GIRLS BASKETBALL: Shadow Ridge overcomes slow start to beat Western

In a physical matchup Friday night, the Shadow Ridge girls basketball team outplayed Western for a 63-35 home win.

After a low-scoring first quarter, the Mustangs put up 23 points in the second period, led by 13 from senior Lauryn Calo, and never looked back. However, both teams continued to fight hard for every loose ball and rebound through the final whistle despite the lopsided score.

“Both teams wanted to win, both teams wanted to get in position, both teams wanted to be successful on the court,” Shadow Ridge coach Dorothy Kendrick said.

Late in the final quarter, with the lead at 25 points, Kendrick called a timeout to make sure her team was in the right mindset for the final minutes.

“I wanted to call that timeout to stress sportsmanship, poise, patience,” she said. “Just play to our strengths, but play smart.”

Following the low-scoring first quarter, Shadow Ridge (8-5) began playing a more aggressive style of offense to get back into their normal rhythm.

“We kind of played down to their level. We needed to make sure we were playing our game and not their game,” Kendrick said. “Making those adjustments as far as being more aggressive and executing our plays to the fullest is really what brought us back.”

The Mustangs took over the game from that point thanks to a surge of offense from their best shooters and an attacking defense that created plenty of rebounds.

Junior Summer Plunkett led Shadow Ridge with 15 points and 15 rebounds and was one of four Mustangs to reach double digits in scoring. Freshman Isis Triplett had a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Calo and senior Alexa Martins both finished with 13 points.

“Our girls showed a lot of grit,” Kendrick said. “They did not back down when they knew they were being more aggressive than we were. They stood their ground and pulled together as a team and as a family and that’s what we do well.”

Kendrick still has things to work on with her team despite the large margin of victory Friday night.

“Those coming off the bench need to be equally as ready as those who are in the game,” she said.

Ja’Moni Brown had 13 points, and Adrianna Jones scored 10 to lead Western (7-8).

Contact Bill Slane at bslane@reviewjournal.com. Follow @bill_slane on Twitter.