Pioneers come out cold, lose to Cornell
By Lance Lysowski
Staff writer
llysowski@observer-reporter.com
PITTSBURGH - Before the West Greene girls basketball team boarded a bus Saturday morning for the 54-mile trip to Keystone Oaks High School, the Pioneers had a 30-minute shoot-around to prepare for their first-round playoff game.
After 32 minutes against Cornell, the focus of West Greene head coach Jordan Watson’s offseason program became clear.
The No. 12 Pioneers shot just 8 of 54 from the field and missed 20 free throws as they lost to fifth-seeded Cornell, 58-35, in a WPIAL Class A first-round playoff game.
The Raiders (17-5) advance to the quarterfinals, where they will play fourth-seeded Ellis School Saturday at a site and time to be determined. The Pioneers, meanwhile, saw their season come to an end with a 16-7 overall record.
“For us to be competitive today, we had to make layups and we had to make foul shots, had to get some three’s to fall,” Watson said. “For whatever reason, we couldn’t get anything to fall.”
The same could not be said for Cornell junior guard Daeja Quick, a midseason transfer from Moon. She scored a game-high 31 points.
West Greene, which started three freshman and did not win a game last season, used its press effectively early and it looked like enough to pose a threat to Cornell, forcing seven first-quarter turnovers. But they missed layups and nine free throws in the first half, going more than 11 minutes without a field goal.
Cornell went on a 21-4 run in the first half and led 38-17 at halftime. West Greene had 17 first-half turnovers and finished with 25 for the game.
Quick scored 20 first half points and senior forward Dominique Richards had all 14 of her points in the first half.
“We had trouble with her,” Watson said. “We thought if we did the sandwich press and put two girls on her, nobody on the ball, we’d be able to get the ball out of her hands. We couldn’t deny her the ball and once she got it, it was hard to stay in front of her.”
West Greene made just one field goal in the third quarter, when Quick added nine more points to give the Raiders a 27-point lead entering the final eight minutes.
Freshman McKenna Lampe led West Greene with 15 points and her sister, Madison, added seven.
“With what we have coming back, our goal is to win the section title next year,” Watson said. “That’s the plan.”