Westminster in romp; Titans advance to semis

Desiree Sterling led all scorers with 17 points in the win over Grove City.
By BILL ALBRIGHT
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW WILMINGTON -- Sometimes the most difficult thing to do in the game of basketball is defeat a team for third time in three tries during the same season.
However, Tuesday night at Buzz Ridl Gymnasium, that really wasn't much of a problem for Westminster as the Titans downed Grove City, 67-46, to advance to the semifinals of the PAC post-season tournament.
"We knew they would give us a battle and they came in here and played hard," said Westminster coach Rosanne Scott of the Wolverines. "We did some good things, but there were a lot of things that were not good. Six minutes into the second half we still weren't in sync, but we got a transition lay-up and that got us going."
No problem
After holding an early 8-4 lead, the Titans (21-5) went on an 11-point run to expand their lead to 19-4. Westminster maintained that advantage (33-18) at halftime.
"We played excellent defense in the first half," said Sterling, a Newton Falls High graduate. "Although we weren't playing good offense, everything we threw up seemed to go in so that was working to our advantage."
Sterling, Westminster's all-time leading scorer, led all scorers with 17 points. Emilee Ackerman added 14 points and Rachel Eaton 12.
For Grove City, Rachel McCoy (Beaver Local) had nine points. Pam Lorson and Brittany Anderson each added seven.
The Wolverines (5-20) scored the first nine points of the second half to cut their deficit to six, eventually getting one point closer when they trailed by just five points (33-38) with 12 minutes left.
"They [Grove City] came out and shot the lights out," said Sterling. "We definitely had the momentum for most of the game, but at times, our shot selection wasn't what it should have been."
"We didn't come out like we should have," added Ackerman. "Coach [Scott] talked about our offense playing as a team and we definitely come out like that. Our defense in the first half was amazing for us, but then we came out and were lackadaisical [in the second half]. We just sat back and let them have their run and we shouldn't have done that."
Extend lead
In the second half, Titans again went on a scoring binge, scoring eight unanswered points on the front end of a 14-2 run to extend their lead to 17 before cruising to the win.
"Our kids played hard, but we got ourselves in a hole again, and it is a tough way to play when you are down 15 points at the half," said Grove City coach Sarah Harris. "That makes it difficult to claw back and sustain any type of run.
"Westminster is a tough team. Every time you think you have them, they have an answer. Their players are very tough and they did a good job of executing. They took advantage of their home court, hitting their shots and playing their game."
The Titans will now travel to Kentucky and Thomas More College for the remainder of the tournament. They will face arch-rival Washington & amp; Jefferson in the semifinals. Westminster defeated the Presidents both times during the regular season, the first time by 10 points and the second time by seven.
"My biggest concern now is facing Washington & amp; Jefferson again," said Scott. "We beat them twice, but having to face them and beat them a third time I think is the hardest thing to do. Hopefully it will work out for us."