Lady Cards score pair of NAL wins

The Corning varsity girls basketball team surged ahead of Lassen during the second quarter and never looked back Tuesday night, toppling the visiting Lady Grizzlies, 46-36, to finish the first half of Northern Athletic League play undefeated.

The Lady Cardinals stretched their NAL streak to 15 games, fueled by the double-digit scoring performances of Regan Albee, Brittney Garrett and Chante Dale.

Albee scored a game-high 15 points with six rebounds, five assists and four steals while Garrett netted 13 points and seven boards.

Dale racked up four steals and 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter that helped ignite Corning's momentum.

Precision shooting by Corning's big three led to a 12-point halftime advantage, but the Lady Cardinals struggled offensively in the second half, being held as a team to single digits in both the third and fourth quarters.

Corning coach Curt Eller noted that even in times of offensive melancholy, the team's defense shines, a fact that has made the Lady Cards untouchable in the NAL for so long.

"That's been it," Eller said. "We've been holding teams in the 30s. It's a credit to our defense. Everybody comes in and does their job."

Michelle Silva battled for a club-best nine rebounds, Amy Cruise blocked a shot on defense and started the second half with a three-point play that extended Corning's lead to 15 points.

The Lady Cards prevailed without their best offensive output, committing 18 turnovers and shooting a relatively cold 5-for-23 after the break (22 percent).

Lassen coughed up the ball 23 times, by comparison, and the Lady Grizzlies floundered from the perimeter all game, making just 8-of-30 (27 percent) from inside the arc.

The distance shooting of Carlotta Kloppenburg and Taylor Waddell was what kept Lassen in the hunt, giving the Lady Grizzlies the lead for nearly eight minutes.

Garrett's three-point play at the tail end of the first quarter gave Corning its first lead at 11-10.

Garrett with Albee and Dale proved to be too many weapons for Lassen to stop, especially when Corning's defense adjusted to Lassen's deep threats.

Waddell led Lassen with 12 points, Kloppenburg finished with nine and Raeyel Shephard scored eight.

Corning 52, Anderson 37

A 19-4 third-quarter explosion put momentum squarely in the Lady Cards' court Thursday, as Corning pulled away from Anderson at home.

Dale heated up in the second half as well, notching 13 of her game-high 15 after intermission. Garrett muscled her way to 11 points, mostly in the pain, and Albee canned 10.

Corning (6-0 NAL, 14-7) will be back in action Tuesday in Susanville.

Contact Paul Gadbois at 824-1036.

Corning 46, Lassen 36

Lassen 10 7 9 10 -36

Corning 11 18 8 9 -46

Lassen (36): Waddell, 12; Kloppenburg, 9; Shepard, 8; Hicks, 4; Shaffer, 2; Ratkey, 1

Corning (46): Albee, 15; Garrett, 13; Dale, 12; Cruise, 5; Silva, 1

Corning 52, Anderson 37

Anderson 10 13 4 10 -37

Corning 9 14 19 10 -52

Anderson (37): Leitem, 18; Wilson, 8; Peters, 5; English, 4

Corning (52): Dale, 15; Garrett, 11; Albee, 10; Silva, 8; Kinkle, 5; Cruise, 2, Ray, 1