By Miranda Parrish
Elm Staff Writer
The Washington College Shorewomen competed in several Centennial Conference games this week, two of which were played at home in the Penny J. Fall Gymnasium. The first game was played against McDaniel College on February 7 at 6 p.m. For this game the Shorewomen teamed up with the Pride in Athletics Club to show their support.
“We teamed up with PAC to have a pride game earlier this month… they decorated the gym and made it look awesome,” Senior guard Andrea Prestianne said.
Prestianne made a jumper 29 seconds into the game, which was the first basket for the Shorewomen. Free throws by Prestianne and senior forward Lizzie Hudock kept the Shorewomen up with the Green Terror. Back-to-back jumpers by senior guard Joy Sanders and consecutive layups and free throws by sophomore guard Karry Kelliher contributed to the score. By halftime, McDaniel was leading 38-28.
“I think it’s imperative that clubs team up together. Inclusivity and diversity are important for athletics to focus on, but it can be hard to focus on the game because there is so much emphasis on the event,” Sanders said.
In the second half, the Shorewomen came back strong with a layup by Hudock. Sanders and Kelliher continued to generate points, each making a layup for the Shorewomen. A foul on the Green Terror led junior forward Serena Pluta to the foul line, making both her shots. Despite these efforts, the Shorewomen lost to the Green Terror 48-64.
The second home game the Shorewomen had was senior day, at the Penny J. Fall Gymnasium at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Hudock scored the first points for the Shorewomen, sinking a layup. Kelliher made a jumper, followed by a foul on the Bears which led junior forward Rachel Thiem to the line, where she made one shot. Prestianne made a jumper and a layup back-to-back, adding four points for the Shorewomen.
Freshman center Kaitlyn Boggs made a layup, Prestianne made a three pointer, and Hudock made another layup in a row for the Shorewomen, putting them ahead of the Bears. At halftime, the Shorewomen were winning 25-17.
In the second half, Sanders was brought to the free throw line, making both shots for the Shorewomen. A layup and a free throw by junior center Serena Pluta contributed to the score, as well as a three pointer by Prestianne. The Shorewomen were continuously fouled upon, leading Sanders and Prestianne to the foul line.
Two more free throws by Prestianne sealed the win by the Shorewomen, ending the game 46-41.
“My favorite part of senior day was one, being able to get a win to keep our playoff run alive. And two, sharing the special day with my family. I had a ton of people come and I was so grateful to be able to share that moment with them because they are the reason I am where I am today,” Prestianne said.
Sanders also got to say her goodbyes to Shorewomen basketball as a graduating senior. She talked about how proud she was of the team’s efforts in her final home game.
“I really enjoyed my senior night. We pulled out a win which made it better and I really enjoyed the crowd being there and my teammates stepping up whether that was making shots, cheering for each other or getting some great defensive rebounds,” Sanders said.
Photo by Grace Hazlehurst
Photo Caption: Senior guard Andrea Prestianne shooting over an Ursinus defender.