Lady Pioneers open season with convincing 61-12 win
ROGERSVILLE — The West Greene girls basketball team opened their 2016-17 season with an emphatic statement, scoring the opening 20 points and cruising to a 61-12 victory over Waynesburg Central Friday night in non-section action.
“Our hustle and effort was very good tonight,” West Greene coach Jordan Watson said. “Our pressure got to them and we forced some early miscues. On offense the ball stuck too much at times and we missed some outside shots. We didn’t move the ball quick enough and it took some time for our shots to fall.”
With the win, the Lady Pioneers (1-0) improved to 10-2 against their Greene County rival since the 2009-10 season.
McKenna Lampe registered 20 points, followed by 19 from her twin sister Madison. Kaitlyn Rizor chipped in with nine points, while Marissa Rode and Savannah Pettit added six each.
“I think things have slowed down for those three (Rizor and the Lampe twins) from last year,” Watson said. “They are more confident on offense and they are even more aggressive driving to the basket. They use their speed well. We usually expect those three to combine for 40-plus points a game.”
Claire Garber held high-scoring honors for the Lady Raiders (0-1) with five points.
“We have a lot of inexperience on our team and Claire is the only returning starter from last year,” Waynesburg coach John Garber said. “West Greene is a very good team and they play a different style than most. They sped up the game and we struggled with their tempo.”
West Greene’s pressure defense dictated the action in this non-section affair, forcing turnovers and tallying fast-break hoops.
After a sluggish start for both offenses to start the contest, the Lady Pioneers got things going with good ball movement and driving to the paint for either points or trips to the foul line.
McKenna Lampe scored 10 points in the opening quarter, as West Greene held a 24-3 lead at the end of one quarter.
In the second quarter after a pair of foul shots by Garber, the Lady Pioneers closed the period with a 16-1 run for a 42-6 halftime lead. Madison Lampe scored nine points in the quarter.
Elle Hampson started the third quarter for the Lady Raiders with a bucket, but the home squad countered with 15 straight points to end the quarter and evoke the mercy rule.
With the running clock in effect in the final eight minutes, both teams scored four points apiece.
“We have 16 girls and that’s awesome for us,” coach Garber said. “They played their hearts out tonight and never quit. We know it’s going to be a work in progress and I know we are going to get better. We just have to get into game action and get a good flow on the court. These girls will never quit, we just have to put the ball in the hoop more and rebound the ball better.”
West Greene was 14-of-25 from the foul line in the win.
Both teams will hit the road for non-section action on Monday, as West Greene travels to McGuffey and Waynesburg visits Jefferson-Morgan.
“Our goal every game is to hold teams to under 35 points,” Watson said. “Obviously, every game that number can vary on the team we are facing and sometimes we want to hold teams to under 20 points. I believe that if we can hold teams to under 35 we are going to be successful. Our offense should always score more than 35 a game. Our defense is our focal point.”