It’s becoming more common for the Tyrone Lady Eagles to start off a game with a 3-point shot from Sophomore Kasey Engle, who did it again in Tyrone’s 53-36 win over Juniata Valley last night.

“I thought we did a good job at rebounding the ball which was key to offense and defense,” said head coach Luke Rhoades. ”We did a good job at finding the shooters and challenging their shots. We had balanced scoring which is what we need to be successful.”

Engle had three 3-point shots and a steal which led to an easy layup in the first quarter.

“Beating a 7-1 team like Juniata Valley really shows how great of a team we can be,” said Engle.

Alexis Cannistraci made an impressive move under the basket for two more points and put Tyrone up 13-5 at the end of the first.

Lindsey Kemp and Finnley Christine connected with several key baskets in the second quarter that allowed Tyrone to lead 25-11 at the half.

Cannistraci opened up the scoring in the third quarter with a strong drive to the basket.  She missed the shot but earned the foul, and sunk both shots from the line.

With a few more points from Cannistraci and another 3-pointer from Engle, Tyrone had a 42-24 lead at the end of the third.

Junior Marissa Sprankle lit up in the fourth quarter, driving to the basket within the first 20 seconds.

One of Sprankle’s and Engle’s best plays occurred when Engle stole the ball in Tyrone’s defensive zone, then lobbed a half court pass to the uncovered Sprankle under the basket for an easy bucket.

“This win was big. This win showed us that our team is going toward the right direction. The game was fun and pulled our team together,” said Sprankle.

“It was a very fun and energetic game and will give us a boost of confidence for big upcoming matchups,” said Engle.

Box Scores

JUNIATA VALLEY (36): Payne 0 0-0 0, Reed 1 0-0 3, B. Leidy 4 2-3 12, T. Leidy 3 3-4 12, SMith 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 0-0 0, Mattas 3 3-4 9, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Belinda 0 0-0 0, Carper 0 0-0 0. Totals – 11 8-11 36.

TYRONE (53): Christine 2 2-2 7, Kemp 3 0-0 6, Sprankle 4 1-2 9, Engle 7 2-2 22, Cannistraci 2 3-5 7, Noll 0 0-0 0, Lehman 0 0-0 0, Wagner 1 0-0 2, Mountz 0 0-0 0, Gill 0 0-0 0. Totals – 19 8-11 53.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Juniata Valley5 6 13 12 – 36

Tyrone13 12 17 11 – 53

3-point goals: Juniata Valley 6 (B. Leidy 2, T. Leidy 3, Reed); Tyrone 7 (Engle 6, Christine).

Records: Juniata Valley (7-2); Tyrone (5-4).