Allegheny 55, Franciscan 65

Franciscan Starters 
Sophie LaRose, Chiara MacGillivray, Jazzlyn Melnyk, Lauren Arena, Madison Doan 

Allegheny Starters
Lauer, Bickart, Caldwell, Fisher, Leach

How It Happened 
    After a disappointing loss on the road, the Franciscan Barons were back in town to play the Allegheny Gators. Right away, the team looked miles better than last week. Chiara MacGillivray opened the game with a three from the right wing. The Barons then proceeded to go on a 10-0 run, mostly because of Madison Doan. The sophomore center went on an absolute tear, doing everything on the floor. After getting a block, she went to work in the low post, scoring 7 straight points, including an and-one. A jumper from Jazzlyn Melnyk stretched the Baron's lead to 11. Then, turnovers started to pile up, and the Gators went on a 10-0 run of their own. The first quarter ended with Franciscan ahead 14-10.
In the second quarter, the Barons dug a hole they couldn't get out of. The offense started to stall, leading to many lost possessions and careless turnovers. The Gators recognized Madison Doan's scoring threat and they started to double, even triple her every time she got the ball. The game plan worked, and the Gators scored 17 straight points. The Barons only got 4 points in the entire quarter. At the end of the first half, the Gators were leading by 13. Still, the game wasn't over yet, and the Barons had plenty of time to come back.
    The team came into the third quarter with renewed energy. Jazzlyn Melnyk banked a shot in from the left wing, and Madison Doan converted a few free throws. Slowly, the Barons chipped away at the deficit. Chiara MacGillivray started to take over, scoring 8 of her 13 points in the third quarter alone. Now, the Barons were only down 8 coming into crunch time.
    Franciscan continued their offensive onslaught, and after a triple from Ilena Gonzales, they trailed by just 4 points. But as the Barons came within smelling distance of victory, turnovers came to bite them in the back. The Gators went on a 7-0 run late in the 4th, and the game ended in a 55-65 loss.
Turnovers were one of the main contributors to the Baron's defeat. The Gators scored 24 points off Franciscan's 21 turnovers. If the Barons can minimize mistakes and improve their transition defense, they will be in a much better position. The secondary unit also struggled to score. The Barons only had 9 points off the bench, all of them coming from Ilena Gonzales.
    Despite the defeat, the team has steadily improved. Madison Doan was a terror on both ends of the court, leading the team with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Jazzlyn Melnyk and Chiara MacGillivray scored 14 and 13 points respectively. It is still early in the season, and the Barons are looking better every day. Let's hope it starts converting into more wins (and less turnovers).

Inside the Numbers 
-Madison Doan grabbed her first double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds
-Jazzlyn Melnyk also grabbed her first double-double of the year with 14 points and 12 rebounds
-Ilena Gonzales led the game with 4 steals
-The Barons shot 26.3% from 3pt and 27.9% from the field for the game
-The Barons allowed 34 points in the paint

Up Next 
Franciscan will return to action on Tuesday night at Steubenville High School to take on Denison. These two teams played each other last season in a close battle, but Denison would take home the 59-47 win. That is the lone matchup between these two team all-time. MacGillivray and Doan led the way for the Barons last season, as they combined for 30 of Franciscan's points. 

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