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By Kevin Petrochko
For the Mirror
WILLIAMSBURG -- The Williamsburg girls basketball team could not escape foul trouble on Friday night as they fell to the St. Joseph's Catholic Academy, 75-72.
In their last few games, the Lady Pirates have had important players sitting on the bench.
"We've had key players getting in foul trouble," Williamsburg coach Angela Detwiler said. "So, we've got to figure out how to play a full game without getting in foul trouble.
Despite the loss, junior guard LeeAnna Royer finished with 30 points, including eight from 3-point land. The Lady Pirates, as a team, finished with 10 3-point field goals.
Sophomore teammate Levada Gorsuch also tallied 18 points.
"LeeAnna came out, and she did a great job on offense," Detwiler said. "They (Royer and Gorsuch) have been bringing that to every game."
Entering the final frame, the Lady Pirates (11-3) led St. Josephs by six points (55-49). Williamsburg's defense could not keep up with St. Josephs' consistent shooting.
"What hurt us tonight was our defense," Detwiler said. "We don't normally give up 75 points."
Junior guard Naomi Crispin led all St. Joseph's scorers with 40 points, including five from beyond the arc, as her team improved to 12-1 on the season.
"She controls everybody out on the floor," St. Joseph's coach Bethany Irwin said. "She understands the game so well."
Even though they fell short at the end, the Lady Pirates gave all their energy throughout the game.
"I think my girls poured it out on the floor tonight," Detwiler said. "I think they played really hard, but we have to start playing really smart, too."
Going forward, the Lady Pirates are focusing on playing better defense to stay out of foul trouble.
"We've got to play better defense," Detwiler said. "We got to keep our hands off the other team. We've just got to clean it up on the defensive end."
Williamsburg welcomes in West Branch on Monday while St. Joseph's travels to Greenwood.
ST. JOSEPH'S (75): Luckovich 4 0-0 9, Crispin 11 13-16 40, Cunningham 1 0-0 2, Yartz 6 6-8 18, Fetzer 0 4-6, 1, Himes 1 0-1 2. Totals: 23 23-31 75
WILLIAMSBURG (72): Ranalli 1 2-9 4, Prough 0 6-8 6, Royer 10 2-2 30, G. Colbert 3 2-2 9, Gorsuch 7 4-6 18, Kagarise 1 1-4 4, A. Colbert 0 1-2 1, Alexander 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 33-108 72
SCORE BY QUARTERS
St. Joseph's 20 20 9 26 -- 75
Williamsburg 23 13 19 17 -- 72
3-point field goals: St Joseph's 6 (Crispin 5, Luckovich), Williamsburg 10 (Royer 8, Colbert, Kagarise)
Records: St. Joseph's (12-1), Williamsburg (11-3).
Officials: Dan Kiser, Cory Widmar, Nick Roman
JV: No game