Methacton falters down the stretch against Oxford

WORCESTER >> Methacton had its chances in the final minutes of a 44-39 loss to Oxford in the first round of the 10th Annual Lady Warrior Classic Tip-Off Tournament Friday night at Methacton High School.

Miranda Porretta and Jaime Herrin hit back-to-back threes for Oxford to take 38-34 lead with six minutes left in the game.

Methacton’s Olivia Pennypacker responded with a three of her own on the ensuing possession to make it 38-37 Oxford.

Hornets’ Madeline Williams scored the final six for her side with a basket and four free throws.

But the Warriors had chances to tie or take the lead.

In the final minute — after Oxford wasted a couple of minutes playing keep-away — Methacton had the ball twice down 41-39. The first time they threw a pass away in the paint and the second time a player traveled.

“Down the stretch we killed ourselves because we had a lot of chances to tie or take the lead and we turned the ball over,” Methacton coach Craig Kaminski said. “We had four opportunities and we didn’t finish. That’s bad.”

After Williams went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe to make it 42-39, Kaminski called timeout with 26.9 seconds to go.

Methacton made a number of passes looking for the right shot and junior Abby Penjuke got the best look. She found a little bit of space from three-point land along the left wing and took her shot. It bounced off the back of the rim and Williams grabbed the rebound, got fouled and hit both free throws to seal a 44-39 Oxford win.

“(Four new starters) are in a different situation now — you’re not a role player now where last year you may have relied on someone else to take the game over at that point,” Kaminski said of the struggles. “It’s a learning process for us. It takes time. It’s going to take a couple games to learn how to win. No one is going to hand it to you. For us, personally, coach down, it’s a disappointing start to the season. Nothing against Oxford, I feel that we are capable of beating that team.”

Home Tournament

The loss put the Warriors in the Tip-Off Tournament consolation game against Ridley Saturday. Last year, Methacton won the Lady Warrior Classic.

“It’s always important to win (the tournament) and always be in the championship game the next day, not the consolation game,” Kaminski said. “A lot of these girls experienced that last year as role players and I think they’re feeling bad now that they’re going to be in consolation (Saturday). I know they were hoping for that feeling again.”

Good impression

Kaminski named Caroline Pellicano’s as a stand-out. The 6-foot sophomore came off the bench and finished third on the team with seven points and added solid defense with a block and a steal.

“She gave us some really nice minutes as a sophomore,” Kaminski said. “She stood out. Off the bench she gave us a nice spark.”