Coming off a four-game stretch where she averaged 27.5 points per game and over 12 rebounds, Bainbridge-Guilford senior, Dani Conway, had a mere 12-point outing Wednesday night in the Bobcats’ 22-point win over Deposit.
Only the scoring total deserved a “mere” rating. Conway added 10 rebounds and 10 assists, her first triple-double this season (she has had several in prior years), and three other teammates reached double figures scoring as well. It was the most scoring balance the up-and-coming Bobcats have displayed this year through 11 games.
At the midway point this season, Conway is averaging 22.2 points per game, 10 rebounds a tilt, and is well on her way to a third straight Chenango County scoring title.
Conway eclipsed the 1,000-point mark late last season, and surpassed the 1,300-point mark for her career last week. She spent the first half of her varsity career playing for Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton, and transferred to B-G as a junior a season ago. She is the only known area player to ever score over 600 points for two Chenango County schools, and she is also this week’s Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“We have, basically, two freshman and one sophomore in our top six, and the other kids are not big offensive scorers yet,” said longtime B-G coach, Bob Conway. “Dani really has had to carry the load, and also put her teammates in position to score.”
Dani Conway has seen a gamut of gimmicky defenses designed to slow her down, and conversely, Coach Conway has needed to devise means to get his star players the ball. Among his charges over the past two decades are 1,000-point scorers Danielle Baldwin, Courtney Mattingly, Jennifer Patten, and Mariah Schaeffer. All of whom were the focus of opposing defenses, and Dani Conway is just as dangerous.
“She always draws attention, and it’s my job to get her the ball,” Coach Conway said of his niece. “She’s a great passer, and she draws defenses. She is able to get her teammates the ball in places where they are capable of scoring.”
Recently, B-G’s division rivals, Hancock and Afton, attempted to slow Conway’s production with a triangle-and-two defensive scheme. Typically, that defense has three players playing a zone in the shape of a triangle, and the two other defenders are guarding individual players man-to-man. What Hancock and Afton did was shape its triangle as described, and had the “two” focusing all of their defensive attention on Conway.
Now that’s respect. “She has all the tools, and definitely can play on the next level,” Coach Conway said. “She can shoot, handle the ball, she can pass, and she can rebound. She has an inside and outside game, and she’s our point guard.”
Conway is also the tallest player on the Bobcats, and can play any position when asked. “She’s doing an outstanding job this season,” Coach Conway said. “She’s not a vocal leader, but the other kids look to her to lead on the floor. She the glue that holds us together, and without her, we’d really be struggling.”