GREENVILLE, PA. Titans regroup, trip Thiel

Newton Falls High graduate Desiree Sterling led Westminster to victory.
By BILL ALBRIGHT
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
GREENVILLE, Pa. -- Westminster College began the Presidents' Athletic Conference season with three straight wins, then a two-game losing streak.
Saturday at Rissell-Beeghly Gymnasia, the Titans (12-8, 4-2) bounced back with a 53-31 victory over Thiel.
"It definitely feels good to have won this one, especially having to come here," said Westminster coach Rosanne Scott. "I just told my players that it doesn't matter who we are playing, either home or away, we have to come focused to play each game from here on out."
Progression slowed
The Tomcats (6-15, 1-5) returned to the loss column after snapping a four-game PAC losing skid with a win over Waynesburg.
"I was hoping that win would jump-start us," said Thiel coach Gloria Pacsi. "We had some intensity and after that game, our level of confidence was really stepping up. But again, like many of the other games, we just didn't get it done today."
With both teams shooting in the 30-percent range for the opening half, the Titans held a 19-16 lead at the break.
"We were two totally different teams out there today," said Scott. "You could just tell we weren't focused and ready to go from the start of the game. Once we got things going in the second half, we were a much better team."
"I said to my players at halftime, hey, we aren't doing that poorly," said Pacsi. "They picked up some points off the foul line when we got into early foul trouble, and although our execution offensively wasn't good, we still hung tough on defense."
Pulling away
The Titans took control of the game by scoring nine unanswered points on the front end of a 16-2 run to open a commanding 35-18 edge.
"We made a few adjustments in what we wanted to do offensively and it obviously worked," said Scott. "We scored much better in our transition in the second half. We had numbers in the first half, but we were just slow in our execution."
Leading the Titans was Newton Falls High graduate Desiree Sterling, with 10 points, one rebound, a steal and one blocked shot. It was Sterling's 14th straight game in double figures and the 16th in 21 games this season.
"Freshmen aren't expected to come out [of high school] and play right away in most cases," said Sterling. "As for me, I just worked my way into a starting position."
Obstacle
Sterling limped off the court early in the second half with what appeared to be an ankle injury. However, after getting taped, she returned to finish out her strong game.
"When I was just coming down the floor my ankle gave out," said Sterling. "It might be still bothering me, but right now, it feels pretty good."
Erica Tallo matched Sterling for game-high scoring honors, while Thiel was without a double-digit scorer. Former Sharon High standout Nicole Valentino led the way with six points.