Washington finds its rhythm and knocks off Beth-Center
CHARLEROI – With a young team, Washington girls head basketball coach Mike Maltony knew his team might need some time to shake off the jitters of playing in a WPIAL playoff game.
It took the Prexies a half to do so.
Once they did, however, they pulled away to hand Beth-Center a 45-27 WPIAL Class AA defeat Friday night at Charleroi High School.
Sophomores Torri Finley and Carly Allen were the catalysts for the Prexies (13-10), scoring 17 and 14 points, respectively.
“That’s the way Torri can play all of the time,” said Maltony. “This was a good win for us and both teams grew up tonight.”
Beth-Center coach Steve Beyer shared Maltony’s concerns about his young team entering the game. The Bulldogs (12-9) don’t have a senior on their roster and the inexperience showed, at times, for both teams in the form of turnovers.
The two teams combined for 28 turnovers in a sloppy first half after which Washington led 16-13.
“Both teams are young and played hard,” Beyer said. “We didn’t win but we will learn from this experience.”
Maltony credited Beth-Center defense for keeping the game close early.
“I think both teams were a little nervous but we have been sluggish all year, and I credit their staff,” said Maltony. “He put in a solid game plan to slow us down.
“We eventually calmed down and realized that we can play.”
The Prexies finally solved Beth-Center’s defense and stopped turning the ball over. The Bulldogs, however, continued to struggle taking care of the ball. Washington finished with 20 turnovers compared to 35 for Beth-Center.
Washington led 9-7 after the first quarter, and it extended its lead to 16-13 at the half despite not hitting a shot in the second quarter.
Washington was seven-of-12 from the foul line in the first half.
Washington put the game away in the third quarter behind six points from Finley as they went on a 15-6 run to take a 31-19 lead into the final quarter.
Kinlee Whited led Beth-Center with 10 points. The Bulldogs made 10 field goals in the game.
Freshman guard Olivia Greco got off to a good start for the Bulldogs, recording three steals in the first quarter but struggled with foul trouble most of the game.
Freshman Elizabeth Trump came off of the bench to score nine points and grab 12 rebounds for Beth-Center.
Washington advances to face second-seeded Vincentian next Thursday at a time and location to be announced.
“It’s going to be a tall task and they have a storied tradition,” said Maltony. “But we will get back to the chalk board and see what we can come up with.”