By Dominic Rapposelli
Sports Editor
Shorewomen basketball earned another home win this season with a 63-45 win over the Haverford College Fords on Jan. 31.
Coming off a pair of losses against Swarthmore and Muhlenberg, where the team fell just short in the second halves, a home win cured what ailed the Shorewomen.
“The last few games have been hard fought games where we fell just a little short. We can’t get down about these losses,” sophomore Emma Robinson said.
After defeating the Fords earlier this season, the Shorewomen were able to complete their first sweep of the Fords since the 2010-2011 season. WC improves to 9-10 overall this season, 6-10 in Centennial Conference action.
Senior Serena Pluta led the effort, putting up a career best 24 points in the victory. She also added a pair of steals and seven rebounds.
Fellow senior Kaleigh White tacked on six points and a trio of defensive rebounds. Their strong performances put the Shorewomen in position to secure a critical, late season victory
“It was very important for us to get back in the W column as we have the collective goal of making the playoffs. We hope to keep winning games that will help us ‘climb up the ladder’ of the conference,” junior Avery Thomas said.
Sophomore Abby Meredith also added a three pointer late in the game to put the contest out of reach. Meredith adds that she wants to be more consistent this season and not just a splash player.
“If I’m being honest, I haven’t been as consistent as I would have liked or am used to. I admit that there were points during the season where I was able to hit some big shots and I give all the credit to getting in the gym and just putting the work in,” Meredith said.
Statistically, she has been solid this season, averaging eight points per game with eight outings of 10 points or more. She has yet to be held scoreless in a game this season.
WC also continues to boast atop five defense in the conference, an aspect which was tested in a hard fought 59-53 win against the Ursinus Bears on Feb. 3. The Bears entered the game featuring the number four scoring offense.
The Shorewomen are playing some of their best basketball late in the season, something which will help them stay consistent in the midst of their postseason run.
“The games where everyone plays their role and does what they do well are so fun to be a part of and that is when we are most successful,” Robinson said.
These complete team wins helped the Shorewomen knockdown teams like Ursinus, who
were sitting higher than them in the playoff picture, and put themselves in better positions to hang with the tough teams down the stretch. “I believe that the back portion of our schedule is very competitive, but I’m confident that we will be able to pull through,” Meredith said. “I’m super excited to see how things play out and having the schedule be so competitive gives us all a lot of motivation to keep practicing hard and stick together.”
The Shorewomen enter their back four games of the season, playing host in two of them. Their next home outing is on Feb. 10, against Dickinson at 2 p.m.
The game will also be the team’s senior day, where they will recognize both Serena Pluta and Kaleigh White.
Photo courtesy of WC Athletics
Photo Caption: Sophomore Abby Meredith tacked on six points, including a three pointer, in the win over the Bears