By Dave Ricci
It’s all about timing. And in this case the Lady Lions got the burst of energy when they needed it most.
Kathryn Krchniak had nine points as Lockport beat Kenmore West 40-27 in Niagara Frontier League girls basketball action that was played at the Kenmore West Athletic Complex, Friday night.
Paced by 3-pointers from Alexis Rivera and Anna Quinlan (11 points) the Lady Blue Devils built a modest 9-4 lead.
But Lockport head coach Karen Catalano wasn’t worried about the scoreboard as much as she was her teams level of energy. So she went with a plethora of changes and it worked.
“I think when we played against Wheatfield (Tuesday) the second time our first group went back in there they really electrified (us),” Catalano said.
“I just said to them this is what happened in our last game. That electrified them and I think they really stepped up.”
The Lions (6-2 in league) felt that the second quarter was when the tide began to turn in their favor as they started hitting their shots and playing better team ball.
“It was really pivotal,” said Kathryn Krchniak, whose bucket gave Lockport the 17-15 lead at halftime. “We all got a little mad and started putting it up.”
The Blue Devils (5-4 in league) shooting went cold as they scored just three points in the third quarter. Ken-West also didn’t display the same level of intensity they had shown in other games.
But that, as well as poor passing and shot selection, could be attributed to the fact their starters were physically spent.
The Lions, who were very quick and athletic, went nine deep into their bench and just outlasted the Ken-West starters.
“I agree with that,” said Ken-West coach Jeff Martin. “They had more legs then we did. They went to their bench a little more and we rode our top six.”
Catalano absolutely felt their depth was a factor.
“When you have nine players going against five I feel you can do that,” she said.
Coming off of a win against Niagara Wheatfield on Tuesday the Lions feel as if they have that level of consistency they have been searching for.
“It was definitely a step in the right direction,” said Krchniak.
“Our defense has always been strong.We’ve been having trouble on offense but I think we pulled it together.”
Darussalam DiTullio had seven points for Lockport. The Lions had nine players reach scoresheet.
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