Why Bellefonte’s 500th program win in girls’ basketball was something it will ‘remember forever’
Bellefonte coach Marcus Toomer turned toward his girls’ basketball team in the locker room and pointed to the number “500” scribbled on the side of his dry erase board. “Tonight, it’s 500!” he shouted, before his team sprinted up the steps for warm-ups.
The Lady Red Raiders headed into Wednesday night’s road game seeking their 500th win in program history. And they earned it in dominating fashion, thumping Philipsburg-Osceola 54-30 among a crowd with just as many red shirts as blue.
“It’s something I’m proud to be a part of,” junior Sara DeHaas said. “We’ve had some tough times and gone through losses but for us to come here, play hard, not let up and get that 500th win, it means a lot to do that as a team.
“That’s something I’ll always remember forever.”
DeHaas and her teammates high-fived after the final whistle, embracing while proud parents stood nearby and snapped team photos. This win, the Lady Raiders said, is exactly the way they pictured this moment.
They wanted the win. They wanted the milestone. And they wanted each of their 13 girls to play. Every wish was granted — thanks in large part to how the game started.
P-O opened the contest with a second-chance basket that gave it an early 2-0 lead just 35 seconds in. But Bellefonte responded with a 20-0 run and held the Lady Mounties scoreless for the next 8:32.
Four different girls scored the first four field goals for the Lady Raiders. A full-court man-to-man press forced a number of turnovers — nine steals alone in the first half — and the fast-breaks were too numerous to count. Twice during that run, Philipsburg-Osceola appeared to have an open lane to the basket — until a Bellefonte defender would run up from behind for a steal or block.
After that run, P-O trailed by at least 16 points the rest of the way.
“Whenever we get going and we’re in the zone, it’s not going to stop until the whistle’s blown,” said junior Maddie Tice, who scored six of her team-high 13 points in the opening period. “Once we have momentum, we’re hard to stop.”
Toomer, Bellefonte’s coach, knew since the preseason that the 500-win milestone was within reach. But to prevent his team from looking ahead, he kept that fact hidden from his girls until they reached win No. 499 last week.
After that victory, he wrote “499” on his dry erase board and asked his team what it meant. Senior Mallorie Smith guessed it was the number of points they scored so far that season.
They had no idea just how close they were to making history. But once Toomer explained, they grew determined to finish their business by Wednesday night against the Lady Mounties. “We weren’t going to stop until we got it,” added DeHaas, who had 10 points.
Said Smith: “Everyone’s excited knowing they’re a part of something like 500. Not many people remember 200 or 300 or 400. They remember 100 and 500, and just being a part of that is special to all of us.”
The Lady Raiders remained calm until the final quarter, when quiet smiles on the bench were replaced by shouts and cheers. Not because of the milestone, but because every girl was making her way on to the floor.
Philipsburg-Osceola doesn’t have the depth to field a JV team, so Bellefonte’s JV players simply sat with the varsity Wednesday night — and they all played eventually. In the final quarter, the bench full of starters exploded when sophomore Hana Rados scored four points, and yells echoed off the gym when freshman Alexis Kopcha sank a free throw.
In the second half, Bellefonte had at least three backups on the floor at all times. And midway through the final period, the Lady Raiders sat all their starters.
“That makes it very meaningful,” Toomer said, when asked about getting the entire team involved for the 500th win. “I always enjoy seeing the bench get excited for them when they’re playing well.”
Philipsburg-Osceola, a rebuilding program, boasted few first-half highlights. But, in the third quarter, Kyleigh Kennedy showed she has the potential to take control of a game. She scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in that period, at one point reversing and faking out a Bellefonte defender, keeping control of her dribble with her left hand after getting bumped and then driving to the hoop for a layup.
In the final minute of regulation, Philipsburg-Osceola still dove for two loose balls as some in the crowd let out audible groans after the unmistakable squeak of skin-on-hardwood.
“That’s really the brand of basketball we want to have here,” P-O coach Brandon Myers said. “Over the last however-many-years, we haven’t really had a physical program ... and the girls are really working hard now. They’re getting better.”
But the Lady Raiders still owned the night. Ten girls scored, the game was never in doubt after the first quarter, and the historic 500th win can finally be added to the record books.
DeHaas said she couldn’t have asked for much more out of Wednesday’s game. Her coach felt the same way.
“It’s one of those exciting things because it doesn’t happen very often,” Toomer said. “It was important.”
Added DeHaas: “This was really special for us.”
