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Saltsburg pulls away late over Williamsburg

By Rick Weaver

For the Mirror

EBENSBURG – The Williamsburg Lady Pirates knew what they needed to do: Get the ball to Madison Detwiler. So did the Saltsburg Trojans.

Saltsburg coach Janelle Reed’s game plan created 19 turnovers as the Trojans eliminated the Blue Pirates, 44-41, in a District 6 Class A girls’ basketball playoff game Monday at Bishop Carroll High School.

Detwiler scored a game-high 25 points, but none of her teammates scored more than five.

“Our girls came out with intensity. They wanted to win this game,” Reed said. “We knew that [Detwiler] was going to be hard to stop. So we tried our best to keep her from getting the ball (inside) and try to contain the other girls the best we could.”

The Lady Trojans take on second-seeded Bishop Carroll later this week at a site and time to be determined. The Pirates finished 11-10.

Detwiler scored six points in the first quarter as Willamsburg assumed a 12-11 lead. Defensive pressure unnerved the Pirates, however, and Saltsburg took the lead for good on a layin by Abbie Okopal in the opening minute of the second period. She led the Trojans with 18 points.

“I really couldn’t understand what we were doing because we are a team that is actually good at breaking the press. But you wouldn’t have known that by watching the game tonight,” Williamsburg coach Jeremy Ebersole said. “We decided to try to dribble the ball up the floor instead of pass the ball up the floor.”

Saltsburg induced the Pirates into nine turnovers in the first half.

“This press tonight was nothing compared to Bellwood’s,” Ebersole said of Bellwood-Antis. “We tried to tell the girls, ‘You’ve got to pass the ball up the floor. We’ve got to get somebody in the middle of the floor.’ And we weren’t doing that.”

Detwiler scored four of her team’s six points in the second quarter as the Lady Trojans took a 22-18 lead into halftime. Saltsburg sagged around the middle, and challenged the guards to take the pressure off Detwiler.

“Obviously they scouted us and they knew we’re not a very good shooting team from the outside,” Ebersole said. “We’ve got to be able to put the ball in the bucket from 18 feet sometimes.”

Ebersole estimated that his team had averaged barely one 3-point field goal per game.

“You’ve got to be able to shoot the ball from the outside. In today’s game, you’ve got to be able to knock down 3’s,” he added. “We sometimes pass those shots up because they’re not confident to shoot them.”

Cassidy Edmunson’s jumper on the first possession of the fourth quarter gave Saltsburg its biggest lead, 34-23. Williamsburg cut the difference back to five on a 3-pointer by Cassie Simpson and a three-point play by Detwiler.

Camryn Bookhammer’s 3-pointer with 1:17 left pulled the Pirates to within one, 38-37. Okopal helped seal the win, however, by hitting seven consecutive free throws in the final 1:27.

“Our foul shots were really huge for us at the end for us,” Reed said. “Her composure on the foul line was great. She seemed like she wasn’t fazed at all by what was going on.”

Williamsburg (41): Plumley 1 0-0 2, Bookhammer 1 2-2 4, Detwiler 10 5-11 25, Simpson 1 0-0 3, Peck 1 0-0 2, Michelone 2 0-0 5, Totals 16 7-13 41

Saltsburg (44):, I.Satler 3 3-4 11, Okopal 5 7-10 18, Richards 1 0-0 2, Edmunson 3 1-1 7, O.Satler 3 0-0 6, Totals 15 11-15 44

Score by quarters

Williamsburg 12 6 5 18 41

Saltsburg 11 11 10 12 – 44

3-point field goals: Williamsburg 2 (Simpson, Michelone), Saltsburg 3 (I.Satler 2, Okopal).

Officials: Tim Hite, Larry Stitt, Doug Moore.

Team records: Williamsburg (11-10). Saltsburg (14-9).

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