FREEPORT — After falling behind early in Friday night’s girls’ high school basketball game at Freeport, it almost looked like Spruce Mountain was going come back and steal the game from the Falcons.
The Phoenix were down six at the end of the first quarter and four at halftime, and even had a five-point lead midway through the third.
But in the end, it was a crucial foul-out from Alex Bessey and a gutsy performance from Freeport’s Kayla Belanger down the stretch that decided the game. The Falcons held on to win, 58-56.
“They made more plays,” Spruce Mountain coach Chris Bessey said. “They made big shots when they needed it. Belanger is a gamer. When they needed a big play, she came through for them. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an answer.”
With just over two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Belanger nailed a clutch 3-pointer to even up the score at 49. Then, a couple minutes later, with the score knotted at 52, the senior guard drove to the basket and converted a crowd-pleasing hoop and harm to put the Falcons up three. From there, a few fouls and wild turnovers turned into a Freeport win.
“Kayla is the kid that pushes everyone out there on the floor,” Freeport coach Mike Hart said. “She makes stuff happen and when people are stagnant, she’s taking it to the rim. She always has all kinds of energy. Kids feed off of that and she did a great job tonight.”
Belanger finished with a team-high 19 points and reeled in two key offensive rebounds in the second half.
For Spruce Mountain, the spark plug was guard Alex Bessey. The junior played a vital role in the Phoenix second-half comeback, and hit two big 3-pointers in the effort. Bessey, who finished with 20 points and three boards, fouled out midway through the final quarter, and was stuck on the bench during the game’s deciding final minutes.
“She did well,” Chris Bessey said of his point guard. “She was able to bring the ball up against their pressure. Alex fouling out turned the tide a little bit. We’re young and inexperienced, and players have got to learn to play when she’s not on the court. It’s a learning experience.”
“I called a timeout to try and get her in the paint,” Hart said. “It was a set play and whoever was guarding her, we were going to post up and see if we couldn’t get something one-on-one. With four fouls, you can’t really go at it 100 percent.”
The first half was paced by Freeport guard Taylor Rinaldi, who tallied 11 of her 14 points before the break. Six of those came from beyond the arc, and accounted for half of the Falcons’ points in a 12-6 run to open the game. The Falcons shot 51 percent from the floor, and reached the free-throw line 16 times. Spruce Mountain switched up its defensive scheme in an effort to halt the offense.
“We went man midway through the second quarter,” Bessey said. “I think that helped a little bit. We were giving up some uncontested threes. We tried to stop that by going man. It slowed them down a little bit.”
Spruce Mountain shot 60 percent from the field, but only converted 20-32 free-throw attempts. Two of those misses came on the Phoenix’s last possession with a chance to pull within one. Freeport also pressured them into 15 second-half turnovers, 26 overall.
“We try and do that almost every time we go out on the floor,” Hart said of the defensive pressure. “We like to press a lot. Their No. 5 is a heck of a ball player. She’s quick, she looks up the floor and has a great basketball sense. We wanted to put them in a position to be able to make passes quickly.”
There was no shortage of defensive pressure on the Spruce Mountain end, forcing 24 on Freeport, but Belanger said that in a game of stingy defense and sloppy turnovers, her team kept a level head when it mattered most.
“I think keeping our heads mentally and making smart plays,” Belanger said of what made the difference. “We kept our heads in the game and made smart decisions.”
“We have to execute. We have to make sure we’re finishing. If girls are in foul trouble, heads go down. It’s hard to not play timid and everyone knows that. Being able to keep composure and play your game,” she said
Rylee Moore chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds for Spruce Mountain (0-3). Freeport (2-1) equaled its win total from last year after just three games. Belanger has been through it all.
“Being a senior, it means a lot to win,” Belanger said. “Going up into that locker room and winning is a very different feeling. It’s hard to lose. Wins like this? It’s indescribable. It’s awesome.”
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