HOWARD – East Knox girls basketball coach Chip Pozderac does not hide her feelings on most subjects.
And when it came to the Division IV district tournament, she made no bones about it: She did not want to face Northmor for a third time this season.
“We have never shot well against this team, which is why I didn’t want to play them,” she said. “We don’t match up well against this team. (Northmor coach) Freddie (Beachy) does an amazing job. I did not want to face them. I feared them.”
Pozderac was right. The Golden Knights suffocated East Knox defensively and knocked down shots to roll to a 52-38 win in the second round on Saturday, Feb. 20.
“I watched the film and saw some tendencies,” Northmor coach Freddie Beachy said. “They’re real aggressive on defense and they have a tendency to leave girls open in certain areas. I watched last year’s games against them, this year’s games against them, and I got one (other) game film and it was all the same pattern. I (thought) we could work this.”
Lexi Wenger scored Northmor’s first eight points, including a free throw at the 4:45 mark of the first quarter that gave the Knights (5-16) the lead for good. But it was three 3-pointers by Paige Caudill during an 11-0 run in the second quarter that was a bridge too far for the Bulldogs.
“It was a huge momentum booster when we came out and scored right away,” Wenger said. “Then Paige was on fire. She had the hot hand — definitely in the first half. That momentum booster was really big for us. We’re usually a shooting team, so when they fall we know it’s going to be a good night.”
Northmor was suffocating on defense to the tune of five blocks in the first quarter. Reagan Swihart had four of those blocks. She also knocked down a 3 late in the frame that helped the Knights seal up an 11-6 lead through one.
Wenger finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals; Caudill had 13 points, five rebounds and three helpers; and Swihart went for 11 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks, three steals and a couple of assists for the Knights.
“I just stand on the sidelines and yell,” Beachy said. “It all goes to the girls. They did what they were supposed to.”
East Knox, which trailed 29-14 at the half, had an opportunity to close the gap in the third quarter, holding Northmor to just three free throws. But the Bulldogs didn’t score from the field until a Magers basket at the 2:48 mark, ending a stretch of over 8 minutes between baskets. They went 4 of 12 at the foul line during that spell and couldn’t draw closer.
“Their triangle-and-two on Laura (Keith) and (Alexandria Magers) shut us down,” Pozderac said. “All of a sudden, I’ve got to get kids that are typically not my scorers scoring. It was just difficult. They shut Laura and Arod out. There’s 24 of my points gone. So props to them and their plan.”
Shanda Melick was solid in the setback for the Bulldogs (9-13). She had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists; Joci Totten had nine points, four boards and a pair of helpers; and Alexandria Magers added seven points, seven rebounds and two steals.
“The crux of our team is that they love each other,” Pozderac said. “We have been outsized all year long. We can’t control the officials. But at the end of the day, they love each other. It just wasn’t our day.”
