Lady Pioneers’ ‘Press Greene’ overwhelms Carmichaels, 59-29
CARMICHAELS — The West Greene girls’ basketball squad remained unbeaten after a relentless display of full-court pressure against Carmichaels en route to a 59-29 non-section victory Tuesday night.
After the teams traded baskets to start the contest, the Lady Pioneers (5-0) tallied 18 consecutive points to close out the first quarter.
“We are a deeper team than last year and we like to play 12 girls every night,” West Greene coach Jordan Watson said. “That depth allows us to press and be aggressive. We think all 12 girls can play varsity. We play hard every night and we are going to make some mistakes, but this team is really fast and athletic.”
The offensive explosive was led by their tenacious press, as the squad has taken the moniker of “Press Greene” this season.
“Our press is our key,” Watson said. “We pressure the ball constantly and we want to speed the game up. Our kids are very athletic, and they find ways to hustle to the ball and turn teams over. We have t-shirts that says ‘Press Greene’ and we are big WVU fans. WVU runs the press very well and we try to emulate that. We believe in that system and the kids buy into the mindset.”
A total of nine players reached the score sheet for the Lady Pioneers, but once again the Lampe sisters led the charge for the visitors as McKenna tallied 21 points while twin sister Madison collected 19.
Madison had 12 of West Greene’s 20 points in the first quarter while McKenna totaled the other eight points.
The action was more evenly played in the second stanza as the Lady Mikes (2-4) were able to break the press and get to the free throw line.
“We knew what was coming and we knew all about their press,” Carmichaels coach Dan Happe said. “It was no surprise to us, but we just couldn’t handle it. In that first quarter it felt like we got punched in the gut and couldn’t recover from it. As the game went on, we were able to break it and played them pretty tough.”
Kristina Aeschbacher had five of Carmichaels’ 12 points in the second period while Kaitlyn Wilson scored a team-high eight points in the non-section loss.
West Greene held a 14-12 scoring advantage in the second and led 34-14 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Lady Mikes trimmed the deficit to 36-18 after two free throws by Gina Ranier, but the Lady Pioneers ended the quarter on an 8-5 run. WG’s Sarah Courtwright hit two shots from the charity stripe to give the visitors a 45-23 lead through three quarters.
The Lady Pioneers held a 14-6 scoring edge in the final eight minutes to secure the win.
“Both of the Lampe sisters are very athletic and they have a lot of diversity in their offensive game,” Watson said. “They can make shots or drive by you to the hoop. They are both red hot for us and are starting the season very strong. Both are very mature and know their roles.”
Both teams return to section action on Thursday, as West Greene travels to Monessen and Carmichaels hosts Bentworth.