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Trimmer, defense lead West Branch
By Greg Gulas
AUSTINTOWN
Melinda Trimmer’s double-double of 26 points and 10 assists led West Branch to a 66-25 road win at Austintown Fitch on Monday night.
It was the ninth consecutive win and sixth straight road victory for the Warriors. Kaylie Manning (15 points) and Pavin Heath (13) also scored in double figures.
The 41-point margin of victory was the second-largest of the season for West Branch.
“One of our goals is to keep opponents under 40 points and we accomplished that tonight,” Manning said. “We’re a very unselfish group that plays well together. We always look for the open player and that has been the key to our success thus far.”
In six road games, the Warriors have defeated opponents by an average of 22.7 points.
Trimmer, the school’s all-time leader in scoring and assists, has been West Branch’s top scorer in all nine contests. She has scored 20 or more points in eight straight games.
“Our strategy was to come out and make a statement. They beat us last year and we wanted to prove that we’ve gotten better as a team,” said Trimmer, who has committed to Youngstown State. “We wanted to push the ball and limit their offensive opportunities. We’ve enjoyed our share of success while playing at Fitch High School so tonight it was like playing a home game away from home.”
The Falcons (4-4) took an early 4-0 lead on back-to-back buckets by Aaliyal Sadler and Alysoun Mubaabya, but the lead was short-lived as Fitch scored just 21 points the rest of the way.
An 11-0 run by the Warriors, keyed by Manning’s seven points, gave West Branch an 11-4 advantage. The Warriors led 18-9 after one quarter.
“We did a great job on the boards tonight against a physical Fitch team with excellent size. This is a team that doesn’t worry about their statistics because every game presents a new challenge and that is what they look forward to,” West Branch head coach Walt DeShields saud.
“The nice thing about this team is their chemistry. On the floor they know where each other is and don’t mind making that extra pass to find the open teammate. Also, defense wins championships and we don’t take breaks defensively.”
A bucket by the Falcons’ Alexis Sallee at 4:42 of the second period cut the West Branch lead to 22-16, but the Warriors went on a 13-4 run to end the quarter and led 35-20 at intermission.
Eight points by Trimmer keyed an 18-0 run as West Branch (9-0) forged a 55-22 margin after three quarters.
“When you score just five points in the second half you can’t expect to make a run, especially against a good team like West Branch,” Fitch coach Stacie Cepin said. “Walt has built an excellent program and they’ll go far in the tournament this year.
I thought that we competed really well in the first half. We lost five starters to graduation and while we’re a young team, I saw some real positives in our play tonight.”