Wash High uses height in win over Charleroi
Wash High’s Tajah Gordon knocks the ball out of the hands of Charleroi’s Aislyn Lee during the first half of Monday night’s game at Washington.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Wash High's Torri Finley guards while Charleroi's Maggie Albert tries to pass around Finley during the first half of Monday night's game.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Charleroi's head coach Kevin Lee instructs his team during the Wash High game on Monday, January 4.
Few people expect a girls basketball team with a first-year head coach and only three seniors to be among the top teams in its classification almost halfway through the section schedule.
Despite playing without its leading scorer from last season, Charleroi had caught many by surprise. The Cougars were the highest scoring team in Class AA following the holiday break and sat in first place in Section 4-AA.
They had two players averaging at least 15 points per game and were beating opponents with a flawless offensive attack.
Everything changed Monday night. With first place on the line, Charleroi buckled under Washington’s trap defense and could not find an answer for the Prexies’ height. It added up to a 53-34 section loss in the Wash High Gymnasium.
The Prexies (5-0, 9-3) started the game on a 28-4 run, which included 12 points from senior forward Tajah Gordon, and never looked back.
“We were intimidated a little bit by their seniors,” Charleroi head coach Kevin Lee said. “Wash High took it to us and we never recovered after the first quarter. They jumped out to that large lead and our girls were hanging their heads. We couldn’t stop their (post players).”
That was by design. As Wash High prepared for the pivotal section game, head coach Mike Maltony made sure to scout the Cougars (4-1, 9-2), who would likely play a different style and system under a new head coach.
He found a solution on both ends of the floor – pressure on defense and attack the lane on offense. Wash High provided plenty of both to build a 19-point halftime lead.
Gordon, who stands 5-10, had a game-high 20 points with 10 rebounds and 5-9 senior forward Mikala Maltony added 10 points to go with 11 rebounds. Both players had a height advantage over Charleroi, which does not have a player taller than 5-8.
“The give and go was working well,” Mike Maltony said. “Tajah just creates space whenever she gets the ball in her hands. The other ones picked up any slack. If there was a bad pass or a missed shot they were able to get it. This is a great win.”
The Prexies didn’t take long to impose their will. They led 12-4 at the end of the first quarter, with the help of two three-pointers, and went on a 16-0 run to start the second behind eight points by Gordon. On the other end of the floor, Charleroi sagged under pressure and did not have a field goal for almost eight minutes.
The Cougars committed seven of their 21 turnovers in the second quarter and Wash High quickly turned the errors into points in transition. Charleroi, which has excelled shooting from the perimeter, was 0-for-11 from three-point range and just 12 of 47 from the field.
Looking tentative trying to pass inside, Wash High’s freshmen guards – Torri Finley and Carly Allen – used their speed to deflect passes and take the Cougars out of rhythm.
Despite being the defending section champions, Wash High has been overlooked early in favor of Charleroi because of inexperience. Not anymore.
“I think because we are a really young team, everyone thought we were inexperienced and people thought they were going to bully us,” Gordon said. “But our ninth graders have stepped up.”
That inexperience showed in the third quarter when the Prexies scored just eight points, despite Charleroi committing turnovers, but the early lead was enough for the win. The Cougars were led by sophomore guard Kaitlyn Riley’s 11 points and Adrianna Gottheld’s 10.
Charleroi was caught off guard by the Prexies’ pressure last night, but Gordon and Wash High showed that despite having a young lineup, the section title will go through them.
“We’re always the team to beat because Wash High is the name,” Gordon said. “Everyone wants to beat us and they want to play their hardest against us. We lost to Charleroi last year the first time and it was defeating. This year, we’ve proven everyone wrong.”