By Josh Patterson, For The Herald Bulletin
MIDDLETOWN — Even when your offense isn’t clicking, you can still play defense.
This philosophy certainly rang true for Shenandoah on Tuesday, holding Eastern Hancock scoreless for the first 12 minutes, 9 seconds in a 39-19 White River Athletic Conference victory.
“We’re extremely happy,” Shenandoah girls basketball coach Todd Salkoski said. “It would have been a little easier if we could have scored some points somewhere along the line. But the defense stepped up, especially with all those short sprints they took to cover shooters and tip passes.”
And that defensive pressure didn’t let up for the Raiders (3-1, 1-0 WRAC), even after Eastern Hancock (2-2, 0-1) finally got on the scoreboard. In all, Shenandoah forced 21 turnovers on the night and limited the Royals to a 21 percent (6-of-29) shooting night.
“We’ve known from the beginning that we have to be a defensive-minded team,” Brittany Lyons, who finished with seven points and a team-high six rebounds, said. “If we’re strong on the defensive end, we can get points from that.”
Defense continued to be the name of the game for the Raiders, who allowed just one field goal in the second half of Saturday’s victory over Cambridge City Lincoln. In the first half Tuesday, Shenandoah again allowed just one field goal, taking a 20-4 advantage into the locker room.
“It’s quite an accomplishment for the kids,” Salkoski said. “To go 32 minutes and only give up two field goals, that’s a great job.”
Though no player finished in double figures in scoring for the Raiders, a balanced effort could make for a tough matchup down the line. Then again, as Lyons explained, familiarity with one another lends itself well to that unselfish play.
“We have five seniors on the team,” Lyons said. “We’ve all played together so long, we know where each other is going to be. If LeighAnn (Pittsford) is driving, I can make space for her and vice versa.”
Pittsford connected with Lyons for a basket early in the third quarter to extend Shenandoah’s lead to 23-6. After Shenandoah forced a turnover on the Royals’ ensuing possession, Lyons returned the favor, assisting on a Pittsford 3-pointer to give the hosts a 20-point cushion.
That advantage would eventually swell to as high as 25, as Pittsford assisted on an Emily Eller bucket to put the hosts up 33-8 with 7:21 remaining.
Though the Raiders have won three straight contests after a season-opening defeat at New Castle, Salkoski explained his team can’t relax.
“The kids know there’s tougher games ahead, and we have to get better,” Salkoski said.
Pittsford echoed her coach’s sentiments about the desire to continue improving.
“It feels great (to win at home),” Pittsford said. “This was our first home game, and we’ve given the fans and ourselves a good boost. We’re just going to watch film and see what we need to work on.”
Alex Query led Eastern Hancock with five points. Shenandoah hosts Frankton on Friday, while Eastern Hancock entertains Indian Creek on Saturday.
