LH girls improve to 6-0 with win over rival Lady Raiders
The Laurel Highlands girls kept their undefeated season rolling along Thursday night with a 47-10 victory over visiting Uniontown in the Section 3-AAAA opener for both teams.
The Fillies improved to 6-0 and did so with pressure defense and transition offense.
Laurel Highlands turned up its defense with three-quarter court pressure and finished the first quarter with a 25-3 lead.
“We put a three-quarter court press in and wanted to work on it against Uniontown. We wanted to see what it looked like,” said Laurel Highlands coach Stewart Davis. “It was a good thing to throw at Uniontown to get energy to start the game.”
But, Davis did so with a level of caution because of a short, inexperienced bench.
“I didn’t want to risk injury,” added Davis.
The lead grew to 38-5 at halftime, invoking the mercy rule for the second half.
Aierra Jenkins led the Fillies with 12 points. Aryianna Sumpter was also in double figures with 11 points. Taylor Schwertfeger scored nine points and Miya Harris chipped in seven points.
The advantage permitted Davis to give minutes to his bench.
“I wanted to get them some confidence. I have two freshmen with not much confidence, but they’re relaxing,” said Davis.
The scoring slowed with the running clock. Laurel Highlands outscored its rival in the second half, 9-5.
Uniontown coach Penny Kezmarsky said solid practice did not transfer to the game.
“We practiced so well (Wednesday). We knew they were in a 32 (zone) defense. We were not passing and moving. When you play a zone, you have to move. They don’t have to in a zone,” explained Kezmarsky, adding, “They weren’t coming to the ball (on passes).”
A’Kira Dade scored six points for the Lady Raiders.
Both teams continue section play next week. Laurel Highlands travels to Southmoreland, while Uniontown hosts Elizabeth Forward.
“We’ve played a majority of our games at home. Brownsville was a test for us. Connellsville gave us a nice defensive scheme, but my girls responded,” said Davis.