CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Class A No. 6 Williamstown suffocated No. 3 Tucker County with defensive pressure early on Wednesday morning and held on late, opening up the girls basketball quarterfinals with a 58-51 win over the Mountain Lions.
“We thought we matched up pretty well with them,” said Williamstown coach Fred Sauro. “We just did what we do – we pressed most of the time and actually got out of it a little bit too soon. More than stealing the ball, what we want to do is force pace. This press is designed to get (our opponent) to move the way we want. Controlling the tempo of the game is very important for us.”
The Yellowjackets (20-5) overall forced 26 turnovers, handing Tucker County (22-4) its only loss to a Class A opponent this year.
“That’s how we like to play,” said Williamstown’s leading scorer, point guard Ashley Morris. “It plays into our advantage when the other team tries to play at our pace, because we’re usually better at it. That’s just how we like to go.”
Williamstown’s pressure created seven early turnovers as the Yellowjackets built an 18-6 lead in the first quarter. Williamstown maintained its lead throughout the first half, taking a 38-27 lead into the break behind Samantha Dedrick’s 14 points.
“I was exhausted – but when I don’t play well, someone else always steps up,” Morris said. “Today was a team effort more than anything. We all played together and we all played well.”
The Yellowjackets extended their lead out to 51-31 midway through the third quarter. A 10-0 Tucker County run over 3:22, however, cut that deficit to 10 points heading into the final stanza. It was an overall 20-2 run for the Mountain Lions that tightened the game at 53-51 with just 2:17 to go in the fourth.
“We got aggressive,” Tucker County coach Jim Ambrose said. “Initially we talked about trying to slow (the pace) down – and we stopped being aggressive. But we turned that around and started getting more aggressive in the end. That helped, but when you do it that late and use all of your energy to get back into it, it costs you buckets.”
Williamstown, though, iced the game from the free throw line as Tucker County couldn’t hit a needed shot in the final minute. The Yellowjackets went 17 of 21 from the charity stripe, while Tucker County finished 11 of 20.
Morris led Williamstown overall with 19 points, going 9 of 10 from the foul line. Sydney Nestor led Tucker County with 20 points in the loss.
It was Tucker County’s 13th straight trip to the state tournament and Williamstown’s first since 2013.
Williamstown moves on to face either No. 2 Wheeling Central or No. 7 Ritchie County at 9:30 a.m. in Friday’s semifinals.
“We knew we would be a tough out – and we’re not out,” Sauro said. “These girls are just absolutely tremendous. We have six seniors and they have been so wonderful to coach, great to work with and they’re athletes.”