JC Falls 81-68 on Day One of Gettysburg Tournament

THE HEADLINE: The Gettysburg Bullets pulled ahead in the second half to snap the Eagles' three-game win streak at the first game of the Gettysburg Holiday Tournament on Monday night. The final score was 81-68. 

THE STARTERS:

5 Bethany Spencer (York, Pa./York Suburban)

21 Katy Leamer (Altoona, Pa./Bellwood-Antis)

22 Bailey Swogger (Tyrone, Pa./Bellwood-Antis)

30 Dani Atkinson (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic)

42 Kelly Leamer (Altoona, Pa./Bellwood-Antis)

FIRST HALF: Due to three Juniata turnovers, the Bullets quickly earned a 6-0 lead after the tip off. It wasn't until Swogger drew a foul and made both free throws that the Eagles got on the board. Two more buckets on Gettysburg's end made the score 10-2 with 6:33 left in the first.

With six minutes left, Atkinson cut the Bullets' lead in half with a three-pointer, assisted by Kelly Leamer. After a Gettysburg layup, Atkinson tacked on two more for Juniata in part to Spencer's offensive rebound. The Bullets then went on a 9-4 run. Haley Myers (Huntingdon, Pa./Juniata Valley) hit a jumper with six seconds left on the clock to narrow the Gettysburg lead to 21-13 at the end of the first.

Katy Leamer started off the scoring in the second quarter with a second-chance layup. With a Juniata turnover and a foul, the Bullets were able to add on six more, taking a 12-point lead over JC.

After a scoreless minute, Suzy Badorf-England (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) started a run for Juniata with a layup after her own offensive rebound. A Gettysburg turnover on their next possession led to another layup for the Eagles, this time from Kelly Leamer. The Bullets made a jumper on their end, then Myers retaliated with a layup of her own. With Kaena Rebert's (Hanover, Pa./South Western) jumper and England's layup, Juniata made it a four-point game.

Swogger (4) and Morgan Instone (Johnstown, Pa./Bishop McCort) added on six more points for Juniata before the end of the half. However, Gettysburg added on seven and the Bullets held a 36-31 lead at the half.

SECOND HALF: Kelly Leamer drew a foul one minute into the second half. Making both free throws, the Eagles' trailed by three points. The Bullets made a layup, but Katy Leamer finished off a hard-fought JC possession with a jump shot. After a steal by Atkinson, Katy Leamer made a layup and put the Eagles within one.

Four three-pointers, two by Katy Leamer and one by Haley Myers, and Veronica Cosmopolis' (Lima, Peru/Colegio Carmelitas) free throw was still not enough to surpass the Bullets' powerful offense, as they continued to add on as well. England's pair of free throws at the end of the third quarter made the score 56-52 heading into the fourth quarter.

Despite Atkinson's seven points in the fourth quarter, Gettysburg outscored the Eagles 25-16, pulling ahead and winning the game 81-68.

INSIDE THE BOX: Katy Leamer and Atkinson tallied double-digit points for the Eagles. Katy Leamer shot 7-16 from the field and 4-7 behind the three-point line. Three of her three's occurred in the third quarter, almost back-to-back. Atkinson shot 50% from the field and went 2-for-2 behind the three-point line. 

Freshman England led the team with ten rebounds, six offensive and four defensive. Most of her rebounds were key in the Eagles' run in the second quarter.

WHAT'S NEXT?: Juniata will play Swarthmore at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2,  on the second day of the Gettysburg Holiday Tournament.