WC Henderson stays perfect with win over Downingtown East
UWCHLAN >> Imagine if the Ches-Mont League National Division standings were a game show called “Guess the Unbeatens.” You might have no trouble believing Downingtown East as one of the contestants. The other two participants, you might be surprised to learn, are Coatesville and West Chester Henderson.
With all three teams starting Thursday’s play at 2-0, that made the early-season showdown at Boyer Gymnasium an important one to get a foothold in division play.
The Warriors hit the jackpot, erasing a first-quarter deficit, then they withstood a late Cougars rally to notch a 57-49 victory.
The win sent Henderson to 3-0 in the National, and 9-2 overall. East fell to 2-1 and 5-3.
“We beat them by one last year, but was all luck, then they killed us,” said Emma Bertrando, who had a game-high 21 points. “We wanted to come in here and play our hardest and put up a ‘W.’”
The Warriors held a 42-34 lead after three quarters, when the Cougars started to eat into the deficit after junior Danielle Tyrell made a 3-pointer to start the fourth. East came to within 44-42 following a basket by Olivia Williams with 4:24 left. Viktoria Kneis scored from in close for a 46-42 advantage with 3:49 left.
Then came the dagger: Downingtown East missed three straight shots from within five feet, before Henderson grabbed the rebound. Erin Thompson drilled a three from the left wing to push the lead to 49-42 with 2:58 left.
East still trailed, 53-46, when Kneis deflected a pass into the hands of Maddie DePrisco to effectively salt the game away with a minute left.
“Every win is a big win,” said Henderson coach Greta Neff. “But it was important for our girls to come in here and play well.”
“It feels good, but we can’t stop,” Bertrando said about being 3-0. “We’re winning now, but you never know what the next game brings, so we have to play as a team.”
Bertrando had seven of her 21 points in the second quarter as she drove to the basket repeatedly for baskets or trips to the foul line. She had a very simple explanation for that strategy.
“It was working,” she said laughing.
The Cougars jumped on top early thanks to their impressive freshman Bella Smuda. In a period that saw both teams have problems from the floor. Smuda seemed immune. She poured in 10 points to give East a 13-10 lead after one.
Henderson took over in the second as junior Erin Torrance hit three crucial 3-pointers to give them a 28-26 halftime advantage.
“Erin was huge,” said Neff. “We’ve been telling her for the last three or four weeks that she’s going to have a game. And she’s had three really nice games in a row. When she shoots well, she can really shoot the ball. She did great tonight. I’m proud of her.”
East suffered a tough night from the free throw line, going just 2-for-16 for the game, including missing 11 in a row before Erin Phelan made one in the fourth quarter to send East coach Tom Schurtz into a little celebration.
“I told the girls at halftime that the cardinal rule of coaching is you don’t talk about free throws,” Shurtz said. “I walked into the locker room and said ‘0-for-8, you have to talk about it.’”
The Cougars will try to rebound against Great Valley on Saturday. Henderson is off until a Ches-Mont nonleague crossover with Rustin on Tuesday.
“They’re a great team, and Greta does a great job with the them,” Schurtz said. “But (the loss) wasn’t about effort, or defense or execution. If we do that every night, we’ll be a better team for it.”
West Chester Henderson 57, Downingtown East 49
W.C. HENDERSON: DePrisco 3 0-0 7, Thompson 2 0-0 5, Kneis 5 0-0 10, Torrance 3 0-0 9, Bertrando 5 11-17 21, Cullinan 1 0-0 2, Shea 1 0-0 3, Ferguson 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 11-17 57.
DOWNINGTOWN EAST: Riley 1 0-0 2, Tyrell 3 0-4 7, Dienes 1 0-1 2, Welker 2 0-0 5, Smuda 8 0-0 16, Phelan 2 2-10 6, Person 0 0-0 0, Williams 4 0-0 11. Totals: 20 2-16 49.
W.C. Henderson 10 18 14 15 – 57
Downingtown East 13 13 8 15 – 49
3-point goals: Williams 3, Tyrell, Welker, DePrisco, Torrance 3, Thompson, Shea.
