West Chester >> Two young girls basketball teams were on display Thursday evening as West Chester Henderson hosted neighborhood rival West Chester East. The Warriors settled down after a shaky start and went on a decisive run between the first and second quarters to go on for a 51-35 victory in a Ches-Mont League National Division contest.
The Vikings (0-4 Ches-Mont National, 3-8 overall) jumped out to a promising start, baskets by Annalise Kubasko, Annie Kerns and Kayla Miller staked them to a 6-2 lead.
Henderson recorded two baskets in a row to tie the score at 6-6 midway through the quarter.
“We just figured out to take things slow,” said Henderson coach Greta Neff. “Whitney (Evans) hit a couple of big shots. The girls underneath did a nice job rebounding and hit some layups.”
They went back and forth until late in the stanza, Jackie Shea hit a layup for a 10-10 tie to start an impressive 19-1 run.
Whitney Evans gave the Warriors (3-4, 3-9) momentum going into the second, hitting two long-range 3-pointers for a 16-10 lead after one.
“I was just doing what I could to help the team,” Evans said. “I was fortunate to hit a couple of shots.”
Evans continued the scoring splash in the second as she took the overland for a pair of layups to put the lead into double digits.
“She’s been playing this game for a long time,” Neff said of the sophomore. “Her natural abilty and her knowledge on how to split traps and how to get to the basket is really helpful for everybody. It takes a little pressure off everybody else and makes it easier to get opportunities.”
Shea then contributed four straight points followed by a three from Grace De Prisco and another basket from Evans and the lead ballooned to 29-10. Sofia Keith made a free throw to stop the run with 2:51 in the half. Kerns also had a free throw at the end of the quarter for the only two points for the Vikings in the second. They missed all eight attempts from the floor and was outscored 15-2 as the Warriors built a 31-12 halftime advantage.
Henderson kept East at arms length for a 44-19 lead after three. East whittled the lead down a little in the fourth, but Henderson stayed in control to pocket the victory.
Shea and Evans had 14 points to lead the Warriors, while Shea added 11 rebounds. Kubasko paced East with 10 points, Miller added nine and Kerns had eight.
A lot of teams around the Ches-Mont are on the youthful side this season, and these two teams are among that pack. Only three seniors — all of them Henderson’s — saw action, which should make the league race in two years hellacious.
“We hope,” said Neff. “Because that’s the Ches-Mont of old. That’s what we look we for, good competition night in and night out.”
West Chester Henderson 51, West Chester East 35
W.C. East: Kubasko 2 5-6 10; Kerns 3 1-4 8; Miller 4 0-3 9; Legenstein 0 0-0 0; Scarlata 0 0-1 0; Daley 0 0-0 0; Keith 0 1-4 1; Flowers 1 0-0 3; Nash 0 0-0 0; Rogers 0 0-0 0; Cooper 1 2-4 4. Totals: 11 8-23 35.
W.C. Henderson: DePrisco 2 1-2 6; Parry 1 0-0 2; Adams 3 0-0 6; Stromberg 2 0-0 4; Person 1 0-0 2; Nanni 1 0-0 2; Shea 6 2-4 14; Kleckner 0 0-0 0; Werner 0 0-0 0; Bertrando 0 0-0 0; Alcaraz 1 0-0 2; Evans 6 0-0 14; Powers 0 1-2 1. Totals: 24 4-8 51.
W.C. East 10 2 7 16 — 35
W.C. Henderson 16 15 13 5 — 51
3-point goals: Kubasko, Kerns, Miller, Flowers, Evans 2, DePrisco,
