Lady Pirates Split First 2 Contests

The Williamsburg High School girls' basketball team split its first two games of the new season.

The Lady Pirates opened against visiting Northern Bedford on Jan. 18 and scored a 55-25 victory. One night later, WHS dropped a 58-48 decision at Tussey Mountain.

WHS 55, NB 25

A 10-0 run to start the third quarter jump-started the Lady Pirates en route to their victory. The surge turned a 22-14 lead into a 32-14 advantage with 4:40 to play in the quarter. The Lady Pirates outscored Northern Bedford 33-11 in the game's final 16 minutes.

"The Lady Pirates are excited to start the season finally and it is always nice to begin with a win," WHS coach Amy Hileman said. "Last year we had a very close game with Northern Bedford and we ended up losing by one, so we were focused to take control of the game early. We put pressure on them in the second half and we were able to keep a steady lead."

Freshmen Ayla Hileman and Megan Palmer each scored 12 points to lead the Lady Pirates. Sophomore Kendel Norris added 10 points.

"I was happy with our total team effort and being able to utilize our full bench," coach Hileman said.

"Going in, we knew that it would be a physical game and they would try to speed us up," Northern Bedford coach Jon Ewart said. "Obviously, we let that happen, and the game got out of our hands. Williamsburg did a nice job dictating the pace of the game."

Junior Ashley Kichman paced the Lady Panthers with seven points. Junior Makayla Hall and senior Olivia Higgins each added five points.

WHS outrebounded Northern Bedford 34-22 and had just 10 turnovers to NB's 22.

"We struggled on the weak side defensively which created a lot of offensive rebounds for them and they converted," Ewart said. "They cleaned up around the rim and made a lot of second-chance opportunities. Match that with turnovers, and you don't have a chance for a win. We need to improve on that end for us to be successful this season.

Tussey 58, WHS 48

Williamsburg traveled to Tussey Mountain on Jan. 19 and struggled to get its game going on both sides of the court and were in an eight- to 10-point deficit most of the game.

Tussey Mountain led 12-7 after the first quarter and 26-18 at halftime. The Lady Titans had a 32-30 scoring edge in the second half.

"Tussey is quick and we had trouble matching their speed, we got into foul trouble," Williamsburg coach Amy Hileman said. "It seemed like every time we began to put buckets in, Tussey ended up on the foul line and they knocked down their free throws keeping their lead."

Tussey Mountain converted 24 of its 31 chances from the foul line, while WHS shot 13-for-22 from the line.

Sophomores Kendel Norris (16) and Jayla Woodruff (11) were high scorers for WHS. Megan Palmer also reached double figures in points with 10.

"This season is definitely a different one with the restriction of fans, but we are treating each game as a gift and we are happy to have the opportunity to play," coach Hileman said.

Kailee Leonard tossed in 16 points to lead Tussey Mountain. Alayna Clark and Meghan Molosky added 16 and 14 points, respectively, for the Lady Titans.