Lady Pioneers fall to Mohawk in tough opening test
West Greene无毛视频檚 girls basketball team didn无毛视频檛 expect to play its first game until January after its season-opening tip-off tournament at Southmoreland was canceled.
There the Lady Pioneers were, though, on the court at St. Joseph无毛视频檚 High School on Friday, not only playing a game but facing Mohawk, the defending WPIAL Class 3A champion.
West Greene hung with the Lady Warriors but a slow started doomed coach Jordan Watson无毛视频檚 squad in a 75-66 loss.
Watson had no regrets about the last-second addition of the game, even though the loss foiled the Lady Pioneers无毛视频� chance at putting together back-to-back undefeated regular seasons.
无毛视频淲e were supposed to play Yough Friday and then Southmoreland (Saturday),无毛视频� Watson said. 无毛视频淭hat got canceled so we had nobody to play as of Monday. But then St. Joe无毛视频檚 had somebody drop out late at their tournament and they called and wanted to know if we were looking to play and I said sure. They said it would be against Mohawk. I said yeah, that无毛视频檚 fine, we don无毛视频檛 care.无毛视频�
Mohawk jumped out to 28-14 lead in the first quarter. West Greene fought back in the second to pull within 44-37 by halftime and eventually sliced the gap to five in the fourth quarter but could get no closer.
Julian Page led the Lady Warriors with a game-high 30 points, Hannah McDaniel followed with 17 and Jordan Radzmynski added 10.
无毛视频淲e really started absolutely dead,无毛视频� Watson said. 无毛视频淭here were no fans in the stands so it was absolute dead silence in there. You sort of have to create your own energy. It无毛视频檚 a little different right now and I don无毛视频檛 think they无毛视频檙e used to that, but that无毛视频檚 not an excuse.
无毛视频淚t got to 12-2 right away and I had to use two early timeouts. We talked about how No. 11 (McDaniel) was a really good shooter. Well, she had five threes in the first quarter. After that we did a really good job on her. She only scored two points the rest of the game.无毛视频�
Watson feels his team learned a lesson in the defeat.
无毛视频淲e weren无毛视频檛 mentally engaged at the beginning and that cost us in the long run because we outscored them over the last three quarters,无毛视频� Watson said. 无毛视频淲e told them, basically, when you无毛视频檙e playing a high-quality team like Mohawk you无毛视频檝e got to play 32 minutes to win. If you play 27, 28, that might be good enough to beat some teams but not a good team like that.无毛视频�
Still, the Lady Pioneers threatened to pull the game out in the final minutes.
无毛视频淲e cut it to 69-64 and they had the ball in transition and there was one of those bang-bang plays, was it a charge or a block,无毛视频� Watson explained. 无毛视频淭hey called it a block and Mohawk got a three-point play off that and then we had to start fouling. If we get the benefit of that call then we still have a chance to come back. We were right there with them.无毛视频�
The Lady Pioneers put four players in double figures, led by Anna Durbin with 17 points. She was followed by Jersey Wise with 15, Elizabeth Brudnock with 12 and Katie Lampe with 11.
无毛视频淥ur balance was pretty good on offense,无毛视频� Watson said. 无毛视频淲e always want those three seniors (Wise, Brudnock and Durbin) to combine for at least 40 and they had 44, and Katie had three 3-pointers.
无毛视频淏eaver only scored 28 points on Mohawk at the Pete in the WPIAL championship game last year. It was definitely a good test to start with after an interesting week.无毛视频�
Watson laughed when recalling the past week.
无毛视频淲e got the news that we were shut down until Jan. 4 while we were at practice on Thursday so I was going to go over press rotations again and a few more plays, but we just cut if off at that point, figuring we had no game and were now off for three weeks,无毛视频� Watson explained.
无毛视频淭hen we got news about the possible game at St. Joe无毛视频檚 and our school had a board meeting that night and then I found out at about 10 o无毛视频檆lock that we actually were playing. That was a pleasant surprise, I wasn无毛视频檛 sure how the board would go on that, but that made me think I shouldn无毛视频檛 have cut off that last practice. We ran a couple sets wrong in the game where I wish we would无毛视频檝e gone over that a little more Thursday night, so that无毛视频檚 on me.无毛视频�
Overall, Watson felt the game was very beneficial for his team.
无毛视频淲e were happy to get one game in,无毛视频� Watson said. 无毛视频淪ome schools actually played two games yesterday (Mohawk defeated St. Joseph无毛视频檚, 67-29, in the final later Friday night). Any time you can play a good team like Mohawk, whether it无毛视频檚 in the summer or early in the season, I think it helps you down the road. They had four starters coming back so we knew they were really good.
无毛视频淟ooking ahead, if we do come back on Jan. 4th we don无毛视频檛 know what the WPIAL is going to do, if they无毛视频檙e going to give us a 12-game schedule, a 14-game schedule or just have you play your section. Any time we can play somebody good non-conference we need to.无毛视频�
Dealing with situations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic 无毛视频� for instance, West Greene voted to require its players to wear masks while playing 无毛视频� is a challenge that Watson hopes his players can answer.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e used to having a lot of fans but with no one there you无毛视频檝e got to pump yourself up,无毛视频� Watson said. 无毛视频淭his was also our first game playing with the mask on. That无毛视频檚 different, too.
无毛视频淣ow we无毛视频檝e got three weeks off so the main thing is the girls have got to stay in shape kind of on their own. If they do that, we无毛视频檒l be alright. But if not, then you无毛视频檙e back to step one.
无毛视频淚 do think we have good senior leadership so that makes me think they无毛视频檒l be ready when we return.无毛视频�