By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHSTER, N.Y. — Leading by six at halftime, Ashley Zahn wanted to see her Victor Blue Devils take control of the game coming out of halftime.
The fourth-year head coach got just that.
Vanessa Chumacero scored nine of her game-high 26 points in the third quarter when the Blue Devils (3-3) built an 11-point lead and went on to defeat host Eastridge (2-3), 69-46, Tuesday night on Al Masino Court.
“Credit to them in the first half, they were making a lot of shots,” Zahn said of Eastridge. “I said the first two minutes (of the third quarter) are going to be crucial. We had to show that we are the dominant team and that we’re going to take over the second half.”
Chumacero grabbed a defensive rebound and went the length of the floor for a layup and Victor’s first double-digit lead at 47-36.
The senior guard hit a free-throw line jumper late in the third for a 53-40 advantage, and the Blue Devils did not allow the lead to shrink to single digits for the remainder of the contest.
Chumacero also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double.
“She’s such a versatile player,” Zahn said. “She can shoot a three and score. She can hit a 15-footer. Then she can take you off the dribble. When she’s in a zone, she’s extremely hard to stop.
“Once she saw the ball go in during the first half, she got her confidence. We were telling her to take it.”
While the offense found its rhythm, Victor’s defense limited Eastridge to six field goals and 14 points in the second half.
“We really just focused on our heavy gaps and close outs,” Zahn said. “Then just rotating for each other. That’s something we’ve been working on a lot. Today I was really proud of our transition defense. I don’t think they scored in transition. Then it was just half-court defense which is our strength. I was proud of them. They were disciplined.”
Allie Pisano added 16 points in the win. Grace Janczak had nine. Maddie Lennon (7), Kelly Wightman (6), Sarah Stear (4) and Angelina DiNolfo (1) also scored for the Blue Devils.
Alyssa Cowart led Eastridge with 13 points. Qa’ Mariona Greene had 10. TT Green (9), Lilli Crittenden (6) and Kenya Scott (8) rounded out the scoring for Eastridge.
The Lancers were without star guard Aaliviah Greene who has been sidelined with an injury.
VICTOR (69)
Maddie Lennon 2 2-4 7, Lily Stewart 0 0-0 0, Kelly Wightman 2 2-2 6, Angelina DiNolfo 0 1-2, Grace Janczak 3 3-4, Allie Pisano 5 4-4 16, Vanessa Chumacero 11 3-6 26, Addison Hopkins 0 0-0 0, Sarah Stear 0 4-4 4 TOTALS 23 19-26 — 69
EASTRIDGE (46)
Q. Greene 5 0-0 10, Alyssa Cowart 4 3-12 13, TT Green 3 2-2 9, Gabriella Rawlins 0 0-0 0, Lilli Crittenden 3 0-2 6, Kenya Scott 4 0-0 8 TOTALS 16 5-16 — 46
VICTOR 19 19 16 15 — 69
EASTRIDGE 18 14 11 3 — 46
3-point goals: VICTOR 4 (Lennon 1, Pisano 2, Chumacero 1); EASTRIDGE 3 (Cowart 2, TT Green 1).
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