CLINTON TWP. — Lackawanna Trail may not have won any games during the exhibition portion of its schedule, but Lady Lions head coach Lauren Strempek has been pleased with the team’s effort and their willingness to share the ball.
”We’re getting to the basket and we don’t give up,” she said. “I get compliments from referees and coaches that they play as a team. They don’t care who puts points on the board and gets the rebounds; they just want to play as a team.
“We’ve had a rough preseason, but I’m proud of them and the girls are looking forward to starting league games.”
Turnovers plagued the Lady Lions during a 51-29 loss to Meyers in a non-league girls basketball game Dec. 28.
Lackawanna Trail (0-7) had as many turnovers as points (8) in the first quarter and fell behind the Mohawks by 16.
“It was a little bit of a rougher game than we’re used to and that we’re going to face in our league,” Strempek said.
Meyers (7-0) also used its size advantage to outrebound Trail, 40-21, in the game.
“They were a lot taller,” Strempek said. “We can box out to a certain extent, but we have to learn to leave our feet a little bit better and go after the boards with a little more intensity.”
Lackawanna Trail’s Cali Fauquier scored six of her team-high 14 points in the first quarter.
Rachael Beemer scored four of her six points and led the Lady Lions’ strong defensive effort in the second quarter. Meyers managed just nine points on 4-14 shooting. in the second.
“I was watching film from last year against Meyers, to get prepared, and she had fire under her butt last year, too,” Strempek said. “She was ready to be there and do what she needed to do.”
Meyers’ Ashley Bruno, who finished with a game-high 16 points, six steals and five assists, scored seven in the third quarter when the Mohawks stretched their lead to 26. Trail managed just two points in the quarter.
“We had great looks at the basket, but we missed a lot of easy shots,” Strempek said. “That’s kind of been our problem for a few years now.”
Fauquier scored four points, Megan Gatto added three, and Alyssa Fowler and Amaralis Thiel each scored two in the fourth quarter when Trail outscored Meyers, 11-7.
“The girls played hard from the beginning to the end,” Strempek said.
Lackawanna Trail will begin Lackawanna League Division 4 play by hosting Elk Lake at 7:15 p.m. Jan. 3.
