MANCHESTER, NH — Central-West closed the first half on 13-0 run and cruised to a 50-30 win over city rival Memorial, Friday night.
Adrianna Perron led all scorers with 15 points for Central-West, including a pair 3-pointers. Forward Danasia Wani had 14 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Marley Oates chipped in with six points and nine rebounds, as Central-West dominated the boards, outrebounding Memorial, 49-26.
”They had a couple of girls with some size. It wasn’t a lack of effort from our girls, they really played hard,” said Memorial Head Coach Lauren Gaudette. “I thought we competed quite well but sometimes you get beat on the boards.”
Central-West assistant coach Alicia Doucette, herself a former standout forward for Central (Class of ’08) said the coaches have been working with their “bigs” on assertiveness in the paint.
”We’re working with them on being more aggressive, not be afraid to get hit,” said Doucette. “Some of them are a little nervous about getting in there and getting pushed around a little. But they’re working hard at it in practice, working on getting inside position.”
Central-West (6-6) has won three of its last four games and is tied for 13th place in the Division I standings with Alvirne and Nashua South. With six games (all winnable) remaining on the schedule, the Green Knights have complete control of their playoff destiny.
Memorial (1-10) was led by Jaelyn Hartford (10 points, 7 rebounds) and Jenavyzia Colazo (8 points, 3 steals).
The Crusaders have taken their lumps this season but a game against their crosstown rivals seemed to bring out their intensity, especially on defense. The game marked just the third time this season that Memorial held an opponent under 52 points.
With her team trailing by eight in the second quarter, Hartford drilled a 3-pointer and a baseline jumper to pull Memorial to within 20-17.
But that was as close as Central-West allowed the game to get. Sophia Gonzalez and Perron hit consecutive jump shots and Josie Lefebvre drained a 3-pointer from the wing. In the span of 58 seconds, what had been a three-point lead had ballooned to 27-17.
But the Green Knights weren’t finished. They ramped up the pressure on their 2-1-2 press to force a pair of Memorial turnovers. A 3-pointer from Perron and a jumper by Wani put the finishing touches on a 13-0 run, giving Central-West a 33-17 lead at intermission.
”That (run) was important. We wanted to get a little bit of a cushion so the girls could relax a little and feel a little bit more confident,” said Doucette.
Memorial’s defense improved in the second half but was offset by Central’s complete domination of the offensive glass. The Green Knights got multiple shots on nearly every offensive possession.
Due to a scheduling quirk, Central-West will enjoy 10 days off before starting the homestretch of the regular season schedule with a huge game against Alvirne (6-6) on Feb. 11. That’s followed by games against Goffstown (3-7), Keene (5-6), Timberlane (7-6), Salem (7-5) and Exeter (6-5).