Lady Warriors come up short against Warrior Run
WILLIAMSPORT - It was a roller coaster ride for the Lady Warriors on Tuesday.
At times the team played like a young group in their first playoff game. At other times showed off the talent that got them there.
Unfortunately, turnovers and missed lay-ups proved to be there undoing as they fell to Warrior Run 51-41 in Class AA District IV girls' basketball action.
"We didn't take advantage of our height in the beginning," Williamson coach Corey Mosher said. "We had a lot of nerves to start the game, Williamson hasn't been here in 10 years. The girls have never experienced anything like this."
Those nerves allowed Warrior Run to jump out to a 7-0 lead before Warrior Kim Daugherty hit a jumper to get Williamson the board. Warrior Run continued to score away, though, as they pushed the lead to 14-2.
That's when Williamson found 6-foot, 3-inch center Lori Horton in the paint.
She had back to back lay-ups with and-1s to cut the deficit to 14-8. Horton added another lay-up to make it a 14-10 game.
Warrior Run's Tay Parker hit a lay-up late in the first quarter extend the Defenders lead to 16-10.
Horton continued to work in the second quarter, grabbing an offensive board and laying it in to make it a four point deficit. Forward Nikki Hurler had a chance to make it a two-point game but missed both freebies.
Warrior Runs' Abby Fisher, a freshman, hit a lay-up to make it an 18-12 Defenders lead but Horton helped keep pace, going 1-for-2 from line. Daugherty added another free throw to make it a four point deficit once again.
Daugherty then found Cheyenne Jones for a lay-up to cut it to 18-16.
"I felt like if we could get a lead it would get their confidence up," Mosher remarked. "If we got the lead I felt like we could keep it."
After trading baskets Warrior Run finished the first half in a flurry.
Defender Steph Shamburg hit back to back shots, followed by another Fisher basket to put Warrior Run back up 26-18. Daugherty hit a free throw late to make it a 26-19 halftime score.
If turnovers were Williamson's problem in the first half, where in they had 15, missed lay-ups haunted them in the second.
Warrior Run got off four straight points to start the third quarter before a Horton lay-up to stop the momentum.
The Defenders then went on to score five unanswered points to end the third, taking a 35-21 lead into the fourth.
Williamson missed a few contested shot at the basket, including four in a row at the end of the quarter. They kept up the fight, though.
Hurler hit Horton for two to start the fourth, followed by Warrior Run score four straight points to make it a 39-23 lead. Parker ended the run with a three to put the Defenders up by 19.
Daugherty started the Warrior rally with a jumper. McKenna Greenwalt added two free throws, with Daugherty hitting a shot and a foul shot to cut it to 42-30.
Horton cut it to 10 with a steal and lay-up, followed by Jones getting an offensive rebound and being fouled. She went 1-for-2 to make it a 42-33 Warrior Run lead.
Parker answered for the Defenders, hitting a jumper.
Williamson got it back down to seven as Hurler grabbed an offensive board and put it back, followed by her finding Daugherty for two to cut the deficit to seven again.
Warrior Run would answer, though. Shamburg hit lay-up, followed by the Defenders making three free throws to make it a 49-37 lead.
Horton hit two free throws to cut it back to 10. Jones picked up a steal, hit Hurler who found Jones again for two more to make it a nine point Warrior Run lead but time had run out.
Fisher hit a lay-up with a few seconds on the clock to make it a 51-41 final.
Mosher believes that his team got away from going inside.
"We shot a few jump shots and got away from what was working," he said.
Horton led Williamson with 21 points, 10 boards, six blocks and three steals while Daugherty had 11 points and nine boards.
Jones had five points and seven boards, Hurler added two points and six assists. Greenwalt rounded out the scoring with two.
Parker led Warrior Run with 21, including three threes, while Fisher added 16. Shamburg had 11 with Louise Bastion scoring three.
This may just be the beginning for the Warriors.
"Luckily we have a young group," Mosher said. "They're definitely resilient."
After losing four in a row during the season Williamson won eight of their last 12 to make it to districts.
"I don't feel like that will ever change," he said about his team. "They are definitely a bunch of fighters."
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