By Grace Hogsten
Copy Editor
Shorewomen basketball faced ups and downs this week, with a 43-37 win at home against Swarthmore College on Feb. 12 and a 52-37 loss at Muhlenberg College on Feb. 15.
While WC maintains its fifth-place spot in Centennial Conference ranking, this week’s varying results leave viewers anxiously awaiting the next two games’ scores.
Facing off against Swarthmore, junior guard Emma Robinson and junior forward Abby Meredith joined forces to net WC’s first basket of the game only four minutes in. The first quarter ended with the Shorewomen off to a strong start, carrying a 7-4 lead into the second.
“My mindset on the court is always ‘next play.’ If I make a mistake or even if I do well, I try not to dwell on it,” Meredith said. “If you get too in your own head, it can be hard to get back into the game and help your team move forward with a win.”
The team maintained their momentum; 30 seconds into the second quarter, senior forward Kiersten Rose passed the ball to Meredith, who nabbed a three-pointer for the home team. Senior guard Kerry Kelliher put eight points on the board with two three-pointers and two free throws.
By halftime, WC was leading 27-13, and the Shorewomen fought ferociously to maintain their lead: junior center Kaitlyn Boggs netted two field goals, Meredith put a three-pointer on the board, and Robinson and freshman forward Maggie Lawrence added two points each to the score.
WC began the final quarter boasting a 36-26 lead. With 1:08 left in the game, the Garnet had narrowed the Shorewomen’s lead to only five points, but the home team fired back in the game’s final minutes.
Rose netted a layup and Boggs executed a defensive block, securing the ball for WC with only 42 seconds to go. Just a few seconds later, Swarthmore fouled Boggs, who put the match’s final point on the board off of a free throw with 38 seconds left in the game. The Shorewomen emerged victorious with a score of 43-37.
This win, following two losses the previous week, showed that WC could find its way out of a rut. While the next game would not end in the Shorewomen’s favor, the team brought all its energy and focus to Allentown, Pa. for a valiant battle with Muhlenberg.
Four minutes into the game, Boggs put WC’s first points on the board, and Rose was soon to follow, putting three more points on the board for a Shorewomen lead 5-3. Muhlenberg netted four more points, but Lawrence tied the score 7-7. By the end of the second quarter, however, the Mules secured a 19-14 lead.
Boggs put the second half’s first points on the board thanks to a layup from Rose, narrowing Muhlenberg’s lead to only three. Three more from Boggs shifted the score to 20-19 in the Mules’ favor, with 5:55 remaining in the quarter.
Despite all the points Boggs could net, the Shorewomen were down 27-23 as the final stanza began. The fourth quarter was a fierce back-and-forth that saw Muhlenberg nab 25 points to WC’s 14 for a final score of 52-37 and a loss for the Shorewomen.
“This upcoming week is definitely a very important and emotional week for us with…one more away game against Haverford College and…senior night on Saturday. These two games will definitely be crucial for the opportunity to clinch playoffs this year,” freshman guard Taylor Shane said.
Currently, the Shorewomen are holding on to fifth place in the Conference. If the team can win next week’s games, Shane said, WC will be in a good position for the playoffs, so only time can tell what the team’s fate will be after its next pair of contests.
“A lot of the teams in the Conference have been winning games they ‘shouldn’t’ win and losing games they ‘shouldn’t’ lose. It has made this season really interesting and exciting to watch and be a part of,” Meredith said.
The Shorewomen host the Ursinus College Bears on Feb. 22 for the regular season finale.
Photo by Darius Kesey.
Photo Caption: The Shorewomen are in a tight race for their fourth consecutive playoff berth, a program record.