CUMBERLAND — When one team has the best player on the floor, it usually leads to a win.
That was the case in Wednesday’s city matchup, as Avery Miller’s 30 points led No. 2 Allegany to a 48-22 victory at No. 5 Fort Hill.
“I thought our kids played incredibly hard,” Allegany head coach Jim O’Neal said. “It’s what you expect out of Allegany and Fort Hill. It’s really physical out there, I liked how our kids kept our composure. Thought we were able to continue to execute on offense and play outstanding, five man team defense. It was a lot of fun to watch as a defensive coach.”
Miller’s total were a game-high for the Campers (11-3, 3-0 City League), adding seven steals and a block.
“I was driving in the paint, kicking it out, and I think we were good at finishing our shots,” Miller said.
She outscored the Sentinels (6-4, 0-1 City) as a team, which combined for 22.
“I thought we played hard from start to finish,” Fort Hill head coach Mike Allen said. “Can’t knock our effort, we gotta be more precise with our assignments and strategy. I thought we let one girl beat us tonight.”
While Miller was the story of the game, early on it was some early mistakes by the Campers.
Allegany committed four turnovers, but only allowed two points.
“It was pretty physical on offense tonight,” O’Neal said. “We did have trouble getting into rhythm a little bit. I told the kids after the game, I liked our composure on offense. I thought we moved the ball well, played through contact. If we make our foul shots, we’d been pushing 60 points.”
Miller scored nine of Alco’s 13 first quarter points as the Campers led 13-4 heading into the second.
Miller scored 11 of Allegany’s 15 points in the second quarter and entered halftime with 20 points.
Miller will attend Penn State on a full-ride scholarship for track and field after interest from over 80 Division I programs.
“These athletes don’t ever come around,” Allen said. “I know the family, great family. I don’t have anything to do with coaching her, but I’m proud of her to represent this area as well as she has. She’s a Division I athlete, when you play against a Division I athlete, that’s what they’re capable of.”
Alco led 28-12 at halftime after holding Fort Hill to eight points in the second quarter.
While the Campers controlled the third quarter, Allegany didn’t play a clean second half.
The Sentinel defense held Alco to five points in the quarter and forced seven turnovers.
“We talked about the fight,” Allen said. “We talked about effort, we schemed a couple things at halftime. But it was mostly about will and want. I thought the girls in the third quarter showed pride. They weren’t gonna go out without a fight.”
Through the first three quarters, the Sentinels forced 13 turnovers, but only turned them into three points.
Allegany led 33-14 after three quarters then outscored Fort Hill 15-8 to end the night.
“I thought the kids did a nice job of preparing themselves,” O’Neal said of the defense. “Communicating out on the floor what they were trying to do against us. Challenging the ball and being athletic in the passing lanes. Lot of credit to our kids, they played hard. I really liked how they communicated five together.”
Addison Furstenberg led the Sentinels with six points.
Both teams take on Garrett County foes on Monday at 7 p.m.
Allegany heads to Northern (5-6, 0-4 Western Maryland Athletic Conference) while Fort Hill hosts No. 1 Southern (13-1, 4-0 WestMAC).
“They’re a well-coached team, they play unselfish,” Allen said of the Rams. “We gotta figure out how to, number one, break their press. Number two, put the ball in the basket.”