On Jan. 16, the State College Little Lions faced the Harrisburg Lady Cougars at the North Gym in their 13th game of the season. After two losses against Central Dauphin and Altoona, the girls bounced back with a dominant 58-35 win.
The game began with the Little Lions winning the opening tip. Utilizing quick passes and assists, sophomore Deseray Mobley, junior Sienna Wilson and senior McKenna Whitehurst combined for 14 points in the first quarter.
“We actually just came off of two straight losses, so all week, the last two days of practice, we’ve been talking about, we need to get back on the winning streak, we need to go back to what we do well, and our identity,” head coach Alli Mock said.
The first quarter wrapped up with State College leading 14-7.
The Little Lions continued their momentum in the second quarter, with Sienna Wilson asserting her offensive dominance against Harrisburg’s defense.
“We definitely see more pressure from them than we see from some of the other teams in our conference,” Sienna Wilson said. “They’re quick, they’re athletic, they’re fast, they’re all in our face. They definitely bring the pressure, but we always find a way to come together and handle that pressure well.”
Freshman Elise Bechtel entered the game in the second quarter and scored a three-pointer, adding to the Little Lions’ scoring surge.
“I think Harrisburg is a really good team,” Bechtel said. “They’re really physical and good on defense. I think we did a good job stopping them and scoring a lot. We had a really good shooting game today.”
State College scored 20 points in the second quarter, 13 of them coming from Sienna Wilson, and went into halftime with a 34-16 lead.
Harrisburg opened the third quarter with possession, but the Little Lions and junior Sheree Wilson quickly took over with their intense defense and strong rebounding.
“Our big focus this year has been our defensive side of things, so making sure that we have our defensive rotations, and we’re boxing out on every possession, and really taking care of the little things on our defensive side of the court,” Mock said.
After a defensive stop by State College, Bechtel secured the rebound and passed to Sienna Wilson, who finished the play with a layup.
“We do a lot of team bonding things, and whenever we practice … it gets easier, and we just have that team dynamic,” Bechtel said.
The third quarter ended with State College extending its lead to 53-26.
Junior Sarah Coudriet entered the game in the fourth quarter and quickly hit a three-pointer. Whitehurst followed with a layup before Harrisburg struggled offensively until a State College timeout.
“Patience is key, definitely, to this game, cause all throughout practice, we’ve had to practice patience because our team always wants to go 100 miles per hour,” Sienna Wilson said. “We’re a fast team, but we learn to slow down, and so when we face the pressure, it’s a lot easier to handle.”
“It’s been awesome to see these last few games, the little things that we’ve been harping on day in and day out really start to pay off in games,” Mock said.
After returning from the timeout, Harrisburg was unsuccessful against State High’s defense. The game ended with a final score of 58-35.
“We had a couple of losses in a row, so it’s good to get back on that win streak,” Bechtel said.
“It feels good,” Sienna Wilson said. “This is our first mercy rule of the season, so I feel like we made a statement to all the other teams in the Mid-Penn conference.”
With the win, State College improved its overall record to 8-5. The Little Lions will be back in action on Jan. 23, when they travel to take on Carlisle.
