KINGWOOD-The Preston girls’ basketball team played their first game of the season on their brand spanking new floor, and they wanted nothing more than to christen the new hardwood with a win against undefeated Class 4A Laurel Highlands (Uniontown, PA). And with 85% of their minutes and 90% of their points graduated from last year, the young and exceedingly inexperienced Knights began and ended the game in what might best be described as panic mode.
But a solid team second quarter and a tremendous third quarter from senior leader Emma Wilson helped build a lead that Laurel Highlands couldn’t quite overcome, as PHS prevailed in a thriller, 41-40.
Preston (1-0) began the game as cold as a December night in Preston County is supposed to be, as the nervous Knights missed badly on numerous open looks. However, their active, hustling defense forced an amazing 13 turnovers from the Mustangs (3-1), which suppressed the PHS deficit to a manageable 10-1 disadvantage after the first quarter. Shots finally started to fall for the Knights in the second quarter, and they finally began to convert nine more turnovers into several transition lay-ups, allowing them to narrow the gap to 19-13 at the break.
Down six to begin the second half, Wilson jump-started the PHS offense with an early three-ball, then proceeded to light up the LH defense with another three and 13 total points in the third. Another 7 giveaways from the visitors allowed the Knights to forge a nine-point lead with three minutes left in the quarter, but they couldn’t get to double digits, and the Mustangs got five late points from athletic center Aryianna Sumpter to draw within five, 32-27.
“We were really out of sorts offensively with too much rushing and quick shots,” Wilson admitted, “but we knew we just needed to keep playing, keep shooting. I made that first three in the second half, and then I got hot, so I looked for my shot and looked to get to the rim.”
The Knights again went up by nine early in the final quarter, but with point guard Ella White on the bench with four fouls, the PHS offense went stagnant, and the defense wasn’t turning the ball over either, leading to a spirited LH comeback that finally culminated in a 40-40 tie with 24 seconds left. A long pass from White to Wilson produced a trip to the line, where the senior not-so-calmly banked her first foul shot in, but missed the second. Up by one with 8 seconds left, the Preston defense produced its only turnover of the fourth quarter, and the time finally melted off the clock after a semi-strategically missed foul shot with two seconds left.
“I was really, really nervous on those last foul shots,” Wilson said with a grin. “I’m not that great from the line, but I’m sure glad that one went it. It’s a swish in the books, right?”
After the game, an exhausted, relieved PHS coach Brian Miller explained that the difference between a team playing its first game versus its fourth was obvious early, and late.
“I turned to the girls and asked for someone to just hit a rim to start us off,” he quipped. “We were so nervous out there, but we kind of settled in a little in the middle of the game. Certainly, our defense (30 turnovers) held us in it and gave our offense a chance to get going. And with such a young team, we haven’t had time to go over late and close scenarios in practice, and it sure showed, which is 100% on me. It seemed like a good idea at the time to wait, but the girls’ fight pulled us through.
“We will play 17 games against ranked teams this year,” he continued with a smile, “and I think we’ll be the underdog in every game we play. But hard work and defense can keep you hanging around, and I hope we’ll be able to keep the score low and close, and see how many we can steal.”
Pun definitely intended.
The Knights travel to Class AA No. 8 East Fairmont tonight with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
BY MARK SCHRAF
Laurel Highlands 10 9 8 13 – 40
Preston 1 12 19 9 – 41
LAUREL HIGHLANDS (3-1) — Miya Harris 3 2-2 9 Aierra Jenkins 2 1-3 5 Essence Davis 3 5-6 11 Alessandra Peccon 3 0-0 6 Aryianna Sumpter 3 3-7 9 Totals 14 11-18 40
PRESTON (1-0) — Emma Wilson 6 5-8 19 Alauna Wilson 2 0-1 4 Ella White 2 0-2 4 Kendall Stiles 1 0-0 2 Kendra Nazelrod 2 1-2 5 Cameryn Sypolt 1 0-1 2 Hannah Zuchowski 2 0-0 5 Totals 16 6-13 41
Three-pointers – LH 1 (Harris), PHS 3 (Zuchowski, Wilson 2)
