Friday was a microcosm of the season so far. As hard as the Hillbillies tried, it just wasn’t enough.

Fredonia fell behind 13-1 in the first half of the opening period, and despite its best efforts to claw back in the game, the visiting Salamanca Warriors ran away with the third quarter and coasted to a 52-29 victory in a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 girls basketball game at Fredonia High School.

“Road games are never easy,” said Salamanca head coach Joe Hinman. “… Overall it was a good road, league win for us.”

After Salamanca (5-3, 2-0) jumped ahead 13-1 in the first half of the opening period, Fredonia (0-7, 0-2) relied on effort on the defensive end and running the floor to get back in the game.

OBSERVER Photo by Ashleigh Brown Salamanca’s Leilene McComber attempts to shoot over Fredonia’s Madelyn Polhamus during Friday’s CCAA Division 1 girls basketball game at Fredonia High School.

“We were able to put pressure on the ball and get some steals,” said Fredonia head coach Brianne Flowers. “Our offense wasn’t really working … but we were actually able to get some defensive stops. Then in transition, we were able to get some buckets, especially off some steals. That’s how we were able to battle back.”

Just past the halfway point, Madelyn Polhamus had a pair of buckets within 40 seconds of action to cut the 12-point deficit to eight.

“She’s just that person that puts all that pressure on. She wants to run the floor,” Flowers said.

Over the next 11 minutes, the two teams played evenly, as a 3-pointer from Piper Walnicki put Fredonia down 24-16 just before the intermission. But in the final seconds of the first half, any momentum Fredonia had came crashing to the floor as Naomi Muck went down violently on defense. Muck’s head bounced off the floor so hard that it could be heard loud and clear from across the gym. Muck stayed down for several minutes before being helped off the floor by the Fredonia coaches.

Fredonia played without Muck for the entire second half, and on both ends of the floor, an already thin roster with little varsity experience was strained even more than usual.

“She does everything for me. She’s a hard kid to replace,” Flowers said of Muck. “That really hurt us. … The girls are always used to playing with her, so they don’t realize how much she really affects both the offensive and the defensive side of the floor until she’s not there.”

Salamanca capitalized on its experience and size advantages with a dominant third quarter, 19-6 in the visitors’ favor. Of those 19 points, 11 belonged to Leilene McComber, who finished with a game-high 19 points on the night. She made six shots from the field and went 7 for 9 at the free-throw line.

“She’s a great player. She was able to get to the rim,” Flowers said. “… We weren’t where we needed to be defensively, and she is just a great offensive player that she was able to get all the way to the rim and finish.”

Like Fredonia early in the game, it was the defense that led to good looks on offense for Salamanca in the second half. With a 43-22 lead after three periods, Salamanca coasted in the final frame to secure the victory.

“We really got our defense together, we got some transition baskets, we were moving the ball great. … We really found a rhythm on offense,” Hinman said. “I thought that we played almost a complete game.”

Although playing short-handed due to injury, every player who suited up for Salamanca scored on Friday, including Mikaela Tennity, who made her first varsity bucket and later added a free throw for her first three career points. The visiting crowd and Salamanca’s bench erupted as Tennity’s first shot fell through the net with 3:11 left in the game.

“It really builds chemistry when you have players that don’t score as much get a basket. It gets everyone going,” Hinman said.

In addition to McComber’s 19 points, Makenzie Crouse added 8 points, four assists and four blocks for the Warriors, while Charli Ross also had 8 points, including six in the fourth quarter.

“We had several players that stepped up for us tonight,” Hinman said. “… Everyone stepped up, everyone contributed today. It was awesome to watch.”

Piper Walnicki scored 8 points to lead Fredonia. Madelyn Polhamus added 6 points in the first half for the ‘Billies.

Up next, Fredonia travels to Dunkirk for a rivalry showdown with the Marauders on Tuesday night. The league game that matters just a little bit more than the others each year represents the next chance for Fredonia to earn its first win of the season.

“Hopefully we grow, we get some kids back, and just keep chipping away this year,” Flowers said.

Also in league play, Salamanca hosts Southwestern on Tuesday night.

“We’ve got to buckle up and get ready for that,” Hinman said.

SALAMANCA (52)

Tennity 1 1 3, Wass 1 0 2, Crouse 3 1 8, Dowdy 2 0 5, McComber 6 7 19, Stahlman 1 0 2, Lafferty 1 3 5, Ross 4 0 8. Totals 19 12 52.

FREDONIA (29)

Burrows 0 0 0, Muck 0 0 0, Buckley 1 0 2, Polhamus 3 0 6, Creeley 2 1 5, Walnicki 3 0 8, Snyder 1 2 4, Delcamp 0 2 2, DiPalma 1 0 2. Totals 11 5 29.

3-point goals–Crouse, Dowdy, Walnicki 2.

Salamanca 17 7 19 9 — 52

Fredonia 5 11 6 7 — 29