Pickin' Splinters

Rochester's Independent Sports Source

Webster Schroeder gets bounce-back effort, beats Lancaster

by Leave a Comment



Webster Schroeder improved to 4-1 with a 65-48 win over Lancaster (VI) in a rematch of the 2023 NYS Class AA Far West Regional. (Photo: PAUL GOTHAM)

By PAUL GOTHAM

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — Bria Watkins led three in double figures with 24 points, and Webster Schroeder girls’ basketball responded to a loss less than 48 hours earlier with a convincing 65-48 victory over Lancaster (VI) at the First Annual Canandaigua Holiday Showcase, Saturday.

Watkins connected three times from the floor including once behind the 3-point arc in the third quarter when the Warriors grabbed their first double-digit lead of the game.

“Huge for us,” said Schroeder head coach Codi Mrozek. “We really needed this. It was a big week Penfield, Victor – two really tough Section V teams.”

After a first quarter that saw three ties and two lead changes, Schroeder (4-1) took a seven-point advantage into halftime. The Warriors then proceeded to score on five of their first six possessions of the third quarter and pushed the margin to 15.

“Tonight, we had a lot of inside-out and that’s us,” Mrozek said. “Moving the ball quickly, getting the drive and kick or a pass to the middle and a kick-out. Those shots, they fall because it feels good rather than us coming down and trying to force something quickly.”

Sarah Ferruzza opened the third-quarter scoring with a turn-around jumper in the lane. Addie Morgan converted a rebound and putback. Ferruzza connected from behind the 3-point line then Watkins followed with back-to-back buckets including a triple of her own.

Schroeder led 38-23 and did not allow Lancaster (3-1) within nine points for the remainder of the contest.

“On Thursday, we got a little bit too focused on our offense, and we lost our defense,” Mrozek said of the 46-45 loss to Victor. “We had to get back to us and focus on defense which is going to fuel that offense, naturally.

“We were missing shots and in our heads it was offense, offense. If we just stayed calm and composed and played good defense, got those stops on offense the shots would fall.”

A defensive emphasis on Saturday involved slowing down Lancaster’s Maddie Francis. Listed among the Top-10 in ESPN’s HoopGurlz rankings, the 6-foot-2 junior wing has offers from Arizona State, Boston College, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Michigan State and Notre Dame, to name a few.

“She’s a fantastic player,” Mrozek said. “She’s multi-dimensional. We took what happened to us on Thursday night, with what Victor did to Bria and how uncomfortable that made her and us and channeled that to let’s make her uncomfortable.”

Francis went to the bench when she picked up her second foul with 2:48 remaining in the first quarter.

She returned to start the second frame, but Schroeder’s defense had found its rhythm. The Warriors did not allow a field goal for more than nine minutes starting late in the first quarter and extending until Francis stepped in a passing lane for a steal and finished a layup at the other end of the floor late in the second.

“It was everyone buying in,” Mrozek said. “We’re a man-to-man team. We played a little box-and-one zone on them, but it’s all the same principles. We bought into that.”

Francis, who was assessed her fourth foul with 5:10 remaining in the game, led all scorers with 25 points.

“We knew she was going to get hers, but we just couldn’t allow her to get 40,” Mrozek said. “If we could win this game, that’s where she needed to be. We needed to make the other players have to score.”

Mrozek pointed to the efforts of sophomore Kylie Clement who came off the bench and contributed seven points and seven rebounds along with solidifying the defense.

“She’s a kid that doesn’t always get a ton of minutes. For her to step up today and have that role. We’re just so proud of her. She did a fantastic job.”

Watkins finished with a double-double of 24 points and 17 rebounds – this despite having to manage her own foul trouble. The junior guard picked up her fourth foul with 2:44 to go in the third quarter. She sat the remainder of the stanza before returning with 7:19 to go in the fourth.

Both Francis and Watkins left the game with 1:14 remaining in the fourth.

Ferruzza finished with 14 points and three assists. Morgan had eight points and four steals. Ava Gallup scored 10 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Jenna DiMarco added two points.

Watkins corralled 17 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.

Thursday’s loss snapped a 14-game winning streak for the reigning state champions. A streak that dated back to January 29th when Schroeder lost to St. Mary’s (Monsignor Martin).

“We knew if we could get this one, it could be a good turning point for us. Last year, our loss against St. Mary’s was pivotal for us. A loss isn’t always a bad thing. It helps us learn and grow. That’s the purpose of it.”

Schroeder beat Lancaster, 64-57 in last season’s state quarterfinal. The regional championship was the first in program history.

Lancaster averaged 69 points in its three wins heading into Saturday’s contest.

The game was part of the First Annual Canandaigua Holiday Showcase.

Schroeder played without Mariah Watkins (the older sister of Bria) who suffered a season-ending ACL injury during the fall.

LANCASTER
Morgan Molino 3 1-2 9, Grace Harrington 2 1-2 7, Cameron Wilson 0 0-0 0, Abigail Schlotterbeck 1 1-2 3, Jayda Jackson 1 1-4 3, Addison Stachewicz 0 1-4 1, Maddie Francis 9 6-9 25 TOTALS 16 11-23 48

WEBSTER SCHROEDER
Addie Morgan 3 2-2 8, Kylie Clement 3 1-3 7, Ava Gallup 5 0-0 10, Sarah Ferruzza 5 0-1 14, Bria Watkins 10 2-6 24, Jenna DiMarco 1 0-0 2 TOTALS 27 5-15 65

LANCASTER 13 6 15 14 — 48
SCHROEDER 18 8 21 18 — 65

3-point goals — Lancaster 5 (Molino 2, Harrington 2, Francis 1); Webster Schroeder 6 (Ferruzza 4, Watkins 1)

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *