CV hands Lady ’Canes fourth straight loss
Central Valley (54) Vs. New Castle (46)
It didn’t get much easier for the New Castle High girls basketball team.
The Lady ’Canes played the top two teams in WPIAL Section 2-AAA in their first two games after losing star guard Kaylynn Waters to a season-ending knee injury.
They faced the No. 4 team last night, and the results remained the same.
New Castle dropped a 54-46 decision on the road to Central Valley, losing its fourth straight.
The Lady Warriors’ zone defense stifled New Castle, who trailed 29-21 at halftime. Strangely enough, a benefit for the Lady ’Canes was what caused an alteration in the Central Valley defense.
“It’s funny because we got them in foul trouble early,” New Castle coach Jason Rankin said. “(Elle) George, their point guard, picked up two early fouls. They were playing man to man at the time, and they switched to zone after that. And we really struggled against the zone. With their size, they were able to close the gaps.
“So, they kind of fell into it and came out smelling like roses.”
The Lady ’Canes (7-3 section, 11-7 overall) couldn’t cut into the Central Valley lead in the third quarter. The Lady Warriors (6-4, 14-4) pushed their advantage to 12 entering the fourth, and New Castle didn’t move any closer than the final margin in the final period.
Part of the problem, Rankin said, was missed opportunities. The Lady ’Canes forced 29 turnovers but failed to take advantage.
“They were able to extend their lead to 10 or 12, and again, we tried to make some things happen, and we turned them over a number of times, but we missed some shots and dropped some passes along the way,” Rankin said. “We just didn’t convert nearly as much as we should have.”
Central Valley’s Madalena Rowan led all scorers with 21 points. Christina Talbert paced New Castle with 15, while Dana Perrotta and Rachael Razzano added 11 apiece.
The Lady ’Canes could have moved into a tie for second place in the section and just a half-game out of first place with a win because Hopewell beat Blackhawk, but they stayed in third, a game ahead of Central Valley.
Rankin said New Castle, which already clinched a playoff berth, has to forget about the standings at this point and focus on themselves.
“Our concern has to be on getting better and finding a way to win a game,” he said. “We got some contributions from people who normally don’t play as much, so that was a good sign. But the starters have to make some shots, and our defense needs to improve.”
New Castle continues section play next week with matchups against Beaver and Ambridge.
“Both are winnable games,” Rankin said. “We went through the toughest part of the section the past two weeks, but we have work to do.”