Cardinal Girls Clip Eagles’ Wings

WAITSBURG -- The WP Lady Cardinals added another "W" to their record with a 45- 29 victory over the St. John Endicott Eagles.

The Eagles grabbed the opening tip off, but it took mere seconds before WP's Kristin Potter snagged the ball and took it the length of the court for the first Cardinal basket.

Although WP Head Coach Jerry Baker believes the press tends to get his girls in foul trouble, the Cardinals came out with forceful press from the beginning causing multiple steals and turnovers from the Eagles.

It wasn't long before Potter got her hands on another Eagle pass and put it up once again for two points.

Potter kept the defensive pressure on with a blocked shot that Hailey Goenen grabbed and dished to Ronnie Hulce, but the Cardinals couldn't produce a bucket and turned the ball over to the Eagles.

Potter got her hands on the ball once again and put it up for two and drew a foul, but missed her free throw.

Hulce put the next Cardinal basket in with 4:13 left in the first and the Cardinals had a 10-1 lead.

The Eagles' next bucket came with 2:18 left on the clock and St. John's Gretchen Van Lith threw up a three-point bucket to narrow the Cardinal lead, 10-6.

WP's Krystal Harris answered from behind the threepoint line with 7 seconds left and the Cardinals had a 13-6 lead going into the second quarter.

Once again, the Cardinals struggled offensively in the second quarter scoring only six points to the Eagles' seven. WP's Kayla Huxoll scored early for the Cards with a fast break lay-up, but it would be minutes until the Cardinals scored again with two free throws from Hulce.

Harris made the bucket, but missed her free throw and the Cardinals took a 19-13 halftime lead into the locker room.

Hulce put the first thirdquarter points on the board with 6:20 into the third. After three missed Cardinal shots, they finally scored when Hulce took an inbounds pass underneath and put it in for two.

WP's struggle for a bucket continued and although their defense continued to steal the ball and block Eagle shots. They couldn't buy a bucket all night. Harris ended the third quarter with a lay-up for two with 20 seconds left in the third.

She came right back at the Eagles for another three-point basket to open the fourth quarter and the Cardinals came back strong with the full-court press.

The Cardinals remained scoreless until Harris hit yet another three-point bucket with 5:38 left in the game with a 37-22 WP lead. The Cardinals' rebounding was their saving grace as the ball couldn't seem to find its way into the hoop, leaving the birds scoreless until just under three minutes when Chelsey Brannock took a Hulce dish off for two.

Potter found one more bucket and Hailey Goenen scored the final points with two free throws to give the Cardinals a 45-29 non-league victory over the Eagles. As a team, the Cardinals had a total of 20 steals and seven blocked shots and kept their turnovers to 19.

Harris led the scoring with 13 points. Although Hulce couldn't buy a bucket, she still managed 11 points and 14 rebounds and five steals.

Potter was the third Cardinal to score double digits with 10 points and three steals and Goenen pulled down 13 rebounds.