Lady Trojans Crush Whitman 81-39, Advance to Finals

The Gaithersburg Lady Trojans coasted to the 4A West Region Finals Thursday night, demolishing Whitman 81-39.

Kara Marshall started it off for the Trojans with three 3-pointers in the first quarter that led the team to a 24-6 lead. She would end up leading the Trojans in points with 23, and score two more 3-pointers before the end of the game.

Whitman head coach Pete Kenah said he intended to play Kara and Colleen Marshall, and Sarah Seipp, man-to-man to take away their ability to shoot the long ball. Kara foiled this strategy from the get-go.

"Credit to Kara Marshall. I mean, my goodness, some of those shots she had were so deep and stretched the defense so much," Kenah said.

"She just has a good shot," Gaithersburg head coach Adrian McDaniel said. "She's always been like that, her and her sister. She was on fire tonight, and I hope that continues through the playoffs."

As usual, Gaithersburg's defense was tenacious, and Whitman had trouble handling the Trojan's aggressive full-court press.

"That's the type of team, you know, we practice with boys, but you can't simulate that type of press," Kenah said.

By halftime, Gaithersburg had held Whitman to just 15 points. Seipp quickly continued the onslaught with eight points, including two 3-pointers, in the opening two minutes of the second half. Seipp trailed Kara with 15 points overall, and battled for every loose ball. The scrappy senior is never afraid to hit the court if it means stealing possession.

With two minutes left in the third quarter, and Gaithersburg up by almost 50 points, McDaniel completely subbed out his starting lineup, and for the rest of the game he left it in the hands Paulessha Wood, Michelle Winters, Deja Rollins, Brittany Carroll and Famatta Ajavon.

Wood in particular was dominant on the boards on both ends. Among the bench players, she led with eight points. Winters contributed another 3-pointer to bring the Trojans' total to nine for the night.

The backups "stepped up and did tremendous," McDaniel said. "They played great defense ... they came in off the bench with the same intensity as the starters." Having a strong backup gave the starters a chance to rest for the playoffs, he said.

The third-quarter line change was not only a smart tactical move in the long run, but it is also a testament to McDaniel's class as a coach, Kenah said.

McDaniel "was really nice taking those starters as early as he did," Kenah said. "They certainly could have gotten to 100 tonight ... we really appreciated his sportsmanship."

The loss was very emotional for Whitman, and many players exited the locker room in tears. Kenah said it wasn't so much the loss that upset what he called a "tight-knit family," but the fact that the group had played its final game together.

"We had an emotional win against our rival [Wootton] 44-41, and I don't really know if we recovered enough to play [Gaithersburg]," Kenah said.

Whitman is only losing two seniors, and Kenah said the team is optimistic about next season.

Gaithersburg will play Northwest Saturday afternoon at Blair High School. The winner will be declared Regional Champion and go on to the State Final Four at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.