IBERIA — New Colonel Crawford coach Zac Bauer knew he could rely on a pair of captains to come through in the clutch.

Allison Weithman and Lynae McKibben did just that in a 32-18 non-league season opening win over Northmor Friday night.

Both teams were sloppy and battled to a 12-12 tie at halftime, before a pair of 3-point baskets by Weithman and McKibben pushed the Lady Eagles to a 21-14 lead they would not relinquish.

“We made two big 3s there. Allison and Lynae and that’s the spark we needed. That’s what we need to get from them. That’s two captains of ours and that’s what we expect from them,” Bauer said.

That resulted in a 9-2 third quarter in favor of the visitors and proved to the difference.

“We played hard and made some adjustments at halftime. I thought we came out and played well.”

Northmor, despite committing 20 turnovers, displayed a gutsy effort.

“Credit to them. They changed up the defense and pressured the ball well and they run that trapping zone really well. That is something we’ve got to adjust to,” Bauer said.

“We’ve got a young team. We’re juniors and sophomores and we play freshmen. That’s something where we’ve got to grow up quick.”

Mallory Plesac, the lone senior on the roster, paced the Lady Eagles with 12 points. Weithman added 7 and McKibben 5.

Northmor got 7 points each from Emilee Jordan and Madison Simpson. The pair snagged 5 and 4 rebounds, respectively.

Head coach Freddie Beachy has four seniors mixed in with a young batch of newcomers. The Lady Knights lost six players to graduation and moved up to Division III.

“A lot of young kids playing. I’ve got freshmen and sophomores playing and one junior who hasn’t played in a couple years. We’ve got four kids who have played varsity.

“That’s how we’re gonna win; a lot of 15-14 games, you know. Those two 3s is what changed it. We didn’t box on the free throw, and they make a 3 and blow it open. They were relaxed and could play their game,” Beachy said.

Weithman banked in her 3 after hitting the first of two free throws. McKibben nailed another trey after a Northmor turnover.

Bauer likes the chemistry his team is showing.

“Our rapport has been really good. We’ve talked to the kids about that since summertime. It’s an us thing. We’re all together here and we want to build that culture of togetherness.

“We lost a thousand-point scorer (Kaylyn Risner) last year and it’s not going to be one person. Night in and night out, you never know when your number is going to be called. So, you gotta be ready when your number is called,” he said.

Colonel Crawford stays on the road, visiting Western Reserve Saturday followed by a trip to Plymouth on Tuesday night before hosting New London Nov. 26.

“A lot of good non-conference competition to get this young team ready to go for league play,” Bauer said.

Northmor goes to Wynford on Tuesday.

“I tried to be calm in the locker room after the game,” Beachy said. “It’s going to be a learning experience for these girls. I put a lot of pressure on the seniors. They’re not used to being the main characters.”

Beachy likes the spirt his team showed.

“I don’t think they quit. All the stuff we did wrong, we can fix. Not getting trapped on the sidelines and not boxing out. That can all be fixed. The game’s fast and some of these kids were in the eighth grade last year.

“Crawford is well experienced and have been together for a while. I tell them just go out and play and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We’ll learn from it and build it back up. We did it before.”

Northmor won the junior varsity contest 25-18. Ryann Brinkman and Kat Roseberry had 5 points each. Rylie Hoepf’s 5 led Crawford.

Box score

Colonel Crawford      6        6         9      11 — 32

Northmor                       5        7         2       4 — 18

Colonel Crawford (1-0): Shots 10; 3-pt. shots 2 (Allison Weithman, Lynae McKibben); Free throws 6-9; Rebounds 15 (Nia Shipman 4); Turnovers 12. Scoring: Gabby Roston 0 2 2, Mallory Plesac 5 2 12, Mira Holt 1 0 2, Allison Weithman 2 2 7, Niyah Simpson 2 0 4, Lynae McKibben 2 0 5.

Northmor (0-1): Shots 7; 3-pt. shots 1 (Madison Simpson); Free throws 3-9; Rebounds 11 (Emilee Jordan 5, Madison Shipman 4); Turnovers 20. Scoring: Madison Shipman 3 0 7, Emily Zeger 0 1 1, Riley Johnson 1 0 2, Lauren Johnson 0 1 1, Emilee Jordan 3 1 7.

JV: Northmor 25-18.