WINTHROP — Winthrop used a balanced scoring attack in its 66-27 win against Mt. Abram in a girls basketball season opener Friday.
Bella Littler and Morgan Fichthorn paced the Ramblers with 18 points apiece, and Ella Rice, Rhyan Sawlivich and Haley Williams each scored 10 points.
“I thought we shared the ball really well and got it to the shooters, and we shot the ball really well,” Winthrop coach John Baehr said.
The Ramblers used the 3-pointer early in the game as Littler hit a trey for the first points of the season. Fichthorn stretched Winthrop’s lead to 8-0 with another 3.
“That’s what our press does: Our press gets us going,” Baehr said. “When we don’t press, we are a little sluggish sometimes, and that’s the nature of the beast. I am proud of the girls and the way they came out and brought the pressure and made (Mt. Abram) turn over the basketball,”
Sawlivich scored on a couple of drives to the paint as the Ramblers’ run stretched to 12-0.
Winthrop cooled off in the middle of the first quarter when the Roadrunners forced some turnovers.
Abi Wilcox dropped in two points to get Mt. Abram on the board.
Head coach Lanie Roy said that creating offense is something Mt. Abram is going to work on.
“We need to focus on our offense, move the ball around better, take better shots when we are open,” Roy said. “We can’t win a game if we don’t score. We are going to focus on that, but we are young — we have to build up experience.”
The Ramblers started the second quarter with a 14-2 lead and Rice had four of the Ramblers’ first six points of the quarter for a 20-2 advantage.
Rice had eight points in the quarter.
The Roadrunners found some success in the middle of the second quarter. Kharlie Turner and Sakari Savage made two-point field goals and Wilcox hit a free throw.
Winthrop took a 28-7 advantage into halftime.
Haley Williams and Littler each hit a 3-pointer and Rice and Fichthorn each hit two free throws for a 38-9 lead early in the third quarter.
“I think rotating the ball and trusting each other on offense, I think that’s the biggest achievement we have to do this season, ” Littler said. “We are trusting each other, that’s our biggest goal this season.”
Turner warmed up in the third quarter and scored six points for Mt. Abram, while Wilcox added five in the quarter.
Both finished the game with a team-high eight points.
“The second half, we did a lot better …” Roy said. “Like I said before, we need to bring the energy from the beginning (of the game).”
Winthrop outscored Mt. Abram 19-15 in the third quarter and took a 47-22 lead into the fourth quarter. After not scoring in the second and third quarters, Sawlivich scored the Ramblers’ first four points of the fourth.
Williams, Littler and Williams each scored five points for Winthrop in the final quarter.
Littler said her teammates created opportunities for her.
“I wouldn’t have done it without my team, if they didn’t start racking up those points as well,” Littler said. “I think I wouldn’t have done it without them.”
Baehr said the Ramblers worked on their half-court offense in the second half.
“I thought instead of taking the first good shot, we took great shots,” Baehr said. “We were looking at the second and third options instead of the first option.”
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