By Brian FeesSouthern Tier Sports Report
ELMIRA — It was an Elmira vs. Elmira matchup on the court over the weekend as the Elmira College women’s basketball team fell to Geneseo 64-57.
Elmira junior Amarionah Dixon had a career-best 15 points to lead Elmira College, while fellow Elmira High School graduate, Ellie Clearwater, is a freshman for Geneseo.
For Dixon it was a lot of fun having a game like she did. She played 26 mintues off the bench, scoring a career-high 15 points, while grabbing eight rebounds. She had three assists and racked up four steals. She took 15 shots in the game, also a career high in shot attempts.
The four steals was one off her career high.
“Honestly, it was the funnest game I’ve had,” Dixon said. “I trusted in my teammates and my teammates trusted in me. I honestly wouldn’t have had this game without them. They believed I could shoot the ball and they passed it to me every time.”
The game was a good confidence booster for Dixon, who also gets a lot of teammates from the other players on the team.
“My team does a very good job building that confdience for me as well,” Dixon said.
For Clearwater being on the other side of Dixon’s big game the whole matchup was fun.
“It was friendly competition,” Clearwater said.
The Elmira graduate knew that her team would need to do a good job stopping her former teammate.
“We knew going in she was going to be one of the people we had to stop,” Clearwater said. “When it came down tot he end we needed defensive stops.”
Elmira led 14-8 after one quarter and 30-21 at the half, but Elmira fought back and got within 44-42 after three quarters, and had leads in the fourth quarter, before Geneseo closed the game strong.
This season Dixon averages 7.1 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. She’s had five double-figure scoring games this year and three double-digit rebound games. She had one double-double, a 11 points, career-high 16 board game against West Connecticut.
Clearwater has played in 14 games this season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds a game. She had a career-high five points against SUNY Poly and last Tuesday against Utica. She has a career high of three steals against SUNY Poly and in the Utica game she had a career-best two assists. She had a career-high six rebounds against Poly.
The two Elmira graduates spend plenty of time working out together during the offseason, making the matchup that much more fun.
“It’s awesome, we have been working out all summer break, winter break, we see each other all the time,” Clearwater said. “So, to be able to play against each other, it’s so special.
“It’s awesome. Everyone is so supportive. Peyt (Peyton Calkins) gets with us sometimes, Megan (Fedor). It’s just such a good community that all of us, we know when we get home and we have people that want to play basketball.”
For Dixon even though Clearwater was an opponent on Saturday the two are always so close.
“It felt great,” Dixon said. “Honestly, I feel like we had great chemistry even on opposing teams.
“It’s nice to have a friendly competition and being able to come together when there is no basketball season.”
Kristin Suydam led Geneseo with 20 points in the game, going 8-for-11 from the field Grace Galgano had 11 rebounds, with five points and Mackenzie Reigle had 10 assists, with seven points and six rebounds, along with three steals.
Dixon led four players in double figures for Elmira with the 15 points. Laura Bogota had 12 points, Taylor Jung had 11 and Mallory Welty had 10 points. Dixon led in rebounds with eight and Jung had seven. Bogota led in assists with five and Dixon led in steals with four.
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES
PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S GAMES:
