By Garrett Hemmerich
WEST MILFORD – The Lady Highlanders couldn’t overcome a dominant first half by Wayne Valley on Tuesday afternoon, losing to the Indians 58-38.
“We have been playing well in spurts this season, but have yet to put a full game together,” said head coach Ray LaCroix. “The talent and potential is there, but we are a young team that is still learning. We are getting there though.”
Sophomore forward Amanda Gerold led the way with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough.
Wayne Valley outscored West Milford 30-13 in the first half and the Lady Highlanders were never able to recover.
West Milford was coming off a big home win against Passaic on Jan. 17 in which the team took over in the third quarter after a tight first half, outscoring the Passaic Indians 21-5 in the quarter.
“Last Thursday was a key victory for us,” said coach LaCroix. “After trailing by three at half, we put together a huge third quarter that opened up the game for us.”
Sophomore guard Rory McCormick scored a team-leading 14 points while junior forward Ashley Jacobs had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in that 40-29 win.
The victory, however, followed a Jan. 15 loss to Indian Hills, a game that the Lady Highlanders were never really in from the start despite another double-double from Jacobs (13 points, 10 rebounds).
The team scored a total of seven points in the entire first half.
Coach LaCroix said the two upcoming games will have huge implications on the team qualifying for the State Tournament.
The Lady Highlanders (4-9) are scheduled to play Wayne Hills next at home on Jan. 24.