Belpre’s Halee Williams, right, looks to pass as Waterford’s Kari Carney defends during a high school girls basketball game Thursday. Waterford won, 51-39. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
BELPRE — Waterford left its offense in one gear and Belpre managed to turn what appeared to be a blowout into several dicey moments for the Wildcats.
In a Tri-Valley Conference girls basketball game Thursday night at Belpre High School gymnasium, Waterford built a 20-point lead late in the third quarter and prevented a Belpre comeback by sinking 8-of-9 free throws in the final minute of the game for a 51-39 victory.
Waterford senior Cara Taylor iced the game at the stripe with 7-of-8 free throws as part of her game-high 20 points to go along with eight steals and six rebounds. The Wildcats remained unbeaten at 3-0 both overall and in the TVC.
“We stayed in a hurry-up mode and we just talked to the girls that we have to slow down when we get a lead,” Waterford coach Jerry Close said. “We had that trouble at the beginning of last season, so hopefully we can get through this and learn.
“It’s a win, on the road against a league opponent, so that’s good. But we have to learn to control the pace.”
Belpre’s outside-inside duo of Kaitlen Bush and Halee Williams gave Waterford fits, especially in the second half — with Williams registering a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds, while Bush added eight points and six assists. After falling behind 34-14 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles (0-6, 0-3) managed to close within 43-38 at the 1:18 mark of the fourth quarter.
“This is the game where our girls finally showed up and played their kind of basketball,” Belpre coach Chris Fennell said. “We have had lapses where we go down and drop our heads, and lose that focus.
“Today, they brought that focus and stayed in our game. They didn’t change it up and I think that made a big difference.”
Belpre’s second and last lead of the game occurred at 8-6. Waterford responded by outscoring the Golden Eagles 28-3 over the next 17 1/2 minutes.
Waterford went into halftime nursing an 18-11 advantage before a flurry of buckets put Belpre at a distance.
The lengthy run was capped by three consecutive 3-points by three different players (Lakyn Jones, Mackenzie Suprano and Taylor).
Contained for the better part of three quarters, Bush became the consummate playmaker and had a hand in either scoring or providing the assist for her team’s next seven buckets.
Down 38-30 and Belpre on offense, a Wildcat defender stepped in the path of Bush driving into the paint and took a charge. In the next five seconds which ensued, Avery Wagner made the back end of a two-shot free throw and Taylor stepped in the path of Belpre’s inbounds pass and scored.
Belpre didn’t go away quietly as Hailey Alloway scored a bucket and added a free throw as part of her seven point fourth-quarter output and Allie Jaraucaro knocked down the last of her three 3-pointers. Following an exchange of buckets, Waterford’s advantage was now just 43-38.
“We are a small team other than Avery (Wagner), and she is a freshman and still trying to find her way,” Close said. “It’s a learning process and it’s only our third game, so hopefully we will get it figured out.”
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com