Dec 13, 2013 By Adam Brewer, For The Greene County Messenger 3 min read

CARMICHAELS — The Brownsville girls basketball team opened up the game with 21 points in the first quarter and never looked back, defeating Carmichaels, 62-36, in non-section action Wednesday night.

“We didn’t play well in our season opener against California, but we have continued to improve these last two games,” Brownsville coach Greg Golembiewski said. “We are young, but we are very talented. Our main goal is to not turn the ball over on offense and to get turnovers on defense.”

Maris Seto was the leading catalyst for the Lady Falcons (3-0) with 28 points and was tenacious on defense, leading the Brownsville press.

“Maris is a special player,” Golembiewski said. “She can trap and she uses her speed and long arms to frustrate her opponent. She can play guard or forward for us, and she sees the floor very well. She can also handle the ball and is probably our best jump shooter. Her versatility is huge for us.”

After winning its first two games of the year at the Charleroi Tip-Off Tournament, the Lady Mikes (2-2) suffered their second straight loss, unable to establish any offensive flow in the first half.

“Our goal every year is to have a tough non-section schedule in December, so that it helps us out when we start section play,” Carmichaels coach Jim Lane said. “Brownsville is a quality team and is a tough match-up for us. You need these games against this type of opponent to build your team’s character and your work ethic.”

After Caroline Cree gave Carmichaels an early 2-0 lead on a fast break lay-up, Seto tallied seven consecutive points. Seto had 12 points in the opening eight minutes of play.

The Lady Mikes made it 9-4 after a bucket from Moriah Hathaway, but the Lady Falcons turned the game in their favor with their trap defense and forced several turnovers.

In the second stanza, Cree nailed a shot from beyond the arc to trim the deficit to 25-14, but the visitors continued their press and held a 31-18 lead at halftime.

The Lady Falcons started the third period with six straight points and held a 19-6 scoring edge to take a firm control of the contest. Seto added 10 points in the third quarter.

Both squads scored 12 points in the fourth, as the game was out of reach and both teams emptied their respective benches.

Besides the play of Seto, the Lady Falcons were led by KeKe MaCrae (nine), Whitney Ptak (eight) and Madison Zimcosky (seven).

For the Lady Mikes, Cree finished in double-figures with 11, while Hathaway and Amanda Brown added eight points apiece.

“A lot of our players are seeing varsity action for the first time,” Lane said. “It’s a different game and the speed of the game is so much faster. Their press was difficult to break and we forced a lot of things. We have to continue to build that experience on our team and get ready for section play next month.”

Brownsville opens up Section 4-AAA play tonight at home against West Mifflin, while Carmichaels travels to Waynesburg Central on Friday for a non-section affair.

“We have to dictate the tempo in section play,” Golembiewski said. “We are pretty quick and we have a lot of guards that can move. Our pressure and our trap will be critical for us in section play. There are a lot of experienced teams with some size in our section. I think we are good enough to play with most teams in our section.”