Lady Knights keep it close, Lehigh Valley pulls away in second half
By Blake Myers
Knightly News Reporter
blake.myers@mymail.centralpenn.edu
The Central Penn College Lady Knights fell in a battle against the Penn State-Lehigh Valley Nittany Lions by the score of 85-65 on Tuesday night at East Pennsboro Middle School in Enola.
Before the game, while speaking to Lady Knights Head Coach Stacia King, she mentioned “staying disciplined” on defense, adding the need for “elite communication” and securing more rebounds on both ends of the floor.
Penn State would come out of the gates drawing four fouls within the first 3 minutes of the game, creating foul trouble for the Knights that stayed with them throughout the contest.
The two teams would trade baskets throughout the game’s early stages, with Penn State hanging onto a two-point lead following an acrobatic layup by Knights guard Kamia Goodley to make the score 10-8. As the quarter went on, the Nittany Lions would capture the momentum with an 8-0 run, as they would conclude the first quarter with a buzzer-beating layup by Penn State forward Gianna Torretta, making the score 22-9 going into the second quarter.
The Knights would come into the second quarter firing, as Central Penn guard Cayla Thomas would drill a three from deep and recapture the momentum. Central Penn would then get multiple defensive stops, finding themselves on a 6-0 run midway through the second quarter, cutting the lead to 28-19.
Late in the second quarter, the Lady Knights kept adding on, cutting the lead to four after a big layup from Central Penn forward Sydney Bubb. The Knights and Nittany Lions would trade baskets at the end of the half, where the Knights would trail by the score of 37-34.
Central Penn would come out of the gates firing once again, and, on a similar note, Thomas drilled another 3-pointer to tie the game at 37 early in the second half. Penn State would then lock it up on defense, creating seven turnovers in the third quarter alone, extending their lead to 51-41. Turnovers again plagued the Knights as they resulted in another Penn State run, making the lead 67-57 going into the fourth quarter.
The Knights would face more of the same at the beginning of the fourth quarter as they turned the ball over on the first two third-quarter possessions. Penn State would then pour it on midway through the fourth as the Nittany Lions would push their lead to 75-59. The Knights could not rally late in the second half, ultimately falling to Penn State Lehigh Valley by the score of 85-65.
For the contest, Thomas was named the Knightly News Player of the Game, tallying 12 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Sidney Green chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds.
For Lehigh Valley, Hillary Offing poured in 23 points and nine rebounds, dominating the low post and causing Allison Yoder foul trouble throughout the game. Samantha Columna contributed 15 points and a game-high 5 steals in the victory.
While the Knights fell to 4-2 through their first six games, they have several opportunities to right the ship, including a key matchup on Nov. 26 against Berkeley College at East Pennsboro High School. That game can be seen on the Knightly News YouTube Channel starting at noon.
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