Advantage EF: Lady Warriors secure big road win at LH, 55-41
The winner of Thursday’s Elizabeth Forward-Laurel Highlands girls basketball game would have the upperhand for the Section 3-AAAA title, and that early advantage fell to the visiting Lady Warriors with a 55-41 victory.
Elizabeth Forward improves to 3-0 in the section and 8-2 overall. The loss was the first for Laurel Highlands, slipping to 2-1 in the section and 9-1 overall.
Trailing 23-18 at halftime, Laurel Highlands had several solid opportunities to seize the momentum early in the third quarter, but was unable to pull ahead with empty trips.
The home team made only 1-of-4 foul shots and couldn’t convert a solid scoring opportunity. So, instead of possibly taking the lead, the Fillies trailed 28-24 with 4:20 left in the quarter.
“We were right there. Basketball is a game of runs,” said Laurel Highlands coach Stewart Davis. “We had to sit AJ (Aierra Jenkins) with four fouls in the third quarter.”
Elizabeth Forward made the most of the opportunity, closing the quarter with a 12-4 run for a 40-28 lead.
“That was the turning point. We (forced) a lot of turnovers and we were able to convert. We went on a little run,” said Elizabeth Forward coach Noah Yartin.
“They just took over from there,” said Davis. “They had an aggressive defense we haven’t seen all year.
“This was our first challenge. We had some mental lapses.
The Lady Warriors’ advantage stayed in double digits throughout the fourth quarter, out-scoring the home team in the final eight minutes, 15-13, to clinch the key section win.
Two keys to the Lady Warriors’ victory were their bench scoring and solid performance at the foul line.
Elizabeth Forward held a 15-0 advantage off the bench with Addyson Nigut scoring 10 and McKenna Bittner adding five. The Lady Warriors converted 19-of-23 foul shots, compared to 18-of-28 for Laurel Highlands.
Elizabeth Forward’s Chloe Zombek spread her scoring across all four quarters, finishing with a team-high 15 points. Seven of the eight players scored, with all finishing with at least four points.
“Anyone can score at any given time. That’s a bonus for us,” said Yartin.
“Their bench contributed. They knocked down shots,” said Davis.
Laurel Highlands’ Miya Harris shared game-scoring honors with 15 points. Ayrianna Sumpter finished with 14 points, eight coming from the foul line.
“We did what we were supposed to do against their defensive scheme. Their numbers, the adrenaline (from playing in a big game), the press, they wore us down,” said Davis.
Both teams were saddled with foul trouble. Laurel Highlands’ Taylor Irwin and the Lady Warriors’ Kaelynn Settles and Michelle Jellison fouled out.
Laurel Highlands’ Aierra Jenkins, Taylor Schwertfeger and Sumpter all had four fouls and Harris finished with three. Elizabeth Forward’s Alyssa Terza, Zombek, Mia Sostaric and Nigut all had three fouls.
“Everyone was in foul trouble. We normally go seven or eight deep. (The bench) showed up. That was a key,” said Yartin. “We figured it would be tightly officiated.”
Davis said the season goal hasn’t changed with the loss.
“We’ll get back to the gym and work on some things,” said Davis. “Our immediate goal was to get this one and get the advantage in the section play.
“We have Belle Vernon coming up. We can’t look past them. Our goal still is to win the section.”