Henderson’s defense rises up to shut down Unionville in Ches-Mont Challenge

Kennett Square >> Facing a Unionville squad with four returning starters averaging 5-foot-11, West Chester Henderson’s defense rose to the occasion (literally) with a 45-27 win Saturday in the first game of the Ches-Mont Challenge doubleheader at Kennett High School.
“Our big word today was discipline,” said Henderson head coach Greta Neff, whose squad improved to 2-0. “We didn’t want them to get inside. We boxed out well and got good rebounds. Our whole team played phenomenal defense today.”
Leading the Warriors’ rebound regiment was senior forward Viki Kneis, who snared nine boards, followed by senior guard Brynn Cullinan (eight), junior forward Abbey Shea (seven), junior guard Erin Torrance (five) and senior guard Emma Bertrando (five).
“Kenis is a very hard worker, and she crashed the boards well today,” said Neff.
Bertrando, a first team All-Ches-Mont selection last winter, also contributed with strong defense on Unionville’s prolific 6-foot-1 senior guard Maddie Shanahan, another first team All-Ches-Mont pick.
The Warriors came into the 2016-17 campaign looking to play an up-tempo game with a pressure defense, scoring points in transition. On Saturday, Henderson’s defense forced a number of Unionville turnovers, but couldn’t generate any early offense and the game was scoreless for the first six minutes. A Henderson spurt in the last couple of minutes in the first period gave the Warriors an 8-3 first-quarter lead.
In the second quarter, the Warriors built a 22-13 halftime advantage. Henderson 5-4 junior point guard Maddie DePrisco’s defense caused several turnovers, and she began to score from the outside.
“Maddie is a natural point guard,” said Neff. “She has a natural sense of the game. She was sidelined with a knee injury last year, and worked hard to get back here this season.”
In one sequence that lasted about 30 seconds, DePrisco hit two nearly identical three-pointers from the top of the key, giving the Warriors a 32-15 lead with 1:39 left in the third stanza. She finished with 12 points, and Kneis and Cullinan each tallied nine points.
For Unionville (0-2), junior guard Grace Schrof scored 11 points (nine in the first half), and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. The Indians’ Sam Ciccarelli chipped in with eight points.
Unionville head coach Fred Ellzy said, “We have to execute. You can have all the size you want, but you have to go for [the ball]. Henderson wanted it more than us today.
“Today’s loss was a learning experience for us. We have only two seniors this year, and I’d rather us learn [this way] in the first two games of the season than later in the season.”