Bald Eagle girls take rivalry contest over Bellefonte

By Kenny Varner Jr.
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: January 13, 2025

Photo by Tim Weight
By Kenny Varner

BELLEFONTE – Monday it was a renewal of a rivalry. The Bellefonte girls basketball team welcomed in cross county rival Bald Eagle Area to the Red Raiders’ gym in a Laurel Highlands Conference rivalry.

The two battled early but in the end, the Eagles were able to take the contest 46-32.

Bald Eagle’s Sybil Thompson had the hot hand as she finished with a game high 20-point night. Thompson finished with three triples. Teammate Taylor Habovick added 11 in the victory along with two three-point shots.

Bellefonte was led by Taylor Brown and Jaylee Lose both finished with eight points each. Brown also had 10 boards as she just missed a double – double. Lose had five boards and two blocks as a force inside. Lexi Fravel finished with seven points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

The Lady Raiders out rebounded the Eagles 39-24.

It would be a strong Bald Eagle first period that would give the Lady Eagles an early advantage they would never give up.

“Coming into tonight’s game, like I’ve said before, for us to score points we have to start making turnovers and getting our transition game working like we did tonight,” said Bald Eagle coach Michael Habovick. “We are as small as the third and fourth grade team but we battle in there. We love the girls the way the fight the way they get out there and the way they work hard for this team. They put a lot of minutes on the floor. It was a good win for them tonight.”

Thompson got the game started as she hit one from downtown for the three less than a minute into the game. She then scored a shot in transition after a Bald Eagle steal at half court, making g it 5-0 just minutes into the game.

Olivia Taylor made it a seven point lead as she caught a pass underneath and put it up for the bucket.

Fravel scored the Red Raiders first basket of the game as she scored from underneath.

Thompson was at it once again, stealing the ball at midcourt and taking it strong to the hoop.

On the following Bellefonte possession, Bald Eagle’s Kinsey Clark got into the stealing department, taking it in for her first points of the ball game, forcing a Bellefonte time out.

Out of the time out, the Red Raiders got the ball to Ella Herr. She drove to the hoop and was fouled in the act of shooting, putting her to the free throw line. She hit 1-of-2, cutting it to an 11-3 lead.

But on the following trip down the Bald Eagle, Thompson once again hit from beyond the arc, extending the lead once again.

Bellefonte continued to be tenacious as they put the ball in Gigi Jesseh’s hands and she would put in a runner in the lane.

Trailing 17-6 with just seconds to go in the opening period, Brown cut the Bald Eagle Area lead to under double digits as she put in a strong inside bucket, making it a 17-8 Lady Eagle lead.

In the seconds, both teams went shot-for-shot and turnover for turnover attempt. The Lady Raiders and Eagles both finished with 12 points each in the quarter.

When the two teams went into the intermission, Bald Eagle Area led 29-20.

Like in the first period, Brown was able to hit a shot at the buzzer to keep the game under a double-digit deficit.

“I thought we had a very good first half,” said Bellefonte head coach Marissa Ward. “Unfortunately, the second half we came up short. The energy was down a little in the second half.”

Bald Eagle continued to keep its distance in tact from Bellefonte by outscoring the Lady Raiders 10-6 in the third.

Bellefonte’s defense was able to keep the Eagles to just seven points. However, the Eagles defense was just as tough, holding the Red Raiders to just six en route to the victory.

In the JV contest, Bellefonte defeated Bald Eagle Area 28-21.