Lady Knights end home drought with victory over rival Bucks County

By Paul Miller
Knightly News Co-Adviser
The Central Penn College Lady Knights prevailed against Bucks County Community College on Sunday by a score of 68-55 in an Eastern States Athetlic Conference (ESAC) matchup in the East Pennsboro Middle School.
The Lady Knights played one of their best games of the year, and it came just in time for the home crowd. This win was extremely important for Central Penn, as the Lady Knights have struggled on their home floor since the beginning of last season.
The game was a back-and-forth contest from the very beginning of the game. For the Centurions, Morgan Volz hit two early layups, setting the tone for Bucks County early in the paint. But the Knights were not to be outmatched down low, as Allison Yoder scored six points in the first quarter.
Later in the first, Nyree Roberson-Waters grabbed a clutch steal, then passed ahead to Yoder for a score, tying the game at 11. Bucks County matched the intensity of the Knights on the next sequence, with Caramia Delucia hitting one of her four shots in the opening frame, giving the Centurions the lead as the first quarter came to an end, 15-14.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Roberson-Waters picked up two quick fouls, and had to go to the bench with four personal fouls. As the Knights leading scorer, the team needed a boost from their bench. That is where Cayla Thomas came into play.
After trading baskets over the first few minutes of the second quarter, Jayla Pearson and Thomas made their presence felt. Thomas made two clutch free throws, and Pearson filled up the stat sheet with three rebounds and four assists to complement her six points in the quarter.
With about four minutes left in the first half, Yoder hit back-to-back layups that gave the Knights a 27-25 lead. Central Penn was able to extend their lead to 34-29 by the end of the period.


Photo by Abbee Breski

Photo by Abbee Breski


Photo by Abbee Breski

Photo by Abbee Breski
The Lady Knights picked up the intensity in the third quarter, with Pearson and Yoder hitting two quick shots to extend the lead to 38-31 in the opening minutes. Later in the third, Thomas hit a clutch 3-pointer to give the Lady Knights a 10-point lead.
Even with the double-digit lead, Central Penn found themselves is foul trouble, with their top two scorers on the season, Roberson-Waters and Yoder, both playing with four fouls. While Yoder took a seat on the bench, two Patricia Monroe free throws for the Centurions made it an eight-point game at the end of the third quarter.
But the Lady Knights proved to be too much in the fourth, led by Thomas making three key baskets, contributing eight points in the final frame. While both Roberson-Waters and Yoder ultimately fouled out, Pearson and Brandi Swinton’s tough play allowed the Knights to maintain a comfortable lead. With about two minutes left in the game, a Thomas layup extended the Central Penn lead to 15 points, the game’s largest margin.
In the end, the Lady Knights were victorious by a score of 68-55, grabbing their first win in front of the home crowd this season.
The Weis Knightly News Player of the Game was Yoder, with 19 points, 13 rebounds and five steals. Thomas added 17 points and four steals, while Roberson-Waters and Pearson contributed 12 points.
For the Centurions, Patricia Monroe had 17 points and five rebounds. Caramia Delucia chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds, though she did have eight turnovers in the contest as well.
With the win, the Lady Knights improved to 5-8 on the season. They still have their sights on the ESAC title, which could be within their grasp with a strong finish to the season. Their next contest will be on Feb. 6 vs. Christendom at East Pennsboro Middle School.