Girls Basketball: Providence denies Lincoln-Way Central
By Logan Malloy For Sun-Times Media December 1, 2011 9:00PM
Updated: January 3, 2012 10:42AM
“Make them play fast, the steals will come,” Providence coach Eileen Copenhaver told her team during a first-quarter timeout Thursday night against Lincoln-Way Central.
The Celtics opened the game using a man defense, but turned up the pressure with an extended 2-3 zone late in the second quarter.
The zone helped Providence close the half on a 9-0 run, giving them a 25-19 lead at the break. The Celtics continued with the zone look to start the second half, and after forcing several Lincoln-Way Central turnovers, Providence held an 18-point lead going in the fourth quarter.
Alex Shermulis dropped 19 points, and Cassidy Glenn added 15 points and four steals as Providence finished to a 53-32 win over its crosstown rival in New Lenox.
“We know Lincoln-Way is in town, they know Providence is in town,” Copenhaver said. “It’s a local rivalry, and we talked about that before the game.”
With the win, Providence improves to 4-4 on the year.
Despite the lopsided final score, host Central led 14-12 after the first quarter. The Knights (4-2) were at their best when pounding the ball inside to their two 6-foot juniors, Autumn Schultz (10 points) and Ashley Newton (8 points). But the Central backcourt had trouble delivering the ball inside against the more aggressive defense, and the lanky Providence defenders played the passing lanes for easy transition buckets.
“It’s really hard to take the basketball away from someone,” Copenhaver said. “We emphasized moving our feet, making them play fast, and hoped some turnovers would come our way. They had a little trouble with our zone defense, so we decided to stick with it in the second half.”
Mary Fashingbauer added six points and grabbed five rebounds coming off the bench for Providence.
