RENO - Carson High coach Todd Ackerman admitted he was a bit concerned about his team overlooking Wooster and looking ahead to Tuesday's home showdown against first-place Bishop Manogue.
He shouldn't have been.
Carson's pressure forced a plethora of early turnovers, as the Senators scored 16 of the game's first 18 points en route to an easy 72-39 win Friday night at Craig Congdon Gym.
"I knew they (Wooster) would come out hard, and at home you tend to shoot better than you do on the road," Ackerman said. "I was concerned if we let them hang around ... I thought the girls did a good job early."
The Colts were certainly no match for Carson's 2-1-2 press.
Of Wooster's first seven possessions, six ended in turnovers, and in each case the Colts never got a shot off. By that time, Carson had a 12-0 lead thanks to four points each by Eliza Matley and Emily Collins plus a bucket apiece by Tiana McAllister-Daggs and Savannah Smith. Eight of the 12 points came after Wooster mistakes.
"It (the press) bothered them a lot," said Smith, who finished with 15 points, all in the first half. "It helped us a lot. It made a huge difference in the game."
That wasn't the only big run for the Senators, who led 23-9 after one.
Carson went on a 12-4 run in the first 2 minutes 6 seconds of the second quarter to increase its lead to 35-13. Paige Robinson drained a 3-pointer, while Maddi Saarem added a basket and free throw to lead the way.
After Wooster went on a 6-1 run of its own, Carson outscored the Colts 12-1 in the final 2:41 of the half for a 48-20 lead. Smith had six in that surge. Cameron Sievers came off the bench for a basket and free throw.
Carson's lead could have easily been in the 30s. The Senators missed at least six shots from 3 feet or less, and many of the misses came because the shooters weren't using the backboard.
"We missed some easy shots," Ackerman admitted.
Carson was 19-for-41 in the first. Wooster turned the ball over 25 times in the first 16 points resulting in 29 Carson points.
The game slowed down considerably in the third quarter. A 7-1 run led by Collins (12 points) and Matley (21 points) spiked Carson's lead to 57-26 with 2:50 remaining.
A 9-3 run in the fourth quarter gave Carson its biggest lead of the night, 70-33, with 3:42 left. Matley had five and Sievers four.
So, with the easy win in hand, Carson now awaits the invasion of the Lady Miners, who have a one-game lead entering the last week of the season. In case of a tie, the team that wins the second game (head-to-head) wins the tiebreaker.
"They're a very good team," Smith said. "We have a good chance to win if we bring it and play our game. We have to handle the ball and have fewer turnovers."
"We have to make shots," Ackerman said. "We can't allow their press to bother us. We're going to do a few things differently which we'll be talking about in practice on Monday.
