by Nolan Grejda
The Lady Falcons, coached by Dan Reichenbach and Megan Basile, traveled to Northwestern on February 23rd to hopefully win a playoff game in the Colonial League. The Falcons hoping for an upset, they had fallen short, ending their playoff run before it had started.
The Lady Falcons took the court to play Northwestern on Tuesday, this being their first appearance in a league quarter-final since their 2016-2017 season. Since the Lady Falcons went 5-5 in the league standings this year, this qualified them for the playoffs, going in as the 8th seed. Although they were the 8th seed and had to play the best team in the league, the Lady Falcons were confident; this is because they had come close to Northwestern when playing a regular-season game, only losing by 8 points.
“Today, these girls must control Northwestern’s big girl, must stay in front of their point guard, and must be patient on offense,” said head coach Dan Reichenbach before the game.
The Lady Falcons proved Coach Reichenbach to be right during the first quarters of the game; the girls stayed relatively calm and controlled some of Northwestern’s players. Although the Lady Falcons tried their best, some of Northwestern’s players stepped up and scored, reaching a score of 29 – 14 at half. As the Falcons were determined to make a comeback, Northwestern kept amping up their defense, and the Falcons fell behind. Because of this, their defense proved to be a force during this playoff game along with the ones to come.
“Northwestern had turned up their defense and had taken our point guard away,” Coach Reichenbach had expressed.
As the Falcons transitioned into the second half and tried breaking Northwestern’s almost perfect defense, they had brought more energy and were determined to win against the Tigers. Now, more determined than ever, the Lady Falcons also proved to have a strong defense, but it wasn’t enough. Trying to get by Northwestern’s defense and giving it their all, the Lady Falcons fell short and lost to Northwestern 52 – 24. Losing to Northwestern eliminated the chance to advance in the Colonial League playoffs until the next time they make leagues.
“We had missed too many free throws and layups, and you can’t expect to win when missing these shots,” Coach Reichenbach added.
Yes, their league season has ended, but the Lady Falcons have another shot in advancing farther in another competition, Districts. Currently the 6th seed, the Falcons hope to win against Oley Valley on Thursday, February 25th, and Dieruff on Friday, February 26th to move into a higher-seeded spot, playing a lower-ranked team. Because districts are right around the corner, the Falcons are preparing as much as they can, hoping to come out victorious.
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