PHILADELPHIA – The Lansdale Crusaders girls’ basketball team prevailed against home team John W. Hallahan, 40-22, Tuesday evening. The win marked Lansdale’s 7th overall victory this season. So far, the Crusaders stand 7th in PCL standings, with a conference record of 3-1. Hallahan is still fighting and working toward their first conference win.
Both teams came out aggressive, using a full court trap. Hallahan captured two steals from the press but the Crusaders did not let the steals stop them from going on a 10-0 run. In the first half, the Crusaders were led by Lauren Crim with 5 points alongside Brady Wassel with 4 points. The Crusaders full court pressure advanced them to a score of 19-5 in the first quarter.
Things only went uphill for both teams as they exchanged basket for basket. Dejah Alston-Dupree was on fire and led the Mickey Mouse on the floor, scoring all 7 of their baskets in the second quarter. Still the Crusaders were able to keep their 15-point lead, with a final half time score of 28-13.
After the brief intermission, Hallahan gained momentum and went on a small scoring streak, scoring the same amount of baskets as the Crusaders. Both teams put up 7 points. Myahn Walker came out strong for Hallahan with a nice block added by a basket and Alston-Dupree also dropped in four points. For the Crusaders, Wassel picked up two quick fouls, but the Crusaders still took the lead 35-20.
Dejah Alston-Dupree drives down the court for Hallahan - PSD photo by Takora McIntyre
Wassel came back strong in the fourth quarter scoring two consecutive baskets. Alston-Dupree scored her last basket, finishing with a game high of 15 points for the Mickey Mouse. Hallahan managed to pick up their defense in the last few minutes of the game. Bridget Miller hovered all over the boards, tallying two offensive rebounds and two big steals. Despite the late push, the final score ended 40-22 in favor of visiting Lansdale Catholic.
The dynamic duo of Wassel and Crim were key attributes in the Crusader’s team win. Wassel put up 12 points while Crim scored 11.
Lansdale Catholic head coach Joe Mack was impressed by the Crusaders performance, especially on defense, and is looking forward to playing West Catholic, who currently stands 8th in PCL rankings.
Lansdale improves to 3-1 in PCL play with 40-22 win vs. Hallahan - PSD photo by Takora McIntyre
“I thought we played good team defense, we didn't turn the ball over as much and we really took our time on offense,” said Mack. “Next game we have West Catholic, which is a really good team. If we play good defense, we should do okay, but if we don't play defense it is going to be a tough game.”
For Hallahan, head coach Ayana Howard understands this year is about building and improving.
“What we expect to do every game is just build. Build on our strengths and work on our weaknesses,” said Howard, who is in her first year at the helm of the Mickey Mouse. “There's always things to improve on, like I tell my girls there is always something to improve on. I don't have a team full of Brittney Griner’s and Elena Della Donne’s, so there's always things to improve on, rebounding, boxing out, team chemistry and just being able to be that team that trusts one another.”
Looking ahead, Hallahan will travel to face the Ragdolls of Archbishop Ryan (13-0, 4-0) this Friday at 7PM.