Warwick shows second-half fight in loss to Wilson

Junior guard Emily Williamson (left) knocked down three fourth-quarter treys and led Warwick with 11 points against Wilson. Photo by Missi Mortimer

Pyle scores 15 points in win over Hempfield

It’s the little victories and small steps on which the Warwick girls basketball team is focused.

On Tuesday night in the first round of its annual Holiday Tournament, Warwick got exactly that.

In the second half, a Lady Warriors outscored Wilson 19-18. And for a squad that plays as many as four freshman on the floor at one time, it was a step in the right direction.

“There’s a lot kids on our team that have a lot of fight,” Warwick coach Janelle Garber said. “And that’s what we’re looking for.”

Their second-half fight wasn’t enough to overcome a 17-point deficit at halftime, as the Lady Bulldogs got a game-high 15 points from Zakiyah Winfield and went on to capture a 47-31 win, sending them to Wednesday’s finals against Bishop McDevitt.

Nevertheless, Garber was encouraged.

“(Defense) is something we just have to focus on … and just not to get frustrated,” she said. “I feel like we’re moving forward. It’s going to take some time.”

Junior guard Emily Williamson knocked down all three of her treys in the fourth quarter and finished with 11 points to lead the Warwick girls (1-4 Section One, 2-7 overall). That marked a season-high after she missed 10 days of practice earlier in the season due to an injury.

“We told Emily, ‘Shoot. Just shoot,’” Garber said. “When she came back, she still had her fire, but her shot was a little off. That’s why I wanted a game like this. Take your shot, get it back, because she really can shoot.”

Early on against Wilson, though, Warwick’s shots weren’t falling. They shot just 4-of-26 from the floor in the first half when Wilson jumped out to a 29-12 lead at the half.

Junior Courtney Westman, helping the Lady Bulldogs grab a 10-7 edge in rebounds in the first quarter — and a 46-30 advantage for the game — scored on a couple putbacks, as Wilson took a 15-7 lead after one. Westman scored all eight of her points in the opening half.

Warwick, meanwhile, committed seven of its 19 turnovers in the first quarter against Wilson’s press, and they missed their first six shots from the floor before sophomore Lailani Batty hit a mid-range J, then a trey. Batty ended the night with eight points.

Junior guard Jenna Rodgers left the game for Warwick in the first half with an injury and freshman Lauren Pyle was unavailable due to sickness.

The Lady Bulldogs’ lead grew to 23 points, 35-12, when Katie Fry converted a three-point with 4:38 to go in the third. But freshman Elise Balmer and Reagan Longridge, who returned to the game after suffering an eye injury in the first quarter, each hit a free throw and then Williamson scored on a layup at the buzzer to start Warwick on an 11-2 run, cutting Wilson’s lead to 37-23 with 5:11 to go.

Winfield’s layup with 2:33 left pushed Wilson’s lead back to 44-25. Williamson then hit two more 3-pointers in the final 1:48, and although the Lady Bulldogs would go on to seal the victory, the Warwick girls left in a positive frame of mind.

“We’re just really, really young,” Garber said. “But it’s exciting for the long run.”

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Last Friday night, freshman Lauren Pyle scored a career-high 15 points and Lailani Batty added 11, as Warwick rallied for a big 37-32 win over Hempfield in a Section One game in Landisville.

Trailing by eight points, 27-19, at the end of three, the Lady Warriors went on an 18-5 fourth-quarter run to pull out the victory.

“That was a great game,” Garber said.

Pyle was 4-for-5 at the foul line in the second half and she scored 10 of Warwick’s 18 points in the fourth, including two treys.

“Lauren just took charge,” Garber said. “She creates her own shot very well. She’s a great athlete and she’ll make some noise in the league.”

Batty was 8-of-10 at the foul line to help lead Warwick, who made 17-of-26 free throws overall.

Trinity Sumrall led the Lady Black Knights with a game-high 17 points.

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The Warwick girls were also in action last Wednesday, Dec. 20, dropping a 66-26 loss at Elizabethtown in a Section One game. Lailani Batty and Lauren Pyle led Warwick with 12 and nine points, respectively.