Strasburg's defense stifles Fisher Catholic in regional semifinal win
· Yahoo Sports
LOGAN - Even though she is only 5-foot-3, Strasburg-Franklin senior guard Sofia Secrest was given the defensive assignment of face-guarding Fisher Catholic 6-1 sophomore Hadli Gillum all over the court.
Gillum was coming off back-to-back games in which she scored 36 and 30 points, connecting on a combined 17 3-pointers. Even though she had a significant size disadvantage, Secrest showed she was up to the task. She also received help from her teammates, but it was mostly her. She not only didn’t allow Gillum, who was averaging 23 points per game, to score, but she also held her to one shot attempt.
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Overall, the Tigers’ defense was stifling, and with Gillum taken completely out of the game, the Irish did not have an answer, as Strasburg cruised to a 51-15 victory in a Division VII regional semifinal on Thursday, March 5, at Logan High School’s Jim Myers Gymnasium.
The Tigers (22-5) advance to the Elite Eight and will play Reedsville Eastern (19-5) for a berth in the state tournament at 7:30 p.m., March 7, back at Logan.
Secrest said she wasn't intimidated by the height disadvantage because of her preparation.
“We were focused and locked in on defense, and we watched a lot of film and knew all of her tendencies, what moves she likes to make, and what she feels comfortable doing,” Secrest said. “I watched games where the defense was able to slow her down, and I just tried to make her uncomfortable. My teammates also did a great job.”
Strasburg coach Tyler Bates said he was not only proud of Secrest but the entire team.
“We knew that Hadli is such a great player and that we needed to be locked in, defensively on her,” Bates said. “To see the intensity that we had on that side of the ball makes me really proud. With any good player, we don’t want them to be comfortable, and the goal is to make them work for everything. We knew it would take a team effort. We gave them tough looks at the rim."
As for the play of Secrest, he said: “You want to talk about playing both ends of the floor. Sophia defends, she handles the ball, she can shoot it, and that’s what you want in a guard. She took the challenge on, and she knew she was giving up a lot of size. She has put in a lot of work, and she lives in the gym, so for her to shine on the big stage like she did tonight, it is well deserved for her.”
Strasburg’s defense forced 34 turnovers, including 24 in the first half, and they limited the Irish to only 23 field goal attempts. They made five. Even more impressive was the fact that they shutout Fisher Catholic in the first and third quarters.
Strasburg led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, 31-11 at halftime, and outscored the Irish 20-0 in the third quarter to take a 51-11 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers had a balanced attack, led by freshman Lydia Thomas, who finished with 15 points. Secrest scored 11 points, while Ally Miller and De De Herron added 10 points each. Miller also scored her 1,000th career point, marking the seventh time a Strasburg player has reached the 1000-point plateau.
Fisher Catholic was led by Ava Warrens, who finished with four points.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Strasburg girls' basketball tops Fisher Catholic, advances to Elite Eight