But, after a 55-46 victory over Clarence in Tuesday night’s Erie County Interscholastic Conference Division 1 matchup at McElrath Gymnasium, the Red Raiders head coach couldn’t help but beam over the future that lies ahead for his core group of players.

“They just came out and they shared the ball better than they ever have,” Anderson said after the victory. “They worked as hard as they ever have. I told them, I couldn’t be prouder.”

The Red Raiders (9-4, 5-2) avenged a 58-48 loss on Dec. 17 to the Red Devils (4-7, 3-4), taking control of the game early after taking a 17-2 lead with 5:50 left in the second quarter.

“My girls just didn’t show up to play in the first quarter and that’s what happened,” Clarence head coach Erin Booker said. “You’re not going to win games when you score two points in one quarter.”

Jamestown’s Marley Drake goes in for a layup during Monday’s ECIC Division 1 girls basketball game against Clarence at McElrath Gymnasium. P-J photo by Cameron Hurst

“Switching to the zone really helped us,” Anderson said of the defensive approach. “We played not just any zone, but a pretty aggressive one. (Mickia Freeney) wreaked havoc again up top. We jumped right into it and played with a passion that I couldn’t be more proud of.”

Capitalizing on the pressure, Marley Drake led the way for Jamestown, scoring a team-high 17 points while being double-teamed most of the night.

“She’s starting to learn that teams are going to do that to her,” Anderson said of Drake. “She’s a knockdown shooter. She has a lot of skill and she doesn’t back down from anything. I think she’s realizing that if she keeps moving, other people are going to find her. She just has a toughness and a mentality that I was so proud of tonight.”

Booker also credited Drake’s leadership.

“She’s a good team leader out there, but they have a lot of other girls who mesh with her well,” she said, also crediting junior Jill Kindberg who recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

“They played great defense for all four quarters,” Booker added. “There were a lot of shooters who stepped it up tonight.”

Clarence, led by 17 points from Claire Kiener, narrowed the deficit to 26-14 at halftime, before 9-1 run at the end of the third quarter brought the Red Devils to within 10. But, the Red Raiders weathered the comeback thanks to two early fourth-quarter treys by Drake and a final dagger with 1:35 left by junior Lauren Tracy to close out the game.

Anderson was proud of the effort by Tracy, who also drained a game-winning shot for the Red Raiders against Lancaster on Friday.

“That’s the growth of a young team,” he said. “More than (Tracy’s) scoring, I told her at halftime, ‘I don’t care if you score another point. You’re playing great help defense. You’re diving on the floor. You’re getting rebounds.’ I just was really proud with her effort.”

Now, the Red Raiders look toward a home meeting on Wednesday night against Williamsville North.

“They haven’t lost since we beat them and they’re going to be a tough team,” he said. “Our goal is to take the next step and rise our level even above what we did tonight and I know this group can do it. We just have to keep coming out and playing hard.”

He added, “These girls are really starting to get that if they play their role and do what they can do and we play as a team, there really are no limits.”

NOTES: Tracy and Freeney led the Red Raiders with six assists, while Drake led the team with four steals. Kiener led Clarence with 11 rebounds, while Lizzie Fitch also finished with seven.

CLARENCE (46)

Kiener 6 5 17, Fleming 2 2 8, Fromwiller 2 2 6, Fitch 3 2 9, Call 2 2 6, Zima 0 0 0. Totals 15 13 46.

JAMESTOWN (55)

Drake 7 0 17, Kindberg 5 4 16, Tracy 3 2 10, Freeney 2 0 5, Holdridge 1 0 3, Spitzer 0 0 0, Graham 0 0 0, Karash 2 0 4. Totals 23 6 55.

3-point goals–Drake 3, Kindberg 2, Tracy 2, Freeney, Holdridge, Fleming 2, Fitch.

Clarence 2 12 19 13–46

Jamestown 10 16 16 13 –55

Jayvees: Clarence won.