WEEDSPORT - Weedsport coach John Anderson said his girls basketball team hasn't won a Section III playoff game in “a long time.”
Jennifer Meyers / The Citizen
Weedsport's Markie Kreplin looks for an open teammate while being defended by Mohawk's Melissa Morse (15) during the first half of Tuesday's game at Weedsport Central School.
Weedsport's Markie Kreplin looks for an open teammate while being defended by Mohawk's Melissa Morse (15) during the first half of Tuesday's game at Weedsport Central School.
No one could remember exactly when the last postseason victory was, but the Warriors looked anything but unfamiliar in Tuesday's Class C-2 game.
No. 2 seed Weedsport held No. 7 Mohawk scoreless for periods of 7:51 and 9:08 as the Warriors breezed to a 45-28 victory. The Warriors will play No. 3 Onondaga at a time and place to be determined this weekend. The Warriors topped the Tigers at home, 35-31, on Jan. 8.
“We had our hearts set on it,” said junior Markie Kreplin, who had a game-high 16 points. “We really wanted to win.”
Weedsport (14-6) overpowered Mohawk (7-13) defensively and moved the ball well in the paint offensively to advance. But defense seemed to be the name of the game for the Warriors.
“I thought they were wearing down,” Anderson said. “We had girls running in and out even in the first half. But we played very well defensively; their shooting was just fatigue, and most of the time they had a hand in their face.”The Mohicans' tiredness showed in the second half, when they went 3-of-17.
“We didn't shoot well from the perimeter,” admitted Mohawk coach Linda Ptak. “We needed to shoot well from the perimeter to have any chance of opening up the inside game.” The Warriors outmatched the scrappy Mohicans size-wise, with Kreplin, Kaitlin Hammersley and Kate Spingler dominating the glass on both ends of the court. The trio combined for 30 of Weedsport's 36 rebounds, and held Mohawk to a mere two second-chance shots.
Offensively, the Warriors pulled down 15 boards to the Mohicans' three.
“We go after the ball,” Kreplin said. “We want to get the rebound and put it back up.”
Ptak was impressed with Weedsport's aggressiveness.
“They know the game, they know their positions very well,” she said. “If they see the ball coming toward them, every single one of those girls will jump for it.”
The Warriors' skill paid off early. After a shaky start, Weedsport rallied to tie the game at 15-15 midway through the second quarter.
Kreplin grabbed Jessica Henderson's offensive rebound to put Weedsport up by two. Kreplin pulled down another board and got the put-back, then capitalized on two Mohawk turnovers to open up an eight-point lead, 23-15 with 2:08 left before halftime. “They had a hard time stopping Markie in the second,” Anderson said. “It was an eight-point surge. She got the ball in the high post and just drove. It turned the game around for us.”
After the run, the Warrior defense clamped down. The Mohicans hadn't scored since the 7:04 mark in the second, and wouldn't get on the board until there was 7:13 left in the third. Mohawk only connected for three more baskets until time expired.
Going into this weekend semifinals, Weedsport will have some momentum - at least on the defensive side.
“Our defense was a key to this game,” Anderson said. “Twenty-eight points in a section game - that's pretty good.”
No. 2 seed Weedsport held No. 7 Mohawk scoreless for periods of 7:51 and 9:08 as the Warriors breezed to a 45-28 victory. The Warriors will play No. 3 Onondaga at a time and place to be determined this weekend. The Warriors topped the Tigers at home, 35-31, on Jan. 8.
“We had our hearts set on it,” said junior Markie Kreplin, who had a game-high 16 points. “We really wanted to win.”
Weedsport (14-6) overpowered Mohawk (7-13) defensively and moved the ball well in the paint offensively to advance. But defense seemed to be the name of the game for the Warriors.
“I thought they were wearing down,” Anderson said. “We had girls running in and out even in the first half. But we played very well defensively; their shooting was just fatigue, and most of the time they had a hand in their face.”The Mohicans' tiredness showed in the second half, when they went 3-of-17.
“We didn't shoot well from the perimeter,” admitted Mohawk coach Linda Ptak. “We needed to shoot well from the perimeter to have any chance of opening up the inside game.” The Warriors outmatched the scrappy Mohicans size-wise, with Kreplin, Kaitlin Hammersley and Kate Spingler dominating the glass on both ends of the court. The trio combined for 30 of Weedsport's 36 rebounds, and held Mohawk to a mere two second-chance shots.
Offensively, the Warriors pulled down 15 boards to the Mohicans' three.
“We go after the ball,” Kreplin said. “We want to get the rebound and put it back up.”
Ptak was impressed with Weedsport's aggressiveness.
“They know the game, they know their positions very well,” she said. “If they see the ball coming toward them, every single one of those girls will jump for it.”
The Warriors' skill paid off early. After a shaky start, Weedsport rallied to tie the game at 15-15 midway through the second quarter.
Kreplin grabbed Jessica Henderson's offensive rebound to put Weedsport up by two. Kreplin pulled down another board and got the put-back, then capitalized on two Mohawk turnovers to open up an eight-point lead, 23-15 with 2:08 left before halftime. “They had a hard time stopping Markie in the second,” Anderson said. “It was an eight-point surge. She got the ball in the high post and just drove. It turned the game around for us.”
After the run, the Warrior defense clamped down. The Mohicans hadn't scored since the 7:04 mark in the second, and wouldn't get on the board until there was 7:13 left in the third. Mohawk only connected for three more baskets until time expired.
Going into this weekend semifinals, Weedsport will have some momentum - at least on the defensive side.
“Our defense was a key to this game,” Anderson said. “Twenty-eight points in a section game - that's pretty good.”
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