Zebras Trip Lady Squires In Title Game
February 10, 2020 at 1:30 a.m.
Zebras Trip Lady Squires In Title Game
By Noah Tong-
Garriott, responsible for succeeding in the role of both creator and scorer, managed to break the full-court press on several occasions. Her insistence on driving towards the basket before attempting a layup or dishing off a pass to a teammate caused mayhem for the Zebra defense all night.
“She’s like a one-man fast break and press-break,” said head coach Josh Troyer with a chuckle. “She’s one that had trouble last game against them. I thought mentally she just wasn’t in it.”
“Tonight, she did a really good job of staying composed. She just didn’t get some shots to fall which was kind of case in point for our team.”
Despite struggling to impose herself last time Manchester faced Rochester on Jan. 25, Garriott’s troubles subsided during the post-season rematch. Her 11 points marked the eighth time this season Garriott reached double digits.
The Zebras started quickly by frustrating Manchester (8-17) and causing turnovers. When the first quarter ended, the Lady Squires had managed to score but two points.
“I would’ve liked to get off to a little better start, but I thought we weathered the storm a little bit,” Troyer said. “They’re a team that handed it to us a couple weeks ago. It’s hard for a team that just blew you out like that to not blow you out again. That’s the mindset for a lot of girls.”
Entering the later stages of the game, the Lady Squires looked for offense from other shooters. Early in the fourth quarter, sophomore Ainsley West hit a deep three to keep the margin within five. The 34-29 highlighted a clear improvement over the 50-30 blowout just two weeks earlier.
“We tried to keep clawing in there hoping they would falter,” Troyer said. “There just wasn’t enough size to combat the size Rochester has. Then we didn’t hit shots outside, and it doesn’t turn out the way we wanted.”
Indeed, the Rochester post players presented difficult matchups for Manchester. Junior Kaitlin Rogers and sophomore Emily Hughes combined for 12 point and 10 rebounds.
“This year wasn’t easy,” Troyer said. “We lose our leading scorer two days before the season starts after we prepared the first 20 practices with her. We had 20 percent or less of our scoring coming back, and a lot of girls had to play roles and positions they weren’t comfortable in.”
As the Zebras cut down the nets, Troyer had a message for his team.
“I told them I love them,” he said. “I’m really proud of them. They stepped up and never quit. Whether we were getting beat by 20 or getting beat by two, you couldn’t tell with our group.
“That’s something that speaks volumes about those girls, about what they’re going to do later in life. They’re not all going to be professional athletes, but they’re going to be really good at whatever job they have because of their work ethic.”
Seniors Mackenzie Day and Kiera Hatfield combined for seven points, four assists, nine rebounds, and three steals to wrap up their high school playing career.
Rochester (18-7) continues play Saturday in a 2A regional matchup at Frankton versus Lafayette Central Catholic.
Garriott, responsible for succeeding in the role of both creator and scorer, managed to break the full-court press on several occasions. Her insistence on driving towards the basket before attempting a layup or dishing off a pass to a teammate caused mayhem for the Zebra defense all night.
“She’s like a one-man fast break and press-break,” said head coach Josh Troyer with a chuckle. “She’s one that had trouble last game against them. I thought mentally she just wasn’t in it.”
“Tonight, she did a really good job of staying composed. She just didn’t get some shots to fall which was kind of case in point for our team.”
Despite struggling to impose herself last time Manchester faced Rochester on Jan. 25, Garriott’s troubles subsided during the post-season rematch. Her 11 points marked the eighth time this season Garriott reached double digits.
The Zebras started quickly by frustrating Manchester (8-17) and causing turnovers. When the first quarter ended, the Lady Squires had managed to score but two points.
“I would’ve liked to get off to a little better start, but I thought we weathered the storm a little bit,” Troyer said. “They’re a team that handed it to us a couple weeks ago. It’s hard for a team that just blew you out like that to not blow you out again. That’s the mindset for a lot of girls.”
Entering the later stages of the game, the Lady Squires looked for offense from other shooters. Early in the fourth quarter, sophomore Ainsley West hit a deep three to keep the margin within five. The 34-29 highlighted a clear improvement over the 50-30 blowout just two weeks earlier.
“We tried to keep clawing in there hoping they would falter,” Troyer said. “There just wasn’t enough size to combat the size Rochester has. Then we didn’t hit shots outside, and it doesn’t turn out the way we wanted.”
Indeed, the Rochester post players presented difficult matchups for Manchester. Junior Kaitlin Rogers and sophomore Emily Hughes combined for 12 point and 10 rebounds.
“This year wasn’t easy,” Troyer said. “We lose our leading scorer two days before the season starts after we prepared the first 20 practices with her. We had 20 percent or less of our scoring coming back, and a lot of girls had to play roles and positions they weren’t comfortable in.”
As the Zebras cut down the nets, Troyer had a message for his team.
“I told them I love them,” he said. “I’m really proud of them. They stepped up and never quit. Whether we were getting beat by 20 or getting beat by two, you couldn’t tell with our group.
“That’s something that speaks volumes about those girls, about what they’re going to do later in life. They’re not all going to be professional athletes, but they’re going to be really good at whatever job they have because of their work ethic.”
Seniors Mackenzie Day and Kiera Hatfield combined for seven points, four assists, nine rebounds, and three steals to wrap up their high school playing career.
Rochester (18-7) continues play Saturday in a 2A regional matchup at Frankton versus Lafayette Central Catholic.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092