Schools
Pearl River Pressure Keys 86-39 Victory Over Harrison
Pearl River will play in the Section 1 Class A quarterfinals next Tuesday at home against Byram Hills.
Pearl River girls basketball team relies on defensive pressure to stifle opponents and create offensive opportunities.
The Pirates demonstrated how that works Friday at home against the Harrison Huskies, rolling to an 86-39 victory in a Seciton 1 Class A first-round playoff victory.
“This is the way we want to come out and play. Everyone played a solid game,” said Pearl River junior guard Christa Scognamiglio. “Our defense is a lot for teams to handle but we need to stay focused and try to play our best each time down court.”
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A Pirates applied full-court pressure the entire first half and gave Harrison guard Andrea Moschetta fits. The pressure created turnovers in the backcourt and Pearl River was able to attack the basket quickly when they gained control of the ball.
Pearl River took a 44-14 lead into the half. Scognamiglio outscored Harrison, 23-14, in the half.
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The second half was more of the same. The Huskies scored 19 points in the third quarter, five points more than they scored in the first half, but the Pirates started sinking jumpers and put up 30 in the third. Pirates guard Allison Cook banged three 3-pointers and scored 11 of her 15 in the quarter.
“We’ve had a lot of highs and lows this season. This clearly isn’t a high moment but the girls never quit out there,” said Harrison Head Coach Ervin Braun. “This is another level of competition and I don’t know if they were ready for that kind of pressure on both ends.”
Harrison may have been able to compete if they had been able to run their half court offense. The full court press made that virtually impossible and the Huskies were left with no other choice than playing Pearl River’s up and down, fast-paced style of ball.
The Pirates were looking ahead after the game. They will play at home Tuesday against Byram Hills at a time to be determined in the quarterfinals. .
“I really believe we need to focus on each game individually. There are always avenues to improve,” added Pear River Head Coach Lorraine Moylan.
Scognamiglio led all scorers with 30 points despite playing limited minutes in the second half. Allison Cook registered 15 and Christy Carty also reached double digits for the Pirates with 11.
