Good start pushes East past South
Girls basketball
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville East used a nice start to defeat Williamsville South in an ECIC II girls basketball game last Friday at East.

The Lady Flames (7-4, 3-2) jumped out to a 15-9 lead after the first quarter and 29-16 advantage by halftime en route to a 53-39 victory.

"I think what was big for us was our balanced scoring," said East coach Chris Durr. "We had 11 of 12 players score. The only disappointing thing was that we allowed 14 points in the fourth quarter, including three threes."

"They were the better team," added South coach Erik Solomon. "We only dressed eight people so we were a little short-handed on how much we could use our pressure defense. East did a good job of taking us out of our half court offense. They pressured our wings real hard, then pressured in the middle. Their senior leadership stepped up defensively for them."

East's shooting, an Achilles heel all season, was great. They made 20 of 42 from the floor and hit 12 of 14 free throws. They only committed 14 turnovers.

Senior Taylor Klun led East with 12 points, including 6 of 7 free throws. She also grabbed six rebounds.

"I thought it was her best game of the year," said Durr. "She was all over the court defending against post players. She had a ton of energy. When she was playing, it was like she was on a mission."

Senior Aleece Burgio made 5 of 7 shots for 10 points. Senior Jessica Kowalski went 3 of 4 from the floor for eight points. Junior Neha Bakhai made 3 of 4 baskets for six points.

South sophomore Sarah Marcus led all scorers with 19 points. She was 6 of 11 from the field.

Junior Cassiana Hyppolite hit three threes in the fourth quarter and finished with 11. Senior Molly Hofher (four points, seven rebounds), freshman Joanna Ostroot (three points, 10 rebounds) and junior Allison Couche (two points) also contributed to the Lady Billies' offense.

South had 16 turnovers.

East, tied for ninth in the latest Western New York large school poll, plays at Iroquois at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

South (4-6, 2-3) hosted Amherst on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They play at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Lake Shore.