Click here to subscribe today or Login.
By VAN ROSE vrose@leader.net
Saturday, March 08, 2003 Page: 1B
The King’s Lady Monarchs are gearing up for a barrage of three-point shots
when they play host to Pitt-Greensburg at 7 tonight in second-round play of
the NCAA Division III Tournament.
~~“They like to shoot the threes, and they’re a very good shooting team,”
said King’s coach Bryan Whitten, who witnessed the Lady Bobcats’ 62-54 victory
over Mount St. Mary’s in first-round action on Wednesday. “They’re a
good-rebounding team, and they play stingy defense.”
King’s is gunning for a berth in the “Sweet Sixteen.” The Lady Monarchs
(23-3) earned a first-round bye after beating national power DeSales in the
MAC Freedom League championship game last Saturday.
Even though King’s is ranked No. 7 in the country, Whitten says unranked
Pitt-Greensburg is a formidable opponent.
“They play zone defense for the entire 40 minutes,” Whitten said. “We
haven’t faced anyone who does that, so right now they’re in a league of their
own.
“They press a lot and force 20 turnovers a game, so not turning the ball
over is going to be very important. We’ve held our own against Scranton and
DeSales, who employ a full-court press, so we should be OK.”
Pitt-Greensburg (23-6) is led by Jess Porter, a 5-foot-11 junior forward
who scored 19 points in the victory against Mount St. Mary’s. Porter is
averaging 11.4 points, and has canned 29 three-pointers.
“She’s a nice player,” Whitten said. “She likes to put the ball on the
floor and she’s very accurate from three-point range.”
Junior guard Annie Sral (13.7) is the Lady Bobcats’ leading scorer. The
other starters are senior guard Erin Arnold (9.7), freshman forward Jess
Phillippi and junior guard Torey Auld (6.5). Like Porter, Auld also has made
29 three-pointers.
Whitten said it’s essential for his team to hit some outside shots in the
early going, to force Pitt-Greensburg to pack in its zone.
King’s has several players who can knock down shots from long-range,
including junior guard Tiffini Varrasse and senior guard Nikki Kingston.
Varrasse was named MVP of the Freedom League.
“Varrasse has had a great year,” Whitten said. “She began the season on
top of her game and hasn’t let up. She’s a consistent shooter and has the
ability to control the game.”
Varrasse averages 12.7 points, including 27 three-pointers. Kingston, a
Freedom League first-team selection, averages 11.6 points. Besides providing
permitter offense, Whitten is counting on Varrasse and Kingston to break the
Lady Bobcats’ press.
King’s best three-point shooter is reserve guard Jennie Orelli (5.9), who
leads the team with 32 treys. Senior forward Carissa Ryan (5.8) has made 17
three-pointers.
The Lady Monarchs’ go-to player in the paint is 5-11 senior center Jen
Wozniak, who scored 19 points in the win over DeSales. Wozniak averages 15.1
points and 6.3 rebounds.
“She has the ability to score anytime she touches the ball, especially in
the low post,” Whitten said. “She also can face-up and hit the 15-footer,
and she rebounds very well.”
The winner of tonight’s game will face the winner of the Eastern
Connecticut (24-4)-DeSales (24-3) game. Should King’s and DeSales advance, it
would set up a fourth meeting between the two MAC giants.
And that wouldn’t surprise Whitten, who also likes Scranton’s chances of
advancing. The Lady Royals (23-4) visit Rochester (21-4) tonight.
“There might be some teams that are as good as DeSales and Scranton, but
no one’s better,” Whitten said.
Possibly excluding his own team, of course.