going for 2:
West Valley’s Megan Bowen shoots a
basket during West Valley’s playoff win over Oroville last
Tuesday. Check wwww.AndersonValleyPost.com for an
update of their game against Enterprise March 3.
The West Valley girls basketball team didn't play a crisp playoff opener against Oroville, but they managed to pull off a win and take their team into the next round of the Div. 3 playoffs on Thursday, Feb. 26.
The 48-42 victory over the Tigers will pit the Eagles (11-15) against No.2 seed Enterprise (18-8) on March 3.
"It was a win. I'll take it," said Eagles coach Daina Cowan. "To get them by in the first playoff game with all the nerves, and not a whole lot of experience - it was ugly but I'll take it."
Paige Atkins led the Eagles with 13 against the Tigers. Amy Westaby added 11, and Morgan McCarley led in rebounds with 13.
The playoff match started slow offensively, with each team scoring only six in the first quarter.
Westaby sunk a three in the first minute of the second quarter, and the Eagles dominated the court for the rest of the period outscoring the Tigers 17-6 for a 23-12 halftime score.
The Eagles slowed in the foul laden third quarter, and began letting the Tigers back in the game.
"It's hard to keep it in rhythm when there are so many fouls being called. You are starting and stopping all the time. So that gets difficult for the girls," Cowan said.
The Tigers continued to creep their way back into the game in the fourth. Oroville got hot, while West Valley struggled offensively.
The Eagles led by only 4 points (44-40) with 51 seconds left in the game.
But a three point shot by sophomore Jessica Wilcox solidified West Valley's lead, and the Eagles came out ahead as the time clock drained.
"That was a big bucket at the end - a huge bucket," Cowan said. "She's got to be committed just to be able to step up and shoot that basket."
Coach Cowan said overall her team will need to step up their offense against a talented Enterprise team.
"We'll have to play a lot better," Cowan said. "I don't think it was bad defensively, but offensively we've got to shoot with confidence."
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 0
Be the first to post a comment!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.