Girls Basketball: Bizzell's shot, Price propel AV past Quartz Hill
Jan. 22, 2015
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
LANCASTER — These days of near invincibility, seemingly everything is going the 'Lopes' way.
So, when a clock mishap gave Morgan Bizzell 1.8 seconds in the first quarter to heave a shot from beyond halfcourt during AV's 80-36 win over Quartz Hill on Thursday, of course the prayer banked in to the oohs and ahhs of the crowd and to a dancing Deon Price.
"Not only is that a big bucket, but it's a heck of a confidence booster for her and the rest of the team," said Price, the 'Lopes coach. "And you saw everybody jumping. Everybody got hyped up and that definitely helped us push through and turn it on a little bit."
It's certainly good to be in AV's shoes at the moment. Led by Bizzell's improbable 3-pointer and a season-high 30 points from Tylen Price, the Antelopes (17-1, 8-0 GL) won their 14th game in a row in yet another blowout.
In this one, AV got a break when Quartz Hill (10-6, 5-3) inbounded the ball with 2.2 seconds left in the first quarter while trailing 15-5. The pass couldn't be controlled by a Rebel and was lost out of bounds in what should have been the last play of the period, but somehow only 0.4 seconds were taken off the clock.
That gave Bizzell just enough time to make her first-ever halfcourt shot.
"First, one of my teammates told me to hold the ball and then I heard my coach say, 'Shoot it,'" said Bizzell, who scored nine points, all on 3-pointers. "So I'm like, 'Oh I'm going to justshoot it,' and I'm just thinking in my head, 'Oh man, I hope I make it.'
"And then it went in and I just wanted to start jumping up and down the court."
As exhilarating as it was for the Antelopes, it was just as deflating for the Rebels, a team that just two games ago was within one game of AV for the top spot in the Golden League.
"Yeah that's hard to see," Quartz Hill's Katilin Stephenson said smiling afterward. "Because you're like, 'Uh, she just shoots it and of course she makes it,' but good job to Morgan."
The basket gave the Antelopes an 18-5 lead after the first. They outscored the Rebels by the same score in the second to take a 36-10 lead into halftime.
The Rebels were a different team in the third quarter. Led by Stephenson's 12 points, they doubled their first-half scoring output in the period.
It still wasn't enough to make it a close battle in the end.
"For me, I felt like I don't want to go out that badly," said Stephenson, who totaled a team-high 18 points. "So I wanted to pick up the intensity and tried to bring us back into the game as much as I could."
For the Antelopes - who also got 17 points from Tatyana Lyles, 11 from Niyah Page and 10 from Oriana Brown - it was another lopsided affair. None of the 'Lopes' wins - nor their only loss, against Valencia on Dec. 6 - have been by single digits. Deon Price isn't complaining.
"It's close enough once we start, but once we get going, I'd rather kind of pull away," Deon Price said. "It's just a little more comforting."
Understandably so. The last time the Antelopes played a close game, it was traumatic.
It took place last season during the first round of the playoffs as AV hosted Irvine. Leading by a point with 0.3 seconds left in the game and with possession of the ball, the Antelopes had the game all but won.
But when an inbounds pass flew over everyone's heads to give the Vaqueros the ball, they hit a 15-footer at the buzzer, stunning and crushing the 'Lopes' hearts.
"That's a bitter taste in our mouths from last year that we continue to remember and take into each and every game that we've been playing," Deon Price said.
So far, the 'Lopes have been lashing at everyone and look poised to replace Knight as the new undefeated champion of the league. But real redemption awaits in the playoffs and they know it.
On a day in which a clock misadventure played a small role in another huge win, it was only fitting AV would recall the infamous incident. For now, they're the ones doing the crushing.
"I've never done that before," Bizzell said.
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
LANCASTER — These days of near invincibility, seemingly everything is going the 'Lopes' way.
So, when a clock mishap gave Morgan Bizzell 1.8 seconds in the first quarter to heave a shot from beyond halfcourt during AV's 80-36 win over Quartz Hill on Thursday, of course the prayer banked in to the oohs and ahhs of the crowd and to a dancing Deon Price.
"Not only is that a big bucket, but it's a heck of a confidence booster for her and the rest of the team," said Price, the 'Lopes coach. "And you saw everybody jumping. Everybody got hyped up and that definitely helped us push through and turn it on a little bit."
It's certainly good to be in AV's shoes at the moment. Led by Bizzell's improbable 3-pointer and a season-high 30 points from Tylen Price, the Antelopes (17-1, 8-0 GL) won their 14th game in a row in yet another blowout.
In this one, AV got a break when Quartz Hill (10-6, 5-3) inbounded the ball with 2.2 seconds left in the first quarter while trailing 15-5. The pass couldn't be controlled by a Rebel and was lost out of bounds in what should have been the last play of the period, but somehow only 0.4 seconds were taken off the clock.
That gave Bizzell just enough time to make her first-ever halfcourt shot.
"First, one of my teammates told me to hold the ball and then I heard my coach say, 'Shoot it,'" said Bizzell, who scored nine points, all on 3-pointers. "So I'm like, 'Oh I'm going to justshoot it,' and I'm just thinking in my head, 'Oh man, I hope I make it.'
"And then it went in and I just wanted to start jumping up and down the court."
As exhilarating as it was for the Antelopes, it was just as deflating for the Rebels, a team that just two games ago was within one game of AV for the top spot in the Golden League.
"Yeah that's hard to see," Quartz Hill's Katilin Stephenson said smiling afterward. "Because you're like, 'Uh, she just shoots it and of course she makes it,' but good job to Morgan."
The basket gave the Antelopes an 18-5 lead after the first. They outscored the Rebels by the same score in the second to take a 36-10 lead into halftime.
The Rebels were a different team in the third quarter. Led by Stephenson's 12 points, they doubled their first-half scoring output in the period.
It still wasn't enough to make it a close battle in the end.
"For me, I felt like I don't want to go out that badly," said Stephenson, who totaled a team-high 18 points. "So I wanted to pick up the intensity and tried to bring us back into the game as much as I could."
For the Antelopes - who also got 17 points from Tatyana Lyles, 11 from Niyah Page and 10 from Oriana Brown - it was another lopsided affair. None of the 'Lopes' wins - nor their only loss, against Valencia on Dec. 6 - have been by single digits. Deon Price isn't complaining.
"It's close enough once we start, but once we get going, I'd rather kind of pull away," Deon Price said. "It's just a little more comforting."
Understandably so. The last time the Antelopes played a close game, it was traumatic.
It took place last season during the first round of the playoffs as AV hosted Irvine. Leading by a point with 0.3 seconds left in the game and with possession of the ball, the Antelopes had the game all but won.
But when an inbounds pass flew over everyone's heads to give the Vaqueros the ball, they hit a 15-footer at the buzzer, stunning and crushing the 'Lopes' hearts.
"That's a bitter taste in our mouths from last year that we continue to remember and take into each and every game that we've been playing," Deon Price said.
So far, the 'Lopes have been lashing at everyone and look poised to replace Knight as the new undefeated champion of the league. But real redemption awaits in the playoffs and they know it.
On a day in which a clock misadventure played a small role in another huge win, it was only fitting AV would recall the infamous incident. For now, they're the ones doing the crushing.
"I've never done that before," Bizzell said.