Newcomers Bolster Taconic Girls in Season-Opener at Pittsfield
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Freshman Ciany Conyers scored 22 points and the Taconic girls basketball team held off two furious comebacks by Pittsfield in the second half to earn a 63-51 win in the season-opener for both teams.
Conyers scored eight points in the third quarter alone, at one point scoring six straight in an 11-0 run after Pittsfield cut a 14-point deficit to four with a 10-0 run of its own.
“She’s tremendous,” Taconic coach Matt Mickle said. “She’s got ice water in her veins. Nothing phases her. A big crowd tonight, first time stepping out tonight in a city rivalry and her first game ever, I thought [freshman Ahliya Phillips] and Ciany both played like they were juniors or seniors.”
Phillips finished with six points, five rebounds and an assist. Taea Bramer scored 16 and pulled down 10 rebounds, and Johnahyah Curry scored 11 in the win.
Tamia Patrick scored eight, including two big buckets on back-to-back possessions midway through the fourth after Pittsfield rallied again to get within nine points when Julia Eline-Wright’s steal and lay-in made it 58-49.
Patrick pointed to Conyers as a steadying influence for Taconic.
“We started getting a little nervous, our energy went down a little bit, but as soon as Ciany started coming through with the lay-ups, our energy went right back up,” Patrick said.
It was Taconic’s defense that was the story in the first half, as it held Pittsfield to nine first-quarter points en route to a 35-23 half-time lead.
Bramer had 10 points at the break, and Curry hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first half. Taconic went to the locker room on the strength of a 6-0 run that included a Curry steal.
“We ended up with 20-something turnovers, and that’s not right,” Pittsfield coach Joe Racicot said. “We’re going to have to work a little harder this year than we have in the past.
“I’ve got some seniors, but … [Lexi] Garvey has to be a little more patient, and the same with our point guards. Some of the passes were errant. But [Taconic] put some pressure on us at times that caused some turnovers.”
Garvey finished with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Eline-Wright led Pittsfield with 16 points, and Jordyn Lummus scored 11 to go with five assists.
Kendra Castgna notched a pair of field goals at the end of Pittsfield’s 10-0 run to make it 37-33 midway through the third quarter.
But on Taconic’s next possession, Phillips (six points) broke a nearly four-minute scoring drought by scoring in the post. After a turnover, Phillips assisted on a Curry basket to get the lead back to eight points.
Conyers closed the run with six points -- four on transition buckets.
Patrick, a junior, said that Conyers is just one valuable addition to the Taconic program this winter.
“She’s a big impact to our team this year, along with all the PHS players who switched over this year,” Patrick said. “Taea, Kendra and Johnahyah -- they’re a big part of our team now.
“It’s fun because we all played together before during AAU season. Most of our team played AAU. It was fun bringing them into the actual season this year.”
Taconic looks to improve to 2-0 when it visits Wahconah on Monday.
Pittsfield hosts Mount Everett on Monday.