Second-half surge lifts Fonda-Fultonville girls' basketball past Berne-Knox-Westerlo

PHOTOGRAPHER: Paul Wager

Fonda-Fultonville's Samara Hunt (11) goes up for a shot as Berne-Knox-Westerlo's Ashlee Stevens (1) defends during Wednesday's Western Athletic Conference game at Fonda-Fultonville High School.

FONDA — After a tough start to the season, the Fonda-Fultonville girls’ basketball team is starting to hit its stride.

The Lady Braves picked up their fifth straight victory Wednesday, notching a 53-31 victory over Berne-Knox-Westerlo in a Western Athletic Conference contest at Fonda-Fultonville High School.

Eight different players scored for FFCS, which had three players finish in double figures.

“It was a balanced effort tonight,” Fonda-Fultonville coach John Person said. “We played well, and we played unselfishly.”

Elinor Slezak led Fonda-Fultonville with 11 points, while Gabby Rourke and Kieonna Christmas each had 10 points.

Ashlee Stevens scored a game-high 14 points to lead Berne-Knox-Westerlo, while Bella Daguillo added seven.

The game was much like the Lady Braves’ season, which began with six straight road games and a 2-4 record.

“We had a really rough start to the season,” Person said. “We played a lot of road games, and we battled the flu and COVID. Knock on wood, we’re finally healthy. We just got to keep it moving because the WAC is tough.”

Fonda-Fultonville started slowly in the opening quarter Wednesday, falling behind 4-0 before regrouping to take a 14-11 lead.

“The wheels fell off the bus early on,” Person said. “We were a little tentative in the early going.

Stevens scored four points in the opening quarter for BKW, while Slezak and Christmas each had four for the Lady Braves.

“We’re young. At times, we look brilliant, and at other times, we look young,” Berne-Knox-Westerlo coach Tom Galvin said. “We looked brilliant in the first quarter tonight, and young for the other three quarters. We’ve got to figure out how to put four full quarters together.”

The Bulldogs’ roster has just three seniors and one junior. The rest of the lineup is comprised of a group of seven sophomores and freshmen.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo remained within striking distance in the second quarter, starting the frame with a 9-5 burst to take a 20-19 lead.

As it did in the first quarter, Fonda-Fultonville closed with a flourish to take a 28-23 lead into the half.

The Lady Braves carried their momentum over into the second half, using a 13-0 run to start the third quarter and open up some breathing room.

“Our ball movement was phenomenal tonight,” Person said. “We played well on defense, especially in the second half.”

Maddy Mott had six points in the third quarter for FFCS while Emma Crahan added five points in the frame.

The Lady Braves allowed just one point by the Bulldogs in the third to take a 45-24 lead into the fourth quarter.

“Fonda-Fultonville did a nice job tonight,” Galvin said. “They outscored us pretty big in the second half to put the game away.”

In the final quarter, the Lady Braves maintained their large lead throughout, outscoring the Bulldogs 25-8 in the second half, and finishing off the victory in just their third home contest of the season.

“We haven’t had many home games so far this season,” Person said. “We’re still trying to put the puzzle pieces together. When we get the wheels back on the bus, it’s a pretty fast-moving bus. We just have to get it going.”

Fonda-Fultonville (6-1 WAC, 7-4 overall) is off until next Wednesday when it is scheduled to travel to Schoharie.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo (3-4 WAC, 6-4 overall) is slated to host Mekeel Christian Academy on Friday in a non-league contest at 7 p.m.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo11 12 1 7 — 31
Fonda-Fultonville 14 14 17 8 — 53
Berne-Knox-Westerlo scoring: A. Stevens 4-3-14, Scram 1-0-2, K. Stevens 1-2-4, Daguillo 2-1-7, Schwenk 0-2-2, Cyr 1-0-2. Fonda-Fultonville scoring: Lake 2-0-5, Slezak 5-0-11, Mott 3-0-6, Hunt 1-0-2, Christmas 5-0-10, Crahan 3-1-7, Rourke 5-0-10, Fonda 1-0-2. Team totals: Berne-Knox-Westerlo 9-8-31. Fonda-Fultonville 25-1-53.