Braves Drop Close Game to Spartans

PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Taconic girls' basketball team is improving game to game, but the wins have yet to start piling up so far for the Braves. Matt Mickle's squad dropped another close game on Monday night, losing 50-47 to North Division rival Monument Mountain. In its past four games, Taconic is 1-3 with all three of its losses coming by seven points or less. 

The Braves (2-13) did well on the offensive end on Monday, but a failure to keep the Spartans (8-8) off of the offensive boards hurt the hosts in late-game situations. Sam White, who led Monument with a game-high 20 points, had a few big offensive rebounds to help the visitors pick up the win. Vanessa Troiano also added 10 points for the Spartans, who went into halftime up a 23-18. 

The Taconic offense picked up the pace in the second half, scoring 29 points in the final two quarters of the game. Junior guard Angela O'Neil was hot from 3-point land, draining four shots from beyond the arc to finish with a team-high 16 points. Junior forward Nyanna Slaughter added 12 points and team-high 10 rebounds, while classmate Kirsten McNeice chipped in with 10 points and three assists. 

The Braves next host Drury at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.