Red Raiders never find synch in uneven performance
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, the Times
Coatesville made some hard drives into the paint all night but failed to convert many of the resulting foul shots.
CALN – Turnovers and missed foul shots played large parts in the Coatesville girls basketball team’s 45-27 loss to Bishop Shanahan Thursday night. An injury to sophomore Lindsay Mills in the preceding junior varsity game left many of the varsity players visibly emotional, and they never seemed to fully recover.
Going for a loose ball, Mills collided with a Shanahan player and hit her head on the floor when she fell. The impact left her unconscious, and she was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. She was released later in the night.
Early parts of the varsity game were close, with the teams tied halfway through the first quarter, but by the end of the period, Shanahan held a 15-6 lead and never looked back from there.
Coatesville kept its shape against the Eagles’ perimeter passes but struggled to defend against inside runs, allowing open shots from close range.
Through much of the night, Coatesville looked the more athletic side, taking on their opponents in one-on-one match-ups.
On the offensive end, the Red Raiders looked the more athletic side, beating defenders and making strong drives into the paint. However, they allowed too many turnovers to keep up with their opponents and went into the half trailing 28-16.
The gap continued to grow in the second half. Though Coatesville continued making quality drives toward the basket, Shanahan seemed content to foul. The Red Raiders’ struggles at the free throw line meant that their forays into the paint did not translate into points.
For their part, Shanahan continued to look active offensively. Their success grabbing boards gave them second chances when they did not score initially.
While the Red Raiders showed hustle throughout the game, the execution was simply not there.
The loss puts Coatesville at 1-3 in league matches and 5-4 overall. The Red Raiders will look to bounce back Saturday at Wilson West Lawn.
