NON-CONFERENCE Strong rebounding powers Rayen's win

Taryn Perkins had 19 rebounds while Taniesha Holland also sparkled.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- Rayen School coach Holly Seimetz said her team really needed to rebound against Sharon following a pair of weekend losses in the Franklin (Pa.) Tipoff Classic.
The Tigers (1-2) got a game-high 19 rebounds from senior Taryn Perkins and rolled past Sharon, 63-48, for their first win of the season.
"We're struggling," Seimetz said. "So getting this win was very important."
The taller, more athletic Rayen team used those talents to pound the boards against a very young Sharon squad. Rayen out-rebounded the Tigers 54-32, and forced Sharon's two freshman guards into numerous turnovers in the first half.
"We were a much bigger team than [Sharon]," Seimetz said. "We wanted to get the ball into the post. We had a size advantage and we wanted to use it."
Strong inside play
Rayen raced out quickly with its strong inside play and owned a 17-3 lead at the end of the first period. Rilonda Neal scored eight points -- all underneath -- in the period to get the Tigers offense in gear.
Rayen also got a typical strong effort from junior guard Taniesha Holland. Holland, a potential Division I college recruit, scored 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had eight assists.
The junior's driving layup with two minutes remaining in the third quarter gave Rayen a 21-point lead, 48-27.
"We know that Taniesha is going to give us a solid effort every game," Seimetz said. "We need to start getting more contributions from our other players."
Against Sharon, Seimetz began to see that unfold.
Perkins, Myers help
Perkins scored 12 points to go along with her 19 rebounds and senior Ashley Myers added 11 points and nine rebounds.
Despite the win, Seimetz was still concerned about the shooting woes that her team has suffered in the first three games.
"We're taking a lot of shots but not making them," said Seimetz, whose team made just 25-for-67 from the field. "Fortunately tonight, rebounding enabled us to get second and third shots at the basket.
"We weren't able to rebound well in our two losses so tonight's effort was encouraging."
Rayen did shoot well at the foul line, connecting on 11-of-14.
Sharon is young team
Sharon, which started two freshmen and played three other first-year players regularly, struggled against the Tigers' aggressive defense.
Senior Shelley Goodpastor was able to heat up her shooting touch in the second half and finished with 20 points.
Freshmen Brittany Csatios chipped in with 10 points while Katie Kelly added nine.