By Dominic Rapposelli
Sports Editor
Washington College women’s basketball won their final regular season contest in Lancaster Pa. against Franklin and Marshall.
The squad bested the Diplomats 58-51 and survived a second half surge from their adversaries.
The Shorewomen entered the game with an opportunity to wrap up a home game with a victory, along with a Dickinson win over Ursinus, and a Johns Hopkins victory against Swarthmore. Both of those outcomes happened on Feb. 17, which left the Shorewomen in control of their own destiny.
“Once a home playoff game was within our reach we knew we couldn’t lose the opportunity,” sophomore center Kaitlyn Boggs said.
Boggs had a big impact on the contest, putting up 10 points and coming down with five rebounds.
She continues to be a game changing player underneath, averaging just over seven rebounds per game, the fifth best average in the Centennial Conference.
After falling behind 9-8 in the first stanza of play, the visitors picked up a 22-13 lead into the second half. The Shorewomen never gave up the lead the rest of the way.
Franklin and Marshall outscored the Shorewomen in the second half, 48-46, The high flying, third ranked WC defense held on until the buzzer, coming away with the critical win.
Senior forward Serena Pluta continued her impressive run down the stretch with a game best 21 points. Pluta was one free throw away from tying the WC single game record of 16.
Junior forward Kiersten Rose had a game best 10 rebounds, sophomore guard Abby Meredith, who made her return to the Diplomats, landed the only three pointer for the Shorewomen.
The Shorewomen have won six of their last seven outings, only falling to twelfth ranked Johns Hopkins 75-44.
The first home playoff game comes on the heels of a third consecutive playoff berth, also a WC women’s basketball first.
“It feels really good to be the first team in program history to have a home playoff game and to be a part of this historic moment,” Rose said.
This will be the third matchup between Ursinus and WC. The Bears won 59-53 when playing host to the Shorewomen,
The Shorewomen bested the Bears 59-53 when they came to Chestertown.
The Centennial Conference playoff bracket begins on Tuesday, Feb. 20. The Swarthmore Garnet will travel to Carlisle Pa. to take on the Dickinson Red Devils, while the Ursinus Bars will voyage to Chestertown, Md. to battle the Shorewomen.
The last two seasons that WC has made the playoffs, the squad traveled to Dickinson and picked up a first round win. Both times, this was followed up with road losses at Gettysburg.
Both games will be played at 7:00 p.m.. Johns Hopkins and Gettysburg finished first and
second in the conference respectively, earning them a first round bye.
Photo courtesy of Grace Hazlehurst
Photo Caption: Senior Kaleigh White helped lead her team to the playoffs with an impressive five game stretch.