Last Friday night, the West Branch Lady Warriors lost against the Juniata Valley Lady Hornets 48-30 in their fourth game of the season. They were looking to continue their 3-game-winning streak. Although the end score was not very close, the game was competitive from start to finish. Heading into halftime the score was 26-13, with Juniata on top. In the third quarter, the Lady Warriors tied the game at 26-26, but could not pull ahead to finish.
The first quarter had a slower start while the teams settled into the game. After a while, the baskets started rolling in. With about two minutes left in the quarter, the game was even. By the end of the quarter, Juniata Valley was leading 13-8. The Hornets benefited a lot by hitting three-pointers and getting offensive rebounds. By the end of the second quarter, the Hornets increased their lead to 26-12. The Lady Warriors struggled to get open looks on offense as the Hornets played tough defense. Since the Lady Warriors were playing aggressively, they got into foul trouble. They did not let that affect them, and they kept up their fight.
After halftime, the Lady Warriors were looking to get the offense going. West Branch had a few turnovers in their favor which turned into fast break points for them. Four minutes into the third quarter, the Lady Warriors had tied the game at 26-26. Both teams played outstanding defense for the rest of the quarter. Heading into the game’s final quarter, Juniata Valley was up by three at 29-26. Unfortunately, West Branch could not continue the momentum at the end of the game. Eventually, the Hornets started scoring, and the Lady Warriors could not make a comeback.
Though the Lady Warriors didn’t win, Jenna Mertz had fifteen points on the night, and Katrina Cowder had eight points and went 2-4 on foul shots. Jenna Mertz expresses, “I honestly think we showed up to play, Juniata Valley is a good team, and they always have been. When I think back to the game, all I keep thinking is that we were tied with them in the third quarter. We really did play hard. I think when we play them again, we will be more in shape and make it a close game the whole way through”.
The Lady Warriors’ next game is Tuesday against the Williamsburg Pirates at home. The junior varsity game begins at 6:00 p.m. and varsity follows. The Lady Warriors’ record for the season is 3-1.
