NORTH ROBINSON — Seneca East got great offensive balance Friday night against Colonel Crawford. But its defense was better.

The Tigers limited the Eagles to just 27.9 percent shooting (12 of 43) for the game and downed Crawford, 51-34, in a Northern 10 Athletic Conference game at Mac Morrison Gymnasium.

Conversely, the Tigers had three players in double figures and shot 52.9 percent on 18 of 34 shooting in the easy win.

Seneca East coach Don Vogt said that his defense in the second half was much better than in the first.

“We talked to our kids (at halftime) about the first three or four minutes of the third quarter and just kinda coming out with some intensity,” Vogt said.

“The great thing about this team is I don’t have to hoot and holler and all that other stuff,” Vogt added. “Our kids are internally motivated. They know they didn’t play well in the first half, part of that is to Crawford’s credit. But the kids came out in the second half very, very determined.”

Vogt said that his players were solid even when they were in foul trouble.

“We also got into some foul trouble a little bit, too,” Vogt said. “And I think that helped motivate the kids that were in foul trouble and really make a difference. It was the defense, particularly in the first three or four minutes, that set the tone.”

The Tigers struggled offensively in the first period and held a 9-5 lead after one. But the Eagles made just two of nine shots in the second period and was four of 16 in the first half as Seneca East (16-1, 12-0 N10) took a 27-13 lead at the half.

In the third period, the Tigers made six of nine shots, while holding the Eagles to just three of 10 attempts to take a 44-20 lead into the final period.

Colonel Crawford coach Kyle Fenner said, while the Tigers are an excellent defensive team, her team simply didn’t shoot the ball well.

“They just have multiple offensive people and they made shots and we just didn’t shoot it with them,” Fenner said.

“I thought we had a lot of open shots in the first half, we just did not make any open shots. If you want to be successful you have to learn to make open shots when you get them.”

The Tigers also had outstanding offensive balance. Sophomore Jessica Bowerman and senior Marina Adachi each paced the Tigers with 15 points and senior Caylin Quiggle added 10.

“We try, as much as we can, to get balance,” Vogt said. “Marina averages 13, Jess averages 13. They could average 20; they’re so good at sharing and trusting the other kids on the team to score on any given night.

“We’ve had several players to score double digits and it’s a credit to them,” Vogt added. “They trust in their team and we typically do get some balanced scoring in games.”

Colonel Crawford (9-7, 5-7), on the other hand, got very little balance.

Freshman Caylin Risner scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half. But the rest of the Eagles’ team scored just 14 points.

“We always defend, we always play hard,” Fenner said. “We usually play physical and control the glass. We just didn’t make any shots.

“We played hard, I’m not kicking anyone’s effort, they just have people that make shots and we didn’t make any.”

Vogt said that his team showed outstanding effort in the second half.

“They play like that all the time,” Vogt said. “That’s how we do it in practice and it carries over, so I really like their intensity, all the way across. Even the kids who came in and subbed in the first half, they did a real nice job of maintaining and playing hard and getting after it.”

Seneca East won the junior varsity game, 52-43. Freshman Makenna Depinet led the Tigers with 12 points and freshman Brooke Bordner scored 11. Freshman Amelia Boes scored 10.

Freshman Zandria Galent and junior Mariah Cotsamire paced the Eagles with 14 points.

Box score

Seneca East                9     18    17      7 — 51

Colonel Crawford     5       9      6    14 — 34

Seneca East (16-1, 12-0 N10): Shots 18-34; 3-pt. shots 6 (Jessica Bowerman 3, Marina Adachi 3); Free throws 8-10; Rebounds 23; Turnovers 15. Scoring: Jessica Bowerman 6 0 15, Bailey Hamilton 1 0 2, Marina Adachi 4 4 15, Makenna Depinet 2 1 5, Amelia Boes 0 1 1, Caylin Quiggle 4 2 10, Alexis Hicks 1 0 3.

Colonel Crawford (9-7, 5-7 N10): Shots 12-43; 3-pt. shots 1 (Kaylyn Risner); Free throws 9-10; Rebounds 21; Turnovers 14. Scoring: Danielle Horsley 0 2 2, Rachel Ritzhaupt 2 0 4, Mariah Cotsamire 1 0 2, Jenna Maddy 1 2 4, Kaylyn Risner 7 5 20, Allison Teglovic 1 0 2.

JV: Seneca East 52-43.