Reggan Gray (1) of Jonathan Alder puts up an off-balance shot against Dublin Jerome on Monday. The Lady Pioneers fell, 54-38. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
It’s long been a basketball theory that teams which live by the three-point shot can also die from it when those offerings don’t hit the mark.
When you are a squad that hasn’t yet won a game, however, you might as well give it your best shot.
The girls hoop squad from Dublin Jerome did just that on Monday.
The Lady Celtics, who took a 0-5 record into the game at Jonathan Alder, dropped in eight trifectas en route to a 54-38 victory over the Lady Pioneers (4-3).
“A team putting in a couple of three-balls against you isn’t going to hurt too much,” said JA coach Steve Cawley. “Eight of them, though, really hurt us.”
Alder, which prides itself on its man-to-man defense, just couldn’t get in sync to stop Jerome’s long-ball antics.
“We didn’t move our feet well enough to get up and contest their three-balls,” said Cawley. “We’re still a young team.
“We’ve got talented players, but as far as varsity experience, we’re still pretty young.”
Alder got out to an early 5-2 lead when Mary Ferrito scored on a traditional three-point play.
Jerome later grabbed a 7-5 margin with 4:50 left in the initial stanza when Ali Ford drained a trifecta.
Another three-ball, this one by Amaris Lowery, pushed the Celtics out to a 13-6 margin.
The Lady Pioneers put up a fierce battle.
A three-ball by Ferrito and baskets from Emma Shepherd and Reggan Gray pulled Alder to within 17-15 by the end of the first quarter.
Ferrito later tied the game at 19 after hitting a jumper and swishing a pair of charity tosses.
The second-quarter timer reached the two-minute mark when Kadence Conley dialed in a trey that pushed the Celtics out to a 24-19 margin.
Alder, which had failed to see a number of shots drop earlier in the contest, notched a three-ball from Maddie Wilson.
That narrowed JA’s deficit to 24-22 with slightly more than one minute left until halftime.
Jerome, though, widened its lead to 28-23 at the turn.
Alder’s offense went cold during the third period.
The Lady Pioneers came up with numerous empty possessions on turnovers or shots that failed to find the mark.
The Celtics, however, also had trouble finding the bucket.
Jerome, though, tallied enough to take a 34-27 spread into the final eight minutes of action.
The Celtics took their first double-digit lead at 37-27 when Maria Holscher sank a three-pointer.
Shepherd narrowed the Pioneers’ gap to 39-31 when she scored on a stickback.
That, however, was as close as JA could get the rest of the way.
Jerome began bleeding the clock during the latter stages of the game.
That forced Alder to put the Celtics on the foul line.
Jerome iced the contest firmly away with late charity tosses.
Alder’s game at Graham scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed due to COVID issues within the Falcon team.
JA will travel to Tecumseh for a game on Saturday evening.
Dublin Jerome
Lowery 5-4-18, Ford 5-1-13, Conley 3-0-7, Holscher 3-0-7, Kuhlman 2-0-4, Wieklinski 2-0-4, Adams 0-1-1, Keys 0-0-0, Bowers 0-0-0. Totals 20-5-54.
Three-point goals: Lowery 4, Ford 2, Conley 1, Holscher 1.
Jonathan Alder
Ferrito 4-6-16, Platfoot 4-0-8, Wilson 2-0-5, Shepherd 2-0-4, Gray 1-1-3, Hecht 1-0-2, Zuro 0-0-0. Totals 14-7-38.
Three-point goals: Ferrito 2, Wilson 1.