She is a versatile defender who can cover any position.
Point Guard Kalyn Duflo is really competetive and defends her position well. She is a fine ball handler who runs the offense; she is also a threat from the three point line. Julia Bolina is a tough defender and rebounder in the post Addison Warnke also provides solid post defense and rebounding. Brooklyn Kanous puts the “e” in energy as she is able to maintain some of the toughest pressure defense in the area the entire time she is on the floor.
Ithaca Coach Khris Nevins provided me with this information about his Yellowjacket players.
Libby Maurer is an excellent offensive player who can slash to the basket or hit the three point shot. She defends the perimeter well and has a fine basketball IQ. Karly Marshall plays tough perimeter defense. Sophia Strand is an energetic, high quality post defender who also has a strong basketball IQ. Delaney Smith is a versatile defender who can defend well in the post or on the perimeter. She is a glue player who is a solid passer and sets screens well.
Riley Skinner is a fine post defender and rebounder with good post moves. Alyssa Polash rebounds well in the post and is a threat to score on slashes to the basket. Emma McCune has the ball handling skills and passing skills needed to run the point; she is also a fine perimeter defender. McKenzi McClain is a good perimeter defender who provides leadership to the Yellowjackets.
It is now time to review the events of this contest through the occasionally observant eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to hoop in the ancient times when some folks considered him to be “young.” Unfortunately, it was too late before your Bleacher Denizen learned that hustling on defense needed to happen all the time. It seems that his coach would object to him talking to potential dates and other friends while the other team was racing up the court on a fast break.
Fulton wins the opening tap. The Pirates miss a three point shot near the top of the key. The rebound goes out of bounds and Ithaca takes possession. Ithaca misses a layup. Karly Marshall is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to give the Yellowjackets a 1-0 lead seven seconds into the game.
The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and Fulton takes possession. Riley Skinner steals the ball for the Yellowjackets. Ithaca misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side. The Yellowjackets get the offensive rebound and miss a ten foot shot off the dribble from the baseline. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton gets the ball. Jaci Canfield passes to Dayten Lambert, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give her Pirates a 3-1 lead.
Dayten Lambert knocks the ball out of bounds; Ithaca retains possession. Ithaca misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Kalyn Duflo passes to Jaci Canfield, who hits a layup for Fulton. Ithaca misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Yellowjackets get another opportunity. Ithaca misses a threeball from the wing. Karly Marshall steals the ball for the Yellowjackets. Kalyn Duflo blocks an Ithaca twelve foot shot from the wing. The loose ball goes out of bounds and Ithaca gets the ball back. Libby Maurer is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to trim the Fulton lead to 5-3 with 4:32 to play in the first quarter.
Kalyn Duflo passes to Jaci Canfield, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws for Fulton. Ithaca misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Fulton misfires on a threeball near the top of the key. Ithaca throws a pass out of bounds. Fulton throws a pass into the lane and out of bounds. Alyssa Polash passes to Riley Skinner, who hits a layup, is fouled and makes her free throw to chop the Fulton lead to 7-6 with 3:19 to play in the opening quarter.
Kalyn Duflo passes to a Pirate teammate who is fouled on a layup and misses her two free throws. Dayten Lambert pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Delaney Smith steals a Fulton inbound pass. Ithaca misses a fast break layup. Delaney Smith hits a putback to give Ithaca an 8-7 lead.
Fulton misfires on a triple try from the wing. Dayten Lambert grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a three pointer from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Ithaca gets the ball. Natalie Leavitt purloins the ball for the Pirates. The Canfield Connection comes through as Jaci passes to Kaya for a layup that gives Fulton the lead back at 9-8.
Dayten Lambert knocks the ball away from Ithaca and Brooklyn Kanous picks it up for Fulton. The Canfield Connection comes through again as Jaci passes to Kaya for another PIrate layup. Jaci Canfield steals the ball for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup and a putback. Ithaca commits an offensive foul. Sophia Strand knocks the ball back into the Fulton backcourt; Jalyn Duflo reacts quickly to retrieve the ball for her Pirates. Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. Julia Bolina hits a putback just before the buzzer to give the Pirates a 13-8 lead.
Ithaca has the ball to begin the second quarter. The Yellowjackets misfire on a triple try from the side. Riley Skinner hits a putback for Ithaca. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing; the rebound goes out of bounds and Ithaca takes possession. Jaci Canfield steals the ball for Fulton. Fulton misses a layup.
Ithaca misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Pirates get the ball. Fulton misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Ithaca misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Libby Maurer knocks the ball out of bounds to foil a Fulton fast break; the Pirates retain possession. Kalyn Duflo hits a three point shot from the side to boost the Pirate lead to 16-10.
Jaci Canfield knocks the ball away from Ithaca, but the Yellowjackets are able to recover. Ithaca loses the ball out of bounds. Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Jaci Canfield grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Riley Skinner knocks a Pirate pass into the lane out of bounds; Fulton retains possession. Fulton misses a layup. Kaya Canfield is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to boost Fulton to a 17-10 lead with 5:21 remaining in the first half.
Dayten Lambert pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Libby Maurer steals the ball for Ithaca. The Yellowjackets miss a fast break layup. Dayten Lambert drives and hits a layup for the Pirates. Jaci Canfield knocks a Yellowjacket pass into the lane out of bounds; Ithaca retains possession. Emma McCune is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Fulton lead to 19-11 with 4:27 to go in the second quarter.
Emma McCune steals the ball for the Yellowjackets. Ithaca misses a fast break layup. Delaney Smith gets the offensive rebound for Ithaca. Ithaca misses a layup. Emma McCune steals the ball for Ithaca. Ithaca misfires on a threeball from the side. Fulton loses a pass out of bounds. Natalie Leavitt and Julia Bolina double team an Ithaca player and steal the ball for Fulton. Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Ithaca misses a fast break; the rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton takes possession.
Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. Natalie Leavitt hits a putback for the Pirates. Dayten Lambert steals the ball for the Pirates. Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. Ithaca misses a threeball from the corner. Emma McCune is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to shave the Fulton lead to 23-12 with 1:34 to play in the half.
Kalyn Duflo passes to Kaya Canfield, who hits a layup for Fulton. Dayten Lambert knocks a Yellowjacket pass out of bounds; Ithaca retains possession. Ithaca is fouled, but misses two free throws. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Jaci Canfield grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Kalyn Duflo hits a fifteen foot shot from the baseline for Fulton. Riley Skinner is fouled on a drive and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Pirate lead to 27-13 with 11.4 seconds left on the first half clock.
The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and Ithaca gets another opportunity. The Yellowjackets miss a three point shot from the side. Fulton misses a half court heave as the halftime buzzer lets us know it is on the job.
Fulton has a 27-13 halftime lead.
Riley Skinner leads the Ithaca scoring with 6 points.
Kaya Canfield has 7 points to lead Fulton. Jaci Canfield has 6 points. Dayten Lambert and Kalyn Duflo each have 5 points.
Fulton inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Kayln Duflo passes to Jaci Canfield, who hits a layup for the Pirates. Jaci Canfield steals the ball for the Pirates. Dayten Lambert throws in a threeball from the side for the Pirates. Emma McCune passes to a teammate who is fouled on a driving layup, but misses her free throws. With 7:15 left in the third quarter, Fulton is holding a 32-13 lead.
Kaya Canfield passes to Addison Warnke, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws for Fulton. The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and Ithaca gets the ball. Dayten Lambert steals the ball for Fulton. Kaya Canfield passes to Dayten Lambert, who hits a layup for the Pirates. She is fouled on the play and sinks her free throw to give her Pirates a 36-13 lead with 6:31 to play in the third quarter.
Dayten Lambert knocks the ball out of bounds; Ithaca retains possession. Dayten Lambert knocks the ball away from Ithaca, but the Yellowjackets are able to recover. Alyssa Polash passes to Sophia Strand, who hits a layup for Ithaca. Alyssa Polash plays tough defense near the basket and forces Fulton to pass back out to the perimeter to restart the play. Fulton missses a three pointer from the corner. Jaci Canfield steals the ball for the Pirates. Dayten Lambert is fouled on a driving twelve foot shot from the baseline. She hits two free throws and Fulton has a 38-15 lead with 5:11 to play in the third quarter.
Ithaca is called for a double dribble. Fulton misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. The rebound goes out of bounds and Ithaca takes the ball. Ithaca misses an eighteen foot shot from the side. Fulton misses a fast break layup. Brooklyn Kanous steals the ball and draws a foul in the process. Fulton misfires on a triple try from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds. Sophia Strand passes to Jazlyn Pratt, who hits a twelve foot banked shot from the side to shave the Fulton lead to 38-17.
Alyssa Polash steals the ball for the Yellowjackets. Kaya Canfield knocks an Ithaca pass out of the lane to prevent a layup; Ithaca retains possession. The Yellowjackets miss a three pointer from the side. Delaney Smith gets the offensive rebound for the Yellowjackets. Ithaca is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. With 3:09 to go in the third quarter, Fulton’s lead remains at 38-17.
Sophia Strand grabs the offensive rebound for Ithaca. Ithaca is whistled for a three seconds (in the lane) violation. Fulton is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. Jazlyn Pratt passes to Riley Skinner, who hits a layup for Ithaca. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Jalyn Duflo knocks the ball away from Ithaca and Kaya Canfield picks it up for Fulton.
Fulton misses a six foot banked shot from the side. Ithaca misses a ten footer from the side of the lane. Fulton misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Kaya Canfield grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a jump shot. Kaya Canfield steals the ball for Fulton and is fouled. She hits one of her two free throws to give Fulton a 39-19 lead with 34 seconds to play in quarter number three.
Ithaca misses a driving layup. Sophia Strand knocks the ball out of bounds; Fulton gets the ball bback. Jaci Canfield inbounds the ball to Jillian Davis, who hits a layup for the Pirates. Ithaca does not have time to shoot before the buzzer sounds.
After three quarters, Fulton holds a 41-19 lead.
Fulton has the ball to begin the final quarter. Alyssa Polash forces a Fulton double dribble violation. Dayten Lambert knocks the ball away form the Yellowjackets, but Ithaca recovers. The Yellowjackets miss a layup. Fulton travels with the ball. (Basketball Cliches can be interesting. Somehow, I doubt that traveling without the ball would be newsworthy.)
Sophia Strand ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s musings and blocks a Pirate hook shot in the lane. Sophia Strand ties up the loose ball. The Possession Arrow looks up from its Tik Tok video to award the ball to Ithaca. Jaci Canfield steals the ball for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Dayten Lambert grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Ithaca misses a layup. Jazlyn Pratt blocks a Pirate layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and the Pirates get the ball back. Kaya Canfield is fouled on a driving layup. She hits two free throws to boost Fulton to a 43-19 lead with 5:31 to go.
Ithaca misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Yellowjackets get another opportunity. Jaci Canfield knocks the ball out of bounds, but Ithaca retains possession. Ithaca misses a three point shot from the side. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Ithaca misses a fifteen foot shot off the dribble from the wing. Sophia Strand is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws for Ithaca. With 3:53 remaining in the game, the Fulton lead is at 43-20.
Alyssa Polash knocks the ball out of bounds; Fulton gets the ball back. Fulton misses a layup. Kaya Canfield steals a Yellowjacket pass. Fulton commits an offensive foul. Ithaca is whistled for traveling. Kalyn Duflo passes to Julia Bolina, who hits a layup for the Pirates. Ithaca misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Libby Maurer gets the offensive rebound for the Yellowjackets. Ithaca is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. With 2:19 to play, Fulton has a 45-20 lead.
Jazlyn Pratt grabs the offensive rebound for the Yellowjackets. Ithaca misses a jump shot. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton takes the ball. McKenzi McClain knocks a Pirate pass out of bounds; Fulton gets the ball back. Libby Maurer knocks the ball away from Fulton and Raquel Feiguera picks it up for Ithaca. Libby Maurer tosses in a triple from the side to trim the Fulton lead to 45-23.
Fulton misses a driving layup. Macie Akers ties up the loose ball; the Possession Arrow finishes cleaning up its Christmas Tree needles and awards the ball to Fulton. Ithaca’s tough defense prevents Fulton from inbounding the ball in the required five seconds and the Pirates turn the ball over. Julia Bolina ties up the ball for Fulton. The Possession Arrow is trying unclog the vacuum cleaner of Christmas tree needles and misses the play. It ignores her fine hustle and awards the ball to Ithaca.
McKenzi McClain inbounds the ball to Libby Maurer, who hits a layup for Ithaca. Fulton is called for traveling. Ithaca misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Yellowjackets get the ball back. Julia Bolina blocks a Yellowjacket layup. McKenzi McClain steals the ball for Ithaca. Camryn Cunningham ties up the ball for the Pirates. The Possession Arrow stops cleaning up Christmas tree needles and awards the ball to Fulton. Fulton misses a six foot shot from the side. Ithaca misses a heave as the final buzzer sounds.
Fulton wins this game by the score of 45-25.
Riley Skinner led the Ithaca scoring with 8 points. Libby Maurer supported her teammate with 7 points. Sophia Strand put in 3 points. Emma McCune, Jazlyn Pratt and Delaney Smith each added 2 points. Karly Marshall tallied 1 point.
Dayten Lambert and Kaya Canfield each scored 10 points to lead the Fulton scoring. Jaci Canfield supported her teammates with 8 points and Kalyn Duflo tossed in 5 points. Julia Bolina and Addison Warnke each added 4 points. Natalie Leavitt and Jillian Davis each had 2 points.
Fulton’s boys also played Ithaca in this event. Here is a link to that game.