The Steinbrenner Warriors won the opening tip-off and instantly got to the free-throw line. It didn’t stop there as the Warriors went on a 6-0 run and the Chargers turned the ball over four possessions in a row. Katya King scored the first basket for the Chargers after an offensive rebound and putback. The Warriors followed with an offensive rebound and put back for number 44 and Crest took a timeout with 4:59 left in the first with the score sitting at 8-2 in favor of the Warriors.
In the final four minutes of the quarter, Crest made some substitutions to try and shake things up, but the momentum remained with the Warriors as they went on a 4-2 run to end the quarter, making it a 12-4 Warrior lead after one.
The Warriors opened the 2nd quarter with a 7-0 run after a floater from number 4, a layup from number 12, and a 3 from number 44. Crest had opportunities to start the 2nd quarter but went 0-4 on free throws in that span. Fresh after a timeout, Elektra Ribot hit the contested 3 for Crest, their first of the game from beyond the arc. At this point in the game, it got very ugly for Crest. They struggled to inbound the ball as the Warriors were playing full-court press on defense. The Warriors got multiple steals and forced turnovers during the inbound attempts by the Chargers. The first half ended with the Warriors leading 41-13, outscoring the Chargers 29-8 in the 2nd quarter.
The rest of the game was all home team, as the Warriors piled it on the Chargers. They held the Chargers scoreless throughout the entire 2nd half, with the final score being 63-13. It got to a point where the clock was continually running due to the big lead of the Warriors. Steinbrenner outscored Crest 22-0 in the 2nd half.
Crest played a difficult three games in three days. “I’m not gonna lie, it’s tough,” Strawberry Crest head coach Gina Giunta said. “We have to practice in the morning. The girls are exhausted with all the IB work on top of that. I would say our biggest way to prepare during a span like this is watching film on opposing teams and talking it out with one another.”
“The girls will be okay,” Giunta said, “because they are a family at the end of the day. They are all so close and they give each other encouragement every single day. Even during tough losses like we had this week, they know that we can and will do better as a team. They are seriously one of the best groups I’ve ever coached.”
