Warden defense powers Cougars to 52-42 win over Othello
Ruby Trinidad (10) takes the ball upcourt against Lauryn Madsen (0) in Wednesday’s 52-42 Warden win.
Cheryl Schweizer
Briana Andrade of Othello, front, is challenged by Warden’s Jlynn Rios.
Quinn Erdman of Warden drives the lane against Othello.
Othello’s Annalee Coronado, in white, works against the defense of Warden’s Molly Sackmann.
Lauryn Madsen of Warden makes a move to the basket in the Cougars’ 52-42 win over Othello Wednesday.
OTHELLO — The Warden girls basketball team used a scrambling defense and an intense press to come away with a 52-42 win over the Othello Huskies in Othello Wednesday.
Warden Head Coach Josh Madsen said the Cougar defense helped make the difference on a night when the offense went cold.
“Tonight we had a really rough shooting game. Our defense needs to keep us in it, and it did,” Madsen said.
“We were just a mess to start the game, mentally,” he said. “It took us a while to settle down. We shot terribly most of the game, but really bad in the first half. Finally settled down in the late first quarter, second quarter, and started playing our game a little bit.”
Othello jumped out to an 11-0 lead, and led 16-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Cougar press started gaining in effectiveness in the second quarter, however, and Warden took its first lead of the game, 23-22, with about two minutes left in the second quarter. The Cougars led 25-24 at the half.
Othello Head Coach Adolfo Coronado said the Huskie bench is not at full strength, and that had an effect.
“We lack the ability to (substitute) right now, and keep our girls fresh,” Coronado said. “Right now, I’m six players deep in my rotation.”
“When we’re fresh, we play amazing,” he continued. “We have a first quarter like we did. I need to figure out a way to get them more rest.”
The press and the defense allowed Warden to pull away slightly in the second half, leading 41-30 at the end of the third quarter. Warden pushed the lead to 52-36 with about two minutes left in the game.
“(The defense) creates an easy opportunity for us, some easy looks for us, and it did, and that’s why we stick with it,” Madsen said. “But we gave up some easy buckets, too, so we have to keep tweaking some things and keep learning from it.”
The fatigue factor played an important role in the second half, Coronado said.
“As we got tired, we made more mistakes,” he said. “All of a sudden, we’re not boxing out as much because we’re tired.”
It also affected the Huskies’ shooting, he said.
“That’s kind of been a thing the last few games, easy shots that usually go in are not going,” he said. “I think it all boils down to trying to stay as fresh as we can.”
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.
