GIRLS BASKETBALL: Rochester rallies past Woods-tower for first win of the season
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.Stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — Rochester proved that it is not how you start, but how finish.
After struggling from the floor in the first half, the Falcons turned up the heat on both ends of the floor in the second half to topple Warren Woods-Tower 40-30 in the Rochester Holiday Classic.
The win was Rochester’s first of the season after four defeats, although one defeat was a 41-39 setback to Birmingham Seaholm.
“I think the issue with this team is confidence and chemistry,” offered Rochester coach Adam Sheldon. “We are a young team that played a tough schedule to start the season. We have four seniors and none of them played a lyon of minutes last year, so we don’t have a lot of varsity experience. We only have one returning starter and two freshmen on the team. It will take time for us to gain some confidence and learn to play with one another. But we are getting better. I can see us winning 11-12 ballgames with this group if we continue to get better.”
Rochester trailed 10-8 after the first quarter and fell behind 16-8 with 6:01 remaining in the second period before tightening the reigns on defense. The Falcons (1-4) also got untracked on the offensive end to pull to within 23-18 at the half, closing the frame with a 7-0 run.
In the second half, Rochester outscored the Titans (2-4) 17-3 and closed out the fourth quarter with an 10-4 spurt to put the game away. The Falcons held Woods-Tower to only two second-half field goals and seven total points over the final 16 minutes of play while limiting the Titans to just one three-pointer the whole game.
Freshman guard Paola Barraza scored a career-high 17 points, making 4-of-7 three-pointers, to lead Rochester. Senior guard Shakira Hodges added six points and junior guard Mo Schultz nailed 3-of-4 free throws in the final minutes to help the Falcons pull away.
Schultz hit a pair from the charity stripe to give her team a 35-30 cushion and the Falcons did not allow Woods-Tower to score a point during the final four minutes.
“We stepped it up on the defense end and I think confidence (making shots) was the key for us in the second half,” said Sheldon. “Our freshman (Barraza) is a nice shooter. She missed a few early, but once we started to make them, she gained confidence. We started to (feed) off her a little bit. She’s going to be a good one.”
Rochester prevailed despite one starter and one key reserve out of the lineup with illnesses.
Candace Randolph scored 14 points for Woods-Tower, although only five came after the break. Shanice Wilson added seven points but the Titans didn’t have any other player score more than there points.
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