Mohawk girls get ‘bounce back’ victory
Mohawk (67) Vs. Laurel (43)
The Mohawk High girls basketball team needed to rebound following one-point loss to Shenango on Monday.
Mission accomplished.
The Lady Warriors used a strong second half to defeat visiting Laurel, 67-43, in a WPIAL Section 1-AA battle.
“We needed to bounce back quick,” Mohawk coach Mike O’Lare said. “I know our kids were frustrated from Monday, so it was nice to get back and get a win.”
Mohawk (5-2 section, 11-3 overall) outscored the Lady Spartans 41-26 in the final 16 minutes, including an 18-6 third-quarter advantage.
“The third quarter probably did us in,” Laurel coach Jessica Shevitz said. “We were great for two quarters, but other teams just have a deeper bench.”
Samantha Carr led all scorers with 20 points, while Aliya Gage chipped in 12 points and six rebounds for the Lady Warriors.
Ellen Shaffer responded with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for Laurel (1-6, 6-9) and Kristin Dicks tallied 15 points, five steals and four assists.
Mohawk’s 1-3-1 halfcourt zone defense gave the Lady Spartans fits for most of the game. Laurel didn’t score more than 10 points in a quarter until the final eight minutes, when it scored 20 against the Mohawk backups.
“That’s something that’s a little different from what they’ve been doing,” Shevitz said of the zone. “They played it well. We were really off shooting.”
The Lady Warriors now look to start a new streak after their six-game winning streak was snapped against Shenango. O’Lare hopes that his team can move past that loss and look toward the rest of the season.
“We were getting some wins but at the same time we weren’t playing well,” O’Lare said. “It came up and bit us at Shenango, but now we need to look forward and not behind.”